Page 52 of Loving You

“Do what?”

“Go hiking,” Quinn says and pats my leg as if she knows I’m about ten seconds away from losing it if we add more to our list of fake appearances. To be fair, this one had been mentioned already. We just didn’t set a time. At least with them, it’ll be a true hike and no need to fake anything about it.

My gaze drops to where Quinn touches me. Women have touched me before, and I’m an adult male who can handle it, but the fact that she hasn’t removed her hand is what gets me. Or rather, it’s that a small side of me doesn’t want her to.

It’s a hand on my thigh, for fuck’s sake, and yet the action soothes me.

I look up to find Lucas glaring at me.

“This week is great,” Quinn says, “but we should get going. I have a long list of shop candidates to look through, and we all know this man right here doesn’t ever take a day off.”

“But he should start,” my dad chimes in, giving Quinn a goodbye hug. “Maybe having someone like you start stealing his time will knock some sense into him.”

“Loving your job isn’t a crime, Dad,” I tell him.

“No, no, it’s not, but missing out on life when it’s happening right in front of you is.”

I hold his gaze for a moment.

Before my mom died, Dad worked a lot. It wasn’t until after she passed away so quickly that he started talking like this.Live life to your fullest, Miles. Enjoy it while you can, Luca. Love like this only comes around once in your lifetime, Hudson.There are so many more one-liners he recites to us, but the one he just said to me is right on par with the rest.

I know he didn’t regret anything when it came to his relationship with Mom, though. Oh hell, those two are going to be one tough combination to beat.

I should know. I’ve been looking for a love like that for thelast few years. Hence, why I made such a poor decision last summer with Cherry.

Which is also exactly why I’m not mad that Quinn blurted to her friends that she’s dating someone. Just because others around you are falling in love doesn’t mean you should force it when it’s not your turn, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to feel something similar. Even for a brief moment.

I get it.

“I’ll make sure he’s having plenty of fun,” Quinn says. She rests a hand on my back, rubbing it gently before she heads for the door. “See you next Sunday if not before then.”

“I like her,” my dad says before I can leave. “She’s different.”

I huff a laugh. “Oh yeah, she is.”

“It must be why you picked her.”

He slaps a hand on my shoulder before turning back for the kitchen.

As soon as I catch up to Quinn, my hand gravitates to her lower back as if it were an action I do every single day. I drop it as soon as I notice, but then we turn the first corner, and I do it again.

She turns to look at me, a small smirk on her lips right before she bites that damn bottom lip.

“Thanks for coming,” I say quickly before I can think about her mouth any more than a man should.

“Of course. That was really nice.”

“You know, I was thinking that if we can pull off moments like the one we just had with my family all summer long, we very well just might be the best fake dating couple this world has ever seen.”

Quinn laughs.

She might think I’m cracking a joke, but I’m being serious.

Everything about today felt natural. I was ready for a day of playing this role, but the only person I had to be was me.

There is a very good chance that we get away with this.

If anything, it’ll be the summer I finally get to know Quinn Banks.

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