Page 58 of Choosing You

“There are texts that say otherwise,” he joked before yawning.

“Yeah, there are some guilt queens in the room. Just don’t let it get to you. Or Sloane,” Levi said. “She’s the baby of the family, so naturally everyone’s going to have something to say while also having a hard time with her maybe pulling away from them. They’ll get used to it and then she’ll get some peace. Trust me.”

“Will, just go,” Reid said wearily. “It’s too freaking late to start a conversation about the dynamics of this family.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be the first ones to leave.”

“You’re not. Billie and Marcus had to go because Billie was exhausted, so you’re good,” Levi assured him.”

“Okay. Cool. You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“I’ve told you three times,” Reid said with amusement. “And if you don’t move your ass, I’ll have to say it a fourth. Then I may rescind my offer.”

Will finished the bottle of water he’d been drinking for the last hour and slammed it on the bar. “I’m going, I’m going!” he said as he shook Reid’s hand. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” He said a quick goodbye to Levi and Tanner and a blanket goodbye to everyone around him as he made his way across the room to where Sloane was sitting with Chloe, Jade, and Hailey.

Over the last few hours, he’d danced with her, shared a drink with her, and even played a game of darts with her, but the girls always drew her back to the table, and he realized…he liked that. It would be awesome if she saw how much fun it could be to live in Sweetbriar Ridge. Maybe it would be enough that eventually she’d want to move here with him.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

It wasn’t just that he wanted her to move here with him and live with him. He wanted Sloane to move here with him to create a life with him.

Love him.

Marry him.

Holy shit.

His heart rate kicked up and he was glad she wasn’t looking at him because he was sure he looked a little shocked. Will already knew he was in love with her. Hell, he was probably in love with her before he even got to know her. But this was the first time that he thought along those lines and knew that he wanted to plan a future with her.

Like now.

Was he crazy? Was this too soon? Would it freak her out if he brought it up? He took a step forward just as she turned and smiled at him and there it was, like a punch in the gut. She took his breath away. Did she even realize how amazing she was? How beautiful? How the hell had he gotten so lucky to have someone like her hunting him down because of a silly kissing booth?

He was startled when Jade stepped up in front of him, grinning. “You’ve got it bad, William,” she said saucily. “And it’s adorable.”

“Adorable?” he repeated. “Seriously?”

“The look on your face a few seconds ago was priceless,” she said. With a bit of a head tilt, she studied him. “Do you even realize how head over heels you are?”

“Jeez, Jade…”

She waved him off. “No worries. The rest of us do.”

“Shit.”

She chuckled and patted him gently on the cheek. “And just for the record, she’s awesome. Seriously awesome. The perfect fit for our little town.”

“You’re telling the wrong person,” he said before he could stop himself. “If it were up to me, she’d be living here already.”

“Does she know that?”

He shook his head. “Kind of afraid to bring it up. I don’t want to spook her or make it seem like I’m rushing her.”

Jade nodded. “I get it. I do. We all gave her the hard sell here tonight, so maybe we paved the way for you.” She paused. “Although, I have to admit, we’re all a little bummed that we won’t be able to make bets on whether or not your elusive kissing partner is going to show up. It was becoming an interesting part of the festivals. What are we gonna do now?”

“Ha, ha. Very funny.”

She sighed dramatically. “I guess we’ll have to find some other unsuspecting couple to bet on.”

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