AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How about we focus on the man you want to marry, huh?
“Well, I’m not saying that it isn’t excited sometimes. It just doesn’t show off the way yours does. Some can be more understated,” I said as he pulled open the passenger door, and I climbed into his big red truck.
“Mine has always liked to show off,” he said when he settled into the driver’s seat and winked at me before turning on the engine.
“Of course it has,” I teased as we drove toward town.
“Did taking Millie out help settle your nerves?” he asked as we turned down Cottonwood Cove Drive, where all the shops and restaurants sat. The town was decorated for fall. Tall corn husks were tied around every light post, and most of the shop windows were decorated with pumpkins and harvest décor.
The small town was not lacking charm, much like the man beside me.
“Yeah. Your house is on such a beautiful lot. You’ve got all the pines on one side, and we made our way down near the water. It’s gorgeous. It felt good to be outside. I’ve been spending most of my days going between an office and a tiny studio apartment.”
“See, you did the right thing coming home.”
He parked in the side lot of Cottonwood Café, and I let out a long breath as I tugged my braid over one shoulder. “So, how are we going to play this?”
“You want to show everyone we’re together, so that’s what we’ll do.”
“And if we run into Carl?”
“Then I’ll show him what he’s missing,” he said, waggling his brows before hopping out of the truck. He came around and opened my door, helping me out.
“Relax. I’m a professional actor. We’ve got this. Just go with it. If we don’t see him, we’ll just act normal. It’s not like I have sex in a booth at a restaurant when I’m with a woman.”
I laughed as he pulled open the door to Cottonwood Café. The place was always booming during the day, while Reynolds’ Bar and Grill, Finn’s brother Hugh’s restaurant, was always booming at night.
“Well, if it isn’t the couple of the hour.” Mrs. Runither, the owner, clapped her hands together. “It’s about damn time you two figured it out. Don’t get me wrong, Dr. Studmuffin is easy on the eyes, too. But Finn Reynolds, I mean… he’s the whole package.”
“Damn straight.” Finn puffed out his chest and smirked. “You’ve always had my back. Bring it in.” He held his arms out, and the horndog, Mrs. Runither, couldn’t get there fast enough. My eyes gaped open when she made no attempt to hide the fact that she was squeezing his ass. My head fell back in laughter. This was what I’d missed about being home. The comfort. The laughs. Cottonwood Cove was my home. My happy place. I just hadn’t liked the job I had when I was here. I wanted to go out and experience something new, be my own person, and find myself. But I always wanted to come back. Home was where my heart was. My family. Finn. Carl. All my friends.
Why couldn’t he have just understood that?
“Wow. You got the whole cheek in there, didn’t you? You don’t want to make my girl jealous, do you?” he teased as he pulled back and kissed the older woman’s cheek.
Very few people tolerated Mrs. Runither, but Finn had always embraced her.
He didn’t mind that she was a dirty old bird and completely unprofessional in the way she violated her customers.
He shrugged it off.
That was the beauty of Finn.
He didn’t take life too seriously.
I hoped he’d never change. He was the eternal Peter Pan.
But he didn’t always understand my internal clock and the timeline pressure I felt to achieve the things I wanted out of life.
“Oh, that’s right. You two are bumpin’ dirties now, aren’t you?” she purred, and I couldn’t help but zone in on her tangerine-colored lipstick that was drawn so far outside the lines of her lips that it looked like clown makeup.
“I mean, look at her. Do you think I could contain myself around her?” His tongue swiped out to wet his lips, and Mrs. Runither groaned as she watched him.
Damn. He really was a good actor.
“Okay, Finn, we should probably get to our table,” I said, anxious to sit down and get away from this awkward conversation.
“Yes, baby,” he said. His tone was so sexy that my eyes widened. “Her ex isn’t here, is he? We don’t need any fights breaking out in this fine establishment of yours.”
