Page 26 of Raspberry Cake
With another tender squeeze to his hand, a female security guard approached them. “Let me help you real quick, ma’am.” She turned to Renley. “Skip right ahead and go through the metal detector.” He did, returning to Eveline’s side just as the guard finished checking her bag. “Have a great day.”
“Thank you,” Eveline muttered before turning to him. “Where to first?”
“Food, if the rumble in my stomach has anything to say about it—then maybe we can just stroll around for a while.”
“I like you more with every word out of your mouth.”
He chuckled. “So food is your love language?”
“And attractive men standing up for me.”
He leaned down, cupping her cheek and pressing a gentle kiss to her hair. “I’ll always have your back.”
Eveline truly was a foodie, sampling one of everything they passed. They walked the entire carnival before going inside and seeing the livestock and other vendors. Every second that he had his hands free, he twirled her hair or had his hand on her neck. When he felt the ground grow uneven or they were walking slightly uphill, he moved his hand to between her shoulder blades and pushed gently.
“Does that bother you?” he asked as they made their way up a small ramp.
“You helping me? Not at all, I like how you do it without making a huge fuss.”
“Has that happened before?”
“A few times.”
“If I ever do that, please tell me.”
“I will.”
As Eveline had asked, their final stop of the evening was the Ferris wheel. She hadn’t said as much, but Renley could see that she was getting tired. Though the Ferris wheel operators were kind, Eveline seemed uncomfortable as they were asked to wait aside for an accessible carriage to open up.
When they were lifted over the fairgrounds, he took her hand and demanded her attention. “I have a hunch of what is going on in that pretty mind of yours and I hope my next words don’t hurt you.” Eveline tried to bite her lip but he tugged it free. “You are not an inconvenience, Eveline. The world around you is the problem, not the other way around.”
“It usually doesn’t bother me.” She could barely hold his gaze. “I guess I just don’t want you… I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t bother me.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I know it’s hard, but don’t worry about it, okay?”
“I’ll try my best.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
Lacing her fingers between his, she rested on his arm and let her eyes wander over the fairgrounds. With one last food stop they left, his stomach feeling ready to explode. Once she sat on the driver’s seat, she gave him the instructions to take her chair apart and even though he was much slower, she didn’t seem to mind.
Eveline
Renley kept his hand on her neck throughout the entire drive home. He’d hardly been able to keep his hands off her the entire evening, and it turned her insides to mush. Every time he’d snuck a forehead kiss, she longed for more. There hadn’t been a single moment where she’d felt uncomfortable because of him. He’d even been quick to intervene when other people made her feel less than. It had been the sexiest thing a man had ever done for her.
When she pulled into her garage, Renley asked, “Do you want me to put your wheelchair back up front?”
She sighed dreamily and stared at him as she shut off the engine. “You need to stop,” she scolded.
“Stop what?” He was seriously concerned that he’d done something wrong. “If that made you uncomfortable, I’ll wait for you to ask next time.”
“You need to stop making me feel so gooey inside.”
She watched as the wheels turned in his head, cheeks flushing when the words finally registered. He fidgeted with the brim of his hat in his lap. “I make you feel gooey inside?”
“Yes, the kind you feel when you’re cared for.”
“I do care for you.”
