Page 69 of Sometimes You Fall

Scottie wipes her mouth with a napkin. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking we could have dinner with our families Friday night. Your mom and grandma can come over to my place, and I’ll invite my mom, Penn, Astrid, and the kids so everyone can meet, like we discussed the other night.”

Her eyes go wide for a second before she nods. “Jesus. No easing me into this, huh?”

I dip my eyes to her stomach. “We’re kind of on a time crunch, remember?”

She nods slowly. “Um. Okay. That should work.”

“Good. And then on Saturday, Dallas is throwing a birthday party for his girlfriend, Willow, at their house on Bayshore Drive. It’s right on the beach and our whole friend and family group will be there.”

“I only met Willow once at Astrid’s bakery, Grady. I don’t really know her.”

“Doesn’t matter. Dallas insisted that you come, and I want you to meet my friends.” She winces, but I press on. “Your life is here now, Scottie, and I want to bring you into mine, to establish that you and I will be a package deal, especially once the baby comes.” I look her straight in the eyes, cover her hand with mine, and say, “Come with me.”

Her eyes dart down to our hands. “Just as friends, right?”

I swallow down the urge to argue. “Sure.” But little does this woman know that I plan on making it very clear to everyone that she’s carrying my baby.

She nods timidly, but then finds her confidence again. “Yeah, okay. No sense in hiding, I guess. Everyone’s going to know about us sooner or later.”

I wink at her. “I agree, although I’m sure most people around town have already heard rumors.” I take my hand back and pop an onion ring into my mouth. “Now, what about the weekend after that? Do you have plans then?”

She swings her head around the room before her gaze lands back on me, looking perplexed. “What the hell is going on right now?”

I stifle a laugh. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m sitting here talking with a man who actually wants to make plans.” She places a hand over the center of her chest, feigning shock. “My heart can’t handle this right now. I thought men like you were just a legend that some women talked about, but never truly existed.”

Rolling my eyes, I lean forward and lower my voice so she has to lean in to hear what I’m about to say. “When are you going to learn that I want to spend as much time with you as possible, Scottie?”

Her tongue darts out as she licks her lips and speaks softly. “I’m just not used to this. I guess—I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

“Well, get used to it faster. Because the sooner you understand that I really want you in my life, the easier things will be for us down the road.”

“What happens down the road?” she whispers, and her eyes drop to my lips for just a second. But as soon as she realizes she’s unintentionally inching closer to me, she jolts back in her chair and looks away from me, breaking the moment.

“Scottie…”

“What did you have in mind for the following weekend, Grady?” Her response is curt as she picks up her burger and takes a huge bite of it, her cheeks bulging out as she chews, avoiding my gaze while I study her for a minute.

The woman is so damn stubborn that she can’t admit what’s right in front of her. And even though it’s only making the frustration in me build, it’s also a welcome reminder that it’s only a matter of time before she breaks—and I’ll be right there to catch her when she falls.

“There’s a man with a scrap yard in Kentucky who has a hood for the Nova.”

Her eyes meet mine almost instantly. “Oh! That’s great.”

“Yeah, I got lucky, but I have to drive to go pick it up.”

“Okay…”

“I want you to come with me.” When the idea sparked to life in my mind the other day, I knew it was the perfect way for us to spend time together, away from everyone else—to remind Scottie of theconnection we share, to let her see what it would be like to be mine, to build the trust that I know she needs before she’ll let me in completely.

She nearly chokes on her burger. When she’s finished coughing, her eyes bounce back and forth between mine. “You mean like a…”

“Road trip,” I finish for her. “Yeah.”

“The last road trip I was on, I threw up on the side of the road.” I try to stifle my laughter, but it comes out. “It’s not funny, Grady!”

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