Page 112 of Always Us

“Actually, it’s not, but I’ll throw it in as a bonus.”

“You ready to go? Or would you like to stay and listen to the music?”

“I think I’ve heard enough. Let’s go.”

As we walk out, Garret hands some money to our waiter, telling him to give it to the singer.

When we get outside, Garret draws me into him and kisses me. It’s a sweet, gentle kiss that reminds me of the kiss we had in this same parking lot last year.

“Are you recreating our kiss?” I ask him.

“I am. Was it the same?”

“It was better. Because now I love you.”

He pulls back. “You didn’t love me back then?”

“I’d just met you.”

“We’d been going out for months.” His cocky grin appears. “You totally loved me.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, because you know so.”

“Fine.” My lips turn up. “Maybe I loved you. Just a little.”

“And when that mariachi singer said he’d sing at our wedding, it made you think of us getting married. And you liked the idea of that.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous. I did not think about our wedding. And technically, it was only our first date. That’s way too soon to think about marriage.”

“You thought about it,” he says confidently as he walks me to the car.

Damn, how did he know that? Was I that obvious?

He stops and gives me another kiss, then says, “Jade.” He points up at the sky. Tiny snowflakes are falling. “Must be something about this restaurant. It snows whenever we come here.”

“It’s beautiful.” I watch it fall as he opens my door.

As we’re driving back, the snow gets heavier, covering the road and the trees.

“We should go for a walk in the woods behind your house. I love seeing the white snow on the dark trees.”

Garret glances over at me, smiling. “Are you trying to recreate Thanksgiving last year?”

“I guess I am. Which means you have to kiss me again in the snow.”

“Kissing you is not something I have to do. I want to kiss you. And if we’re recreating that weekend, we’ll be doing more than kissing.”

“Garret, you know I don’t like doing it in your dad’s house.”

He laughs. “And yet we always do.”

“Well, not this time. Your grandmother is staying two bedrooms down from yours. She might hear something.”

“Then you’ll have to tone down your moaning. And be a little quieter when you yell out my name.”

I swat his arm. “I do not moan. And I do not yell out your name.”

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