Page 9 of Fumbling in the Dark

My breathing calms the longer I stare at him, his clear blue eyes anchoring me in the moment. Finally, I’m able to get a fewwords out. “Now that we have the fact we are both awkward out of the way, tell me about yourself.”

He clears his throat and I can’t help but watch as his Adam’s apple moves up and down. My nipples pebble at the sight and like…fuck, can you get turned on by someone’s throat? I think I might be in trouble.

“Since I already told you my favorite color is blue…I grew up in a small town called Rose Valley. I’m the youngest of three boys,” he tells me, watching my reaction, as if he is expecting me to question what he has said.

“Are you and your family close?” I ask.

“Some more than others,” he replies as he shrugs his shoulders but doesn’t explain any further.

A sadness washes over me as I watch him take another swig of his beer. The idea that he might not be close toanyfamily member just strikes me as sad. My mind drifts to the dynamics of my own family and I couldn’t imaginenotbeing close to any of them. I speak to almost every single person in my family every day. Even speaking to extended members of my family at least once a week.

“Are you close to your family?” Shane asks breaking me from my thoughts about my family.

A smile spreads across my face as I answer, “Yes. I’m really close to my family. I’m the oldest of three. I actually speak or text with a member of my family every day.”

“Tell me about them,” he commands. I don’t normally like it when someone tells me what to do. In fact, it usually grates on my nerves and makes me want to do the exact opposite, but there is something about him that makes me want to obey. So I do.

I spend the next hour telling him all about my family. How both of my parents are teachers, how they helped me as muchas they could when I went to college but were grateful when I decided to work at a florist shop.

Shane listened the whole time, never interrupting, only asking questions. It seemed like he was actually interested in me and what I had to say. Hope blooms in my chest that this could be someone I could have a future with. He could be the one that’s been missing…

Chapter seven

Shane

If someone had told me that I would be spending Valentine’s Day with a beautiful woman who has captured my complete attention, I would’ve called bullshit. Especially knowing that this goddess was someone that Kade set me up with. But as I sit here listening to her talk about her family, I’m entranced.

“I talk with my parent’s every day on the phone. They worry a lot,” I hear her say.

“You talk with your parent’s every day?” I ask, astonished.

“I do. Usually on my way home from work,” she replies.

It amazes me that someone could talk to their parents every day. I mean, I’m not sure what I would say to my mom let alone my dad if I talked to them that much.

“I take it you don’t talk with your parents much?” she asks me.

“I mean, it depends on your perspective I suppose. I talk with my mom once a week and text with my brothers sporadically through the week.”

“What about your dad?”

“No. My mom just tells him the important parts.”

She cocks her head at me. “Why is that?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. My dad’s always been a hard ass to everyone, including us kids. Except for my mom. He demanded nothing less than perfection from us boys, and that pushed us away.”

She nods her head. “What about your brothers?”

Taking another sip, I answer honestly. “I think when we were kids, we were just trying to survive our dad in some way or another. Like my oldest brother, Taylor, did everything he could to stay away, and Cliff, the middle brother, tried to appease my dad by doing anything and everything on the farm.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, what did you do to survive your dad?”

“Oh, I focused on sports.”

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