Page 35 of Planning on Happily Ever After

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Holly

It seemed like it tookforever for Saturday afternoon to come around, but now that it was here, Holly wished she had at least another hour to get herself ready. Ben told her to dress casually since they would be outside most of the time, but Holly’s version of casual was her favorite pair of ripped jeans and her faded college sweatshirt, not exactly the look she wanted to present today.

After spending most of the morning scrounging around in her closet to find something more acceptable, she finally settled for dark jeans, a white t-shirt with a blue chambray shirt over it, and her hair tied in a long braid that rested over her shoulder. She also threw on her Red Sox ball cap to both shade her skin while outside and to dig a little at her Yankees loving date.

Spinning in front of the full-length mirror that rested against her wall, Holly gave herself an approving nod as a knock came from the doorway. She startled, but quickly settled back down when she saw Henry leaning against the wooden frame. “You scared me, Hen.”

Her brother seemed completely unbothered by having flustered her and tapped two fingers to his temples. “Your twin telepathy must be on the fritz or you would have sensed me coming.”

“That’s not how it works. Besides, I’m a little preoccupied.” Holly rolled her eyes at him before stepping closer to the mirror to do a quick make-up check. She had kept it simple with just some face powder, mascara, and lip gloss, but now she was wondering if she should have put more effort into it.

Before she could decide whether or not to add some eye shadow, Henry’s arms enveloped her in a hug and Holly returned it, enjoying the comfort her twin provided. “What’s this for?”

“To help you stop yourself from freaking out,” he said as he swayed them side-to-side. There was no doubt that his twin telepathy was up and running because he was a freaking mind reader. “You’ll be fine.”

He stepped back and shook her shoulders until she was giggling, something he’d done since they were little and she was worried about anything. For whatever reason, the playful shaking always made her laugh and smile, something she needed at the moment.

When she stopped laughing, she lightly punched his arm, grateful to have such an amazing twin. “Thanks, Hen.”

“You’re welcome.” Her phone dinged with a text from Ben letting her know he was waiting for her in the alley. Her heart raced at the note and she smiled at the phone, sending off a quick reply.

When she looked back up, Henry was scrutinizing her expression. “You really like him, huh?”

Her smile turned shy, but there was no way she would deny how she was feeling. “I really, really do.”

“Good,” he replied with a curt nod. “He really, really likes you, too.” He walked toward the door, but turned around, his expression happy yet somehow resigned at the same time. “I think you two are good for one another. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks.” Holly’s telepathy may be a little wonky at the moment, but she didn’t have to be a mind reader to see that her twin was lonely. “Your time will come too, you know.”

He scoffed. “Doubtful, but thanks for saying so. Have fun,” he called out before disappearing into his room.

Holly frowned at his closed bedroom door, her heart aching for her brother. Henry was such a good guy, and she didn’t understand how no one else had seen it yet. It was great that he could still be so supportive of her and Ben, though. Holly made a mental note to consider whether or not some of her single friends would be a good match for Henry before grabbing her purse and heading downstairs.

Holly opened the door to the small alley, and the sight that greeted her had the smile on her face widening to epic proportions. Ben stood with his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jeans, his black t-shirt molding nicely to his muscular frame and stretching across his broad chest in a way that made her long to touch what was underneath the cotton. A flannel was tied around his waist and brown hiking boots were on his feet, adding to his overall ruggedly handsome appearance. Ben always looked good, but this more causal, laid-back version of him was simply delicious.

When Holly finally let her eyes travel north to his face, his dove gray eyes filled with mirth as he nodded to the top of her head. “Nice hat, sunshine.”

Holly twisted her head back and forth, pulling various poses to display the Red Sox logo as prominently as possible. “You like?”

Ben grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms before kissing her on the lips. It was brief, but it still caused butterflies to take flight in Holly’s stomach. The butterflies turned to fiery embers of desire as she watched his eyes darken the longer he looked at her. “I may not be a fan of the team, but I like the look on you. It’s cute.”

Holly wasn’t sure how she felt about being cute, but when he looked back at her and raked his eyes up and down her body, she decided that cute was acceptable. Ben kissed her once more, longer this time with enough tongue for her to know that he’d had some of his favorite minty candy on the way over. Holly nearly told him to forget the date, wanting to suddenly take him upstairs when he pulled away and dragged her toward the parking lot, helping her into his car.

Once they were both inside, he looked over at her and smiled. “Buckle up, sunshine. I don’t mess around with safety when I’m carrying something so important.”

She smiled shyly before doing what she was told. The truth was, that she had been so distracted by watching him that she had completely forgotten about the seat belt, or anything else that didn’t involve his gorgeous body and happy smile. She loved how he showed that he cared in the small, but important ways, like making sure she was safe and cared for. Holly had always felt that way with her family, but never with anyone else. His choosing to think of her that way was nice and had a warm, peaceful feeling settling in her chest.

The engine started, pulling Holly from her thoughts, and she looked around as they passed through downtown and the small area surrounding Sunset Cove. It became increasingly obvious they were leaving town. “Where are we headed?”

“Do you want me to tell you, or do you want it to be a surprise?” he asked, a mischievous expression on his face.

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