Page 70 of Down & Dirty

“All right, I gotta go. I’ll call you when we’re back and we can grab lunch.”

“The three of us?” She sounded shocked at the idea.

Another introduction felt like a little too much to put on her so soon, but Cass was a quality human, and I’d known her for almost a decade. If we really did pull off this year of marriage thing, they’d meet eventually. “I was thinking just you and me, but I guess we can see if Sky wants to join.”

“Wow. Okay, so this is going really well.”

“Gotta go, Cass.”

“Wait, wait, does she know about your shoe fetish?”

“Bye!” I hung up, but not before I heard her tinny laughter through the speaker.

Sky looked up as I approached, her expression open and curious.

“You ready?”

“Areyou?” she asked, eyebrows up to her hairline.

It wouldn’t have taken much for Sky to have picked up on my uneasy energy on the plane. I’d tried to hide it, but judging by the knowing look on her face, I’d failed.

I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her by the neck into my chest. “Not even close. But let’s go anyway.”

Sky’s shoulders bounced under me with a laugh. “It’s fun to see you nervous.”

“This isn’t nervous, gorgeous. It’s downright terrified.”

“Sorry I came?”

Tugging her into my chest again, my lips landed in her hair as I sucked in a deep breath of her scent. Lavender and mint. I dropped a kiss on her head before I let her go.

“Not a chance.”

No amount of nerves could come close to making me regret bringing her with me. Because as much as Maine was completely removed from my life on the road, and it held every shadow from my past, it was also my best chance to show Skylar once and for all that I wasn’t who she thought I was.

The ride up from Boston was mostly passed in silence, with just the radio to fill the void. But it wasn’t strained or cold. It was pleasant, if not for the nagging urge to take her hand in mine, to hold it in my lap or hers. I didn’t give in to it, though. We’d been more comfortable in our physical affections, but I didn’t want to cross any lines and make her uncomfortable so soon in the trip.

I’d wait and make her uncomfortable later.

When I laughed at that thought, Sky looked my way.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking about the time Beau got stuck in a rip tide and a group of old ladies out in their day cruiser had to rescue him.” Not the truth, and not a lie. That had been hysterical.

“I thought he was the one in the army?”

“He is. This was when he was like fourteen, and he was a late bloomer. He grew into his body after that.”

“Was he embarrassed?”

I shook my head, laughing harder. “No, not Beau. He rode in with them like a king, sprawled out on the back bench seat, a wine spritzer in one hand and a ham sandwich in the other.”

“Ah. So, he’s the charmer.”

I jerked my head back, offended. “I thought I was the charming one?”

“No way. You’re the troublemaker.”

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