Page 34 of Unforgettable

“Ohhh,” I said, like that was actually helpful in some way. “So, it’s somewhere I’ve been before?”

Reed sighed and squeezed my thigh tighter, which I took as a sign that he likely wanted me to be quiet and stop trying to ruin the surprise. “You’ve been to a lot of places, Amanda. Not sure that little hint is helpful.”

I shrugged and shimmied farther back into the seat, getting more comfortable for the indefinite amount of time we’d be in the car since he wouldn’t give me that detail either. And to be honest, it seemed he had already put a lot of thought into the date, and I didn’t want to be a spoilsport. I just wasn’t a fan of surprises.

So, rather than continue the barrage of questions I had fired at him since he buckled his seat belt and fashioned the makeshift blindfold around my eyes, I settled in and let the seat warmer relax my nerves the best it could.

“What, you don’t have any more questions?” Reed asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I imagined his perfectly straight white teeth glinting at me as he gave me a quick glance and a half smile. It’s what I would have likely seen had I been able to see.

“I just figured I shouldn’t try to ruin a surprise that you spent so much time preparing.”

“Who said I spent a lot of time on this? This could have been totally last minute and we’re just driving aimlessly.”

I opened my mouth, prepared to deliver a snarky remark when Reed’s phone began ringing through the Bluetooth in the car.

He declined the call because it suddenly stopped ringing only a second later.

“You looked like you were about to say something,” he prompted.

“Yes, actually, I was going to say that I don’t believe—”

Once again, the ringing rang through the car, and I jumped at least a few inches out of my seat. “Is it the same person?”

“Yeah, I can call her back later.” A feeling I hadn’t experienced in a while suddenly twisted its way through me, leaving in its wake an uneasiness.

“Her?” I asked cautiously, a verbal manifestation of the jealousy bubbling to the surface. A feeling I had no right to when I had staked no claim to the man behind the wheel with his hand steadfast on my thigh.

“Yes, her.” Without any other explanation, the feeling wouldn’t pass. I contemplated questions I could ask to pry the answer from him without sounding suspicious, but none came to mind.

It had been years since I’d been well and truly jealous. The last time I could remember was with my ex. Since him, my other relationships and hookups weren’t important enough to get jealous over. And the feeling was foreign as I worried my lower lip between my teeth.

“What—” Reed began to say, only to be cut off by the incessant ringing for the third time.

“You should probably answer it. She must really want to talk,” I said, cringing at the disdain that was clear in my voice.

“We’re on a date, Amanda. I can’t talk to my mom while I’m on a date.”

I whipped my head toward him, like it was going to do much, and scoffed. “Reed, you cannot keep sending Mama G to voice mail. She’s going to be furious!”

“I will text her when we get to the—when we get where we’re going. She will understand when I explain.”

Mama G was one of my favorite people in the entire world, without a doubt. She was a warm, gorgeous woman that had thawed—at least partially—Reed’s stickler of a father.

They met in college, and according to them, it had been love at first sight. They were married only two months later—while still finishing their degrees—and had been together ever since. It was the perfect story of opposites attract. She was a lively, loving woman who cared unconditionally for the people around her. Her smile and vivacious personality lit up a room.

In the several years I'd been friends with Reed, I’d spent my fair share of time around Mama G and had grown to think of her as a somewhat surrogate mother. She was everything my own mother wasn’t and then some.

But she was the exact foil to Reed’s father, who was a harsh, quiet man except for around his wife. She worked as a successful architect while his father was an attorney and had opened offices throughout Texas. And although they didn’t seem like the likeliest pair, they worked well together andfit. Instead of my own parents, Reed’s parents were my blueprint.

He was a profound mix of them both; he’d become so diligent and goal-oriented that it was nearly a fault, yet he was so enthralled with life and the people in it that he was enigmatic and unencumbered.

“We’re here.”

I clapped my hands together and lifted my hands to the tie, ready to finally peel it away. But much to my dismay, Reed’s hand caught one of my wrists. “Not until we get inside.”

I huffed and was prepared to argue until I heard Reed’s door close and then silence. “Reed?” I said quietly.

More silence was my only answer, so I said again, “Reed?”

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