Page 68 of Undeniable You

“Wow, I guess I’m not new and shiny anymore,” Jo had said with a laugh as we walked toward her car.

“Nope, you’re boring now,” I’d told her as she took my hand and squeezed it.

The further we drove, the more anxious I got. I hadn’t told her, but this was my first date and I was as nervous as if I was in high school again and just discovering that I liked boys and girls.

As a kid with two moms, it had been pretty damn easy to come out as bisexual to both of them. I think they might have been disappointed if I hadn’t been some form of queer. I was all too happy to be their rainbow child.

Jo finally took a turn and pulled into an inn.

“We’re not staying overnight, Jo,” I said.

“Don’t worry, we’re not,” she said, parking and turning the car off.

“Then what are we doing here?” I was absolutely puzzled.

“Come on, Larison. Let’s go,” she said, getting out of the car and then coming over to open my door for me. I wasn’t going to argue with that, but I was still confused about being at an inn.

“Did you see what else was on the sign?” Jo pointed and I read the name of the inn and that they had a spa. Oh.

“The spa?” I asked.

Jo laced our fingers together. “Yup. I know I could use a massage and I figure that you could, so why not get both of us nice and relaxed?”

I squeezed her hand. “This is perfect, Jo.”

She beamed. “I thought so.”

Before the massage, however, she’d reserved a table for us at the small restaurant. She’d asked me to dress nicely, so I’d worn a dress that I’d had in the closet forever but didn’t have an occasion for.

“May I say how beautiful you look?” Jo said after our drinks had arrived.

“You already have, but I like hearing it again,” I said, grinning at her. “And you look really good, Jo.”

She wore silky tan pants and a white button-up shirt. She’d left her wavy hair down and had worn her glasses.

Her cheeks went pink in the candlelight. “Thank you.”

We toasted to each other and decided what to order.

“How did you find this place?” I asked her.

She sipped her champagne. Both of us had decided that one very small glass was appropriate.

“Just looked online. I had a bunch of ideas. We almost went bowling but I wanted something that was relaxing. Plus, I knew if we went bowling without Juniper, she’d be upset.”

I really appreciated how much she considered Juniper in everything she did. It made me love her more.

I choked on a sip of champagne.

“You okay?” Jo asked.

“Yup,” I said, grabbing my glass of water and chugging a few sips to clear my throat.

Love hermore? When had I decided that I loved her at all?

My heart pounded as I sat there, and Jo talked and I panicked and tried to flip through the past week and figure out when the hell I’d fallen in love with her.

Had it been when she’d made a sound in her sleep in the middle of the night and reached for me? Had it been when she taught Juniper how to do the chicken dance? Or maybe it was one of those things that was impossible to pinpoint.

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