Page 49 of If You Need Me

“Yeah, I’m pretty dedicated to the sport.”

“We watch all the time,” Georgie’s voice pitches up dramatically.

Sam snorts a laugh. “You mean you watch the thirty second highlight reel on the news.

“That’s not true!” Georgie’s voice is so reedy she sounds like she’s channeling a dog whistle.

Isaac smirks. “You’re literally the worst liar in the world, Mom.”

A minute later, Wills appears. Her lips curve into a smile, and she smooths her hands over her hips. She’s wearing jeans that hug her curves and a Terror shirt. “You’re early!”

“I couldn’t wait to get here.” I move toward her, wrapping my arm around her waist, remembering just how good it felt last night to finally touch her in ways I’ve fantasized about for years. I can’t help myself; I drop my head to her ear and breathe in her shampoo. “Thanks for making sure I got here on time.”

She smiles wryly. “I know what you’re like.”

Her gaze shifts to my mouth, and then jumps back to my eyes, like she’s remembering last night, too. I quirk a brow, silently asking permission. Her tongue sweeps out to wet her bottom lip. It’s all the encouragement I need.

I brush my lips over hers. It lasts maybe a second, but I feel that brief connection everywhere in my body—including very inconvenient parts that would like this kiss to escalate. I pull back, mostly so the hard-on I’ve been battling doesn’t resurge in front of her family.

Post introductions, Willy pours us all drinks, and we move to the living room where artfully displayed appetizers sit on the coffee table. A cheese platter, various cured meats, some fruit, and a bowl of chakri are waiting for us.

Her brothers load up their plates, which are the size of my palm, and take a seat next to each other on one of the couches. Willy’s moms take the love seat, leaving the barrel chair for Wills and me. If we were two average-sized people, the barrel chair would be fine, but I’m tall and broad. I take up seventy-five percent of the chair on my own, which means Willy either has to perch on the edge or sling her legs over mine. I pass the gifts to her moms and help make the decision for her by tucking my arm under her legs and arranging them so they hang over my left thigh. She hooks her feet around my right calf. I’m in fucking heaven.

“You didn’t need to get us anything,” Sandy says as she pulls the ribbon free from the small gift bag.

“I was out running errands, and I stumbled across them,” I lie smoothly. No one needs to know I spent seven hours shopping and was almost late as a result.

Willy gives me a sidelong glance, but I just smile and rub her hair between my fingers, so I don’t give in to the urge to stroke the side of her neck.

Sandy opens hers first, carefully unwrapping the small box. She lifts the lid and her eyes flare. “Oh my goodness! Oh wow. This is…” Her fingers go to her lips, and she looks like she’s on the verge of tears. That is the opposite of what I wanted to happen. “How did you know?”

She lifts the earrings from the velvet cushion, and Georgie gasps. “Oh my! The resemblance is uncanny!”

I just sit there smiling, since I have no idea what the hell they’re talking about.

“Hemi must’ve said something.” Sandy passes the earrings to Georgie, who helps her put them on. It’s an incredibly sweetmoment between these two women. “This is so sweet. So thoughtful, Dallas.”

“I saw them, and I thought they were perfect.” It’s not untrue. I did see the earrings and think they were pretty awesome. I was also running out of time and figured I should go big or go home.

Sam and Isaac both look confused.

Wills pipes up, probably to help me understand why everyone is so emotional about earrings. “Mom was looking for Ajji’s earrings a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t find them.”

Sandy nods. “I don’t know if I misplaced them or left them somewhere by accident, but I was heartbroken when I realized I couldn’t find them. These look almost exactly the same as my mother’s. They’re beautiful.” She crosses the room, and I untangle Willy’s legs from mine so I can accept the motherly affection. “I can’t thank you enough, Dallas.”

“I’m glad you love them.” I pat her on the back and avoid adding lies to the already huge pile I’m sitting on.

Georgie waits until Sandy is sitting next to her before she unwraps her gift. I worry it’s going to fall flat in the wake of the accidental replacement of the treasured family-heirloom earrings.

“That’ll be a hard one to top.” Isaac smirk. “Ajji would be proud.”

I swallow my anxiety, because the earrings were seriously some dumb luck. Maybe I overheard Willy mention that her mom had misplaced them recently, and that knowledge was sitting in the back of my mind when I bought the gift. It sure as fuck wasn’t conscious, though.

“I’m sure it’ll be lovely and thoughtful.” Georgie gives Isaac a pointed look before carefully peeling the tape away to reveal the contents. “Oh!”

She flips the book over in her hands and runs her palm over the cover.

“It’s signed by the author,” I say.

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