Page 15 of Inevitable

“That is the truth. My granddaddy was into hunting and fishing, but my daddy wasn’t much for it. I didn’t grow up with any stuffed animals hung on the walls.”

“My daddy liked to go to duck camp with his buddies, but that was the extent of his hunting.”

“Do your folks live in town?” he asked.

“No…they were killed when I was fourteen in a car accident.”

Leaning forward, he covered her hand with his. “Sorry, darlin’. I know how hard it is to lose a parent.”

“How?” she asked. “I don’t mean to be rude, but unless you’ve lost one, you have no idea.”

“Lost my mama to cancer when I was eight. I’m speaking from experience.”

Claire bent down and rested her head against their joined hands. “I’m an idiot. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

Lifting her face with his fingers, he gave her a small smile. “I get it. People always offer some bullshit platitude when they hear, so thinking that I had no idea what you were talking about isn’t surprising.”

“Still, it was insensitive and I apologize.”

Brady leaned forward until their faces were an inch apart. “Give me a sweet kiss and all is forgiven.” He didn’t really expect her to comply, so when she closed the gap and laid her soft, sweet lips against his, he about fell out of his chair. Electricity shot through his heart as their mouths melded together, and he knew there had never been a more perfect first kiss in all of history. When she pulled away, he leaned forward and gave her one more before she escaped. “I bet we have a lot of things in common.”

“Maybe we do,” she replied as her hand fluttered to his chest.

Claire’s small hand resting against his T-shirt was one of the finest moments of his life. It signaled to him that he wasn’t completely crazy and whatever he’d been feeling might be reciprocated at some point. Everything about his life had taught him to appreciate any small moment of happiness that came his way. Things, people, and circumstances could change on a dime and if you didn’t grab hold of the good stuff, you might very well end up empty-handed.

This right here was a piece of the good stuff, and he filled his lungs with the scent of the woman sitting next to him and the memory of her lips against his. It was the sort of thing that could make a man believe in happiness. A happiness that could last.

When the sound of the crowded restaurant filled his ears, he lifted his head away and noticed she had a very happy smile on her face. “You about ready for that snowball?”

“Almost. I’m going to eat a couple more fries.”

“Proud of you, girl,” he responded as he twined their hands together. Might as well take advantage of their closeness and keep them connected. When she gave him a smile as she lifted a fry, he about pulled her into his lap.

After she was done, she slipped her hand away and Brady decided to let her. It was one thing to show interest and it was another thing to be a possessive asshole. Right now, he wanted to stay well on the side of polite interest. If he showed more, she was going to rabbit and he’d never have a chance.

“This is about the best time I’ve had all week. I didn’t even have to do my hair or makeup. Which, truth be told, is a relief. I had no idea that dating took so much time,” Claire commented as she sat back.

He let his eyes graze over her shapely, tanned legs and bit his bottom lip. She was as appealing as any woman he’d ever seen. The fact that she looked happy only made her all the more beautiful. “I’ve never seen you look prettier.”

“My goodness, that is a lot of hogwash.” Patting his hand, she crossed her legs and then piled her napkins onto her plate. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel good, though.”

“It’s the truth.” He collected her plate and then his and got up to dump them into the trash. When he returned, he saw that she was studying him with a nice amount of interest. Yep, definitely a good day. He held out his hand and waited. “Come on. Let’s go get a snowball and then see if we find a dog.”

“I don’t know why you keep sayin’ us and we. I’m going to find a dog I like who will fit into my life.” She put her hand in his and stood.

When he saw that her shorts were riding up, he pulled them down. No one needed to see more of Claire than was necessary. Also, the whole my dog business was a crock of shit. If they were going to be together then it was going to be their dog. Which might not be necessary to point out at this exact moment. “Let’s get to gettin’, then. We don’t want all the good ones taken.”

“You’re right. We can take our snowballs to go.”

He led her out of the market and slipped his sunglasses on as they headed to the side of the building where the snowballs were sold. As they stood in line, he looped his arm over her shoulder and felt like he was getting real close to making a dream happen. A pretty girl in his arms, a satisfying career, and maybe a dog. Now all he had to do was get Claire interested in sharing it all with him.

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