Page 33 of Finding Hope

“Thank you so much. They smell wonderful. You look so handsome, and I can’t believe you’re wearing a tie.” He followed her into the kitchen and got a vase that his sister bought for him out from under the sink. While filling it with water and the powder to keep them fresh, he watched Shannon expertly clip off the ends of the stems. When that was done, she arranged them in the vase and then placed them in the middle of the table.

“Shall we go?” After handing her bag to her, he placed his palm on the small of her back and led her out to his car, opening the door and helping her in. He felt her stare on him while he walked around to his side.

They drove toward Surge in a companionable silence, but Jonathon did reach out and grab her hand, lacing her fingers with his. A light airy scent wrapped around him and was making him salivate. All he wanted to do was pull over and bury his nose in her neck, but instead he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. When they reached the restaurant, he pulled up to the valet, got out, and hurried around to Shannon’s door and opened it for her.

Inside, the smell of meat cooking greeted them. He’d skipped lunch so he could eat more. The hostess led them to a table near the giant stone fireplace. “I love this place,” Shannon said, a huge smile on her face.

“Good, I’m glad. I hope you’re hungry because I know I’m starving.”

Jonathon ordered a beer for himself, and for Shannon, a glass of her favorite red wine.

They made small talk until the waiter came back and they ordered an appetizer. He couldn’t take his eyes off Shannon. The light from the fire made the red stand out. Her green eyes sparkled with joy as she told him about a time when she was younger and she didn’t have her implant. Her brother used to try to sneak up on her to scare her, but she could always sense when he was behind her.

“He hated that he couldn’t scare me. So instead he always jumped out and scared Mary. Michael continued to do that until I was around thirteen and Kasey was sleeping over for the first time, and he jumped out to scare her and she punched him right in the nose. It wasn’t broken, but he did have two black eyes.” She leaned forward as if to tell him a secret. “I think he and Kasey are sleeping together. She’s been in love with him forever, and they’ve been acting weird for a while.”

“Does that upset you?”

“No, but I worry about him hurting her. He’s kind of a wild man and doesn’t really commit to just one woman, and Kasey, well…I know she wasn’t very nice to you, but she really is a good person with a huge heart. She’s just always watched out for me. I love her like a sister.”

He grabbed her hand. “I know I have a lot to make up for with her. Hell, with everyone. It’s okay.” He meant it, too. The shit he spewed at Shannon when she first told him she was pregnant was repulsive.

Their appetizers came and they changed the conversation to a lighter subject. “What was Josie like when she was a baby?” Shannon asked.

“She was such a good baby,” Jonathon said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better infant. By the time she was three, we knew we had a sweet little girl on our hands. She never went through terrible twos or threw a lot of tantrums. She’s a lot like Tessa. She loves to read and wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s a lot like her mom too.”

Shit…maybe it was wrong to bring Alex up.

Shannon made him feel better about it when she squeezed his hand and gave him an encouraging smile. “How is Josie like her mom?”

“She’s artistic. Alex used to draw and color pictures all the time, and now I see Josie doing it a lot. She’s always had a large capacity to love others.” He couldn’t be more proud of the young woman she was becoming. “She’s like me, too, though. She’s athletic and headstrong.”

“She’s a combination of both of you. I think that’s great. I love how much she loves Henry and how much she wants to help with him.” Shannon pulled out her phone and swiped at it a couple of times before handing it to him. “I don’t think you’ve seen these.”

Jonathon scrolled through pictures of Henry, and photos of just Josie and several of them together. In every picture where Henry was facing Josie, he had the sweetest smile on his face while he stared at his big sister. It was very obvious that he loved her already. Even though there was a big age difference, he hoped that brother and sister would be close.

“These are great.”

Their waiter arrived with their steaks, and he watched Shannon lean forward and sniff her food.

She smiled up at him. “This looks amazing.”

He watched her dig in with gusto, and it pleased him that she was eating. As he took a bite of his own dinner, he tried to hold in a moan as the piece of steak in his mouth melted. They were quiet as they both shoveled in the food like they’d never eaten before.

After they finished their steaks, he ordered another beer, and a glass of wine for Shannon along with a slice of cheesecake. He fought his erection while he watched her eat it, moaning around each bite. She froze with her fork halfway toward her mouth.

“What?” she asked.

“If you keep moaning around each bite, I’m going to have to beat the men in here away from you.”

Her cheeks turned the most adorable shade of pink. “Sorry, I didn’t even realize that I was moaning. It’s just really good.” She forked some up and then held it out to him. “Try it.” He leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the fork. The creamy cheesecake with a homemade graham cracker crust melted on his tongue.

“That’s really good.” She fed him one more bite. He swallowed it down as the waiter stopped by their table.

“Anything else for either of you?”

“No, just the check, please.”

Once he paid and they finished their drinks, Shannon excused herself and went to the ladies room. Jonathon called his sister to check on the kids. He talked with Tessa for a minute before they hung up.

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