Page 103 of Catch and Release

He froze, thrown off by the sudden display of affection.

Forget the fact that they’d been screwing each other senseless the past couple of months.

The light peck on the cheek made him feel like a giddy teenager again. Like they were taking it slow.

Like they were really in a relationship.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone kissed him on the cheek like that.

“I’m going to put these in some water real quick,” she said. “Want to come in?”

Shawn nodded.

He must’ve lost his ability to speak because he wanted to tell her how perfect she looked, but couldn’t find his voice. So he trailed behind her into the kitchen, where they sat in one of those companionable silences they often shared on the wharf as she methodically cut the stems and put the flowers in a vase.

“I love sunflowers,” Willa said. “How’d you know?”

He’d taken a wild guess. The flowers reminded him of her, and one of the locals grew the most beautiful sunflowers on their farm a few miles down the road. He drove down there to buy them earlier that afternoon.

When he had the idea to buy her some flowers today, the traditional, romantic bouquet isn’t what came to mind. He wasn’t about to drop $50 on the perfect selection of red roses. But sunflowers? The ones he could see growing in fields down the road from the Bay? For some reason, they reminded him of her—warm and inviting and a little bit wild.

“Nobody’s ever bought me sunflowers before,” she murmured, more to herself than to him.

He was going to buy her sunflowers every damn day they were in season.

“I’m glad you like them,” Shawn responded, finally finding his voice.

She gave him a shy smile, and he felt the gravity of this first date.

For both of them, for different reasons, this was a big deal.

So he stepped toward her, grabbed her chin with his fingers, and delicately pecked her perfect lips.

“Thanks for letting me take you out tonight,” he whispered against her mouth. “I know this must be scary for you. Just let me know what you need.”

She released a big sigh and buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. He tugged her in and rested his chin against the top of her head.

“Thank you,” she whispered, so quietly he almost didn’t hear it.

“I’ve got some big plans for tonight,” he said, nerves re-entering his system.

“Am I dressed okay for it?”

He pulled back and grinned at her. “You look perfect. Have I not said that yet?”

She shook her head, biting her lip.

Leaning into her hair, Shawn brought his lips against her ear and her breath caught as he whispered, “This is the dress you wore the first time I laid eyes on you. This is the perfect dress for any occasion. You look stunning.”

He heard her intake of breath before making eye contact with her again. “Shall we?”

She nodded, and he led her to the car.

So far, so good. As she buckled into the seat, he turned the radio on and pulled out of the driveway. He hoped she liked what he had planned.

Willa twiddled her thumbs nervously.

Shawn remembered this dress.

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