Page 36 of Everything I Crave

“Thanks Mack!” I take off around her to the walk-in cooler and rip the door open to find Willow crying.

“Why the fuck are you in here? Can’t I have a minute to myself? Isn’t it bad enough that I live with you too?” she says through tears.

“I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

“Right,” she scoffs. “You don’t even fucking like me, why do you give a shit?” I stalk toward her because she’s so fucking wrong.

I take her into my arms, and wipe her tears away.

“I do like you. More than I should. I do want you. More than I should. And I do care. Again, more than I should.” I crash my lips onto hers.

At first, she seems hellbent on being stubborn and ignoring me. But after a moment she gives in and kisses me back.

“Why did you reject me?” she asks in a whisper.

“Because I needed to figure my shit out, and I’m an idiot. Trust me, Mack can confirm.”

She giggles and I’ve never been so happy to hear her giggle.

“Can you forgive me?” I ask her.

“Why should I?” Fuck, she’s feisty.

“Because I want to take you on a date. And I don’t want to fight this anymore. I can’t fight it anymore.” I trail kisses down her neck onto her collarbone.

She moans and her hands roam my abs. “Sorry darling, date first. And forgiveness.” I nip her earlobe and leave the walk-in to start my shift.

Chapter Fifteen

Willow

It’s been a few days since Gunnar apologized in the walk-in and he still hasn’t asked me out on the date he promised. I’ve been waiting, maybe not so patiently, and he keeps telling me I’ll be the first to know. To which, I can only roll my eyes at him.

Johnny and his band are coming to The Bar tonight. Johnny keeps asking me to go out with them, I just can't bring myself to say yes. I’m not ready to sing anywhere besides the comfort of The Bar's patio knowing that Mack and Gunnar are only steps away. While they are a lot of fun to be on stage with, and they make me feel empowered to take back my dreams, that empowerment only goes as far as the gates on the patio.

There’s a soft knock on the door, opening it, I find Gunnar on the other side gripping the top of the door frame. He leans in kissing my forehead, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Change. We’re going on a date.” His voice is demanding, his eyes raking in my body that isn’t quite fully dressed yet.

“What? I have my shift in like half an hour!” He might be the boss, but I still have an obligation to my job, to Mack, to Bennett, to making sure things run smoothly.

“Taken care of. Change for our date.”

I stare at him with an arched eyebrow, my arms crossed across my chest.

“Please?” he adds.

“Fine. But for future reference I like to know plans ahead of time.”

“You can’t just let me have this moment, can you?” He laughs, walking back to the kitchen to wait for me.

I FaceTime my sisters immediately. “Oh my god it’s happening! What do I wear?” I show them my closet.

“What are you going to be doing?” Addy asks.

“I’d love to know. But someone thought a surprise would be best.” I roll my eyes.

Lacey chimes in with an actual suggestion, “Why don’t you go with shorts and a nice shirt? If it was fancy he would have told you, and anywhere around here you could show up in shorts and a tee and be fine.”

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