Page 46 of The Beautiful Mess

“How much more?” Keegan asked huskily.

“Everything. You fascinate me like no one ever has.” Kerry brushed a thumb over his full bottom lip. “I think I’ll treat our date as Keegan appreciation night.”

“Color me intrigued,” Keegan replied. “And where will this event occur?”

Kerry worried his bottom lip between his teeth. What if Keegan thought his plan was lame?

“Now I’m even more curious,” Keegan said. “Whatever you’ve decided will be perfect.”

“We’ll see about that.” Kerry reached behind him and pulled two index cards from his pocket. He held them up so he saw what was written on them while Keegan saw the blank side. “I came up with a few ideas for our date but couldn’t settle on one. I’m going to present a series of options to you throughout our date, and you will blindly choose what we do next.”

Keegan’s eyes glowed with delight. “Oh, this is fun.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Kerry bounced the cards in front of him. “Round one is a choice of where we will eat.” Kerry had written Saucy Bones Barbecue Joint on the left index card and Eleanora’s steak house on the right card. “Which do you choose?”

Keegan squinted like he was trying to see through the card stock. Kerry had already tested that out and knew he couldn’t read the options. Keegan cocked his head to the side and nibbled on his lips as he considered. He reached for the card on the left but pulled back at the last minute. He stroked his fingers over the top of the card on the right but didn’t grab it. Keegan squared his shoulders, snatched the left index card, and flipped it around. He whooped and did a little shimmy that might’ve been a happy dance. “I love Saucy Bones.” He looked at the remaining card in Kerry’s hand. “What’s that one?”

Kerry shook his head, folded the card, and tucked it away. “Nope. I’m saving this idea for our next date.”

“Feeling pretty cocky that you’ll get another one, huh?” Keegan teased.

“A man can hope.” Kerry removed Keegan’s backpack from his shoulder and placed it on the sofa. “Ready to get our night started?”

“Absolutely.” Keegan spun and headed to the front door, and Kerry followed.

Kerry opened the door for Keegan. “And just what do you consider my worst behavior?”

Keegan waggled his brows and headed onto the porch. “Why don’t you tell me what the other restaurant option was first?”

“Eleanora’s.” Kerry could tell by Keegan’s expression that he didn’t expect him to give in. “But you can’t tell Debbie and Rick.” Eleanora’s was their stiffest competition, though the Feisty Bull was the superior steak house. “So, how bad was my worst?” Kerry raked his memories to see how badly he’d shown his ass in front of Keegan.

His minx marched toward the truck as if he didn’t plan to answer him, but he turned at the passenger door and smirked. “The family rummy tournament earlier this year.”

Kerry threw his head back and laughed. “Things got a little intense.”

“A little intense? I thought someone was going to get hurt.” Keegan shook his head. “And I thought the poker nights at the ranch got wild.”

“Hey, I’ve heard about Saturday night poker on the ranch. I’d like to get in on the action.”

“I can make that happen.” Keegan opened the door but paused before climbing into the truck. “The crew has taken their role as my found family very seriously, so be prepared for them to flex their brotherly concerns.”

Kerry patted his shoulder. “I got broad ones and can take it.”

“You’ve got big everything,” Keegan replied. “I plan to enjoy every inch of you.” He hopped into the truck and shut the door.

Kerry debated hauling him back out of there and going back to the house, but Keegan deserved a fun night out. Kerry did too. They’d have plenty of time for exploration later. Kerry got in the truck and fired up the engine. “Just out of curiosity, what do you think your worst behavior was?”

Keegan groaned and briefly buried his face in his hands. “The way I acted on Sunday at the family dinner. I was so obnoxious.”

“You were hurt,” Kerry countered. “And it’s my fault for baiting you because I was jealous.”

“No,” Keegan said. “I grew up with a woman who blamed everything on everyone but herself. It would be too easy for me to fall into the same trap, so it’s important that I own up to things when I mess up.”

Kerry reached over and took Keegan’s hand. “We’ll have to agree to disagree about family dinner on Sunday. What you see as bad behavior, I see as the kick in the pants I needed.” He felt Keegan’s gaze on him and glanced over with a smile.

“I want to believe that,” Keegan said.

“Then do.”

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