Page 82 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

“Because you’re comin’ tonight. With me.”

“I don’t recall you askin’.”

He pauses and we stop in the middle of the aisle. “Sweetheart, you just came all over my cowboy hat. That’s like a dog markin’ its territory, and now, you’re stuck with me.”

“Did you seriously just compare me to adog?”

He snorts. “That’s not what I said.”

“I think you did. I’m startin’ to remember why I didn’t like you.”

“Nice try.” He grins. “C’mon, to the dairy section.”

“Wow, best first date ever.”

“Nope, our first date is in twenty-one days. Mark your calendar.”

I chuckle dryly at his stubbornness to keep our deal. “At this rate, we’ll be married before our first date.”

He glances at me, but there’s a hidden smile on his lips he doesn’t want me to see. I’m surprised he’s not freaking out about the wordmarriedlike most men my age would. But again, I don’t know him well enough to know if the thought of commitment would turn him away.

We start grabbing items off his mom’s list and he tells me what he needs for his place. Mostly essentials like milk, eggs, and bread.

“Do you cook?” I ask when I find the bagels he likes.

“Uh…definecook?”

“I’ll take that as a no. Well, that’s not good because I don’t either. We’re going to starve as a married couple.”

I hand him what he needs and he tosses it into the cart. “Don’t worry, we’ll just go to The Lodge.”

“You go there every day?” I ask, walking toward the freezer section.

“At least once a day, yeah.”

When he catches me giving him a judgy look, he scowls. “I work twelve-hour days. You expect me to have the energy to cook?”

“No, but doesn’t that get old? Or do they serve different food each day?”

“It’s on a schedule, so every Monday is broccoli cheese soup and beef tips. Tuesday is tacos. Wednesday is?—”

“Wait…that sounds familiar.” I pause, trying to figure out why those food items triggered a memory.

“The soup and beef tips?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah, but I dunno why. I’ve never eaten at The Lodge, have I?”

Landen scratches his cheek, and I see the hesitation written on his face.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Nothing, it’s just that you’ve been there a couple times.”

“Recently?”

“Yeah, within the past few weeks.”

“Did something happen when I was there?”

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