Page 107 of A Certain Step
She let out a sweet laugh. “Fine, you get a pass since it’s your birthday.”
He exhaled a theatrical sigh of relief. Ethan started up the engine, and as soon as the car’s Bluetooth system recognized his phone, it began playing from her all-time favorites playlist, a gloriously wild mix of happy and sad tracks she’d titled “Dreamy Days in a Treehouse.”
She turned from the screen to face him when she caught the first notes for Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves.” It was convenient considering the month they were in.
Laughing, he reached for her hand. “I swear I put it on shuffle.”
Willa entwined their fingers together and shook her head. “What on earth are you doing, Everett?”
“Driving to my parents’ place,” he answered plainly.
He smiled, looked to his left to check for oncoming traffic, and pulled out onto the road.
“You know that’s not what I was asking you,” Willa replied, squeezing his hand in hers.
Ethan tried again. “Attempting to ensure that an almost three-hour car ride goes smoothly and with music I know you like?”
“It’syourbirthday, Ethan. Choose the music you want. Let me buyyoucoffee,” she exclaimed with an exasperated chuckle.
He chanced a glance at her. “And I want to make sure my girl is comfortable. Doesn’t that count for something?”
He caught her trying to hold back a smirk. “I can’t deal with you,” she declared.
“I love you, too, beautiful,” he responded.
Her cheeks flushed scarlet; she shook her head. He adored doing this to her, knowing that all these small reactions were reserved just for him. God, he couldn’t wait to show her what he had planned. He was a kid on Christmas, realizing only now what it meant to love someone so fervently that their happiness would be all-consuming.
They stopped for gas and snacks: a box of Cheez-Its, Starburst jellybeans, and Dr. Pepper for good measure.They geeked out over the music and lyrics, told stories about old family road trips, allowed comfortable beats of silence to stretch out between them, and affectionately argued about theSuccessionfinale. Again. Ethan would never let go of the fact that it should’ve been Roman. Willa was a thousand percent “Team Darcy—Tom—and his failed marriage.” Her words.
“Okay,so, remember that first officialdate I wanted to take you on?” he specified.
She tipped her face to him, her legs crossed in her seat. “What about it?” she replied heartily.
“That’s where we’re going first. It’s near my parents’ place.”
Willa’s dimpled smile grew tenfold. “Are you going to finally tell me its significance? Or you’re waiting until we get there.”
“I’ll tell you when we get there,” he said, making a sharp left.
She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick photo of him.
“What was that?” he asked.
She shrugged and gave him a clipped but adorable reply. “You’ll see.”
After a few minutes, he pulled into a small plaza and parked in front of Caro Amico, an old Italian restaurant that’d been in the area for eighty-seven years now.
“Ooh, Italian?” Willa asked.
“Yes. I hope you’re good with that and weren’t craving something else.”
She bobbed her head emphatically. “I wanted pasta last night, so this is excellent.”
Good. This eased his nerves a bit. “Stay right there,” he said, then went over to open her door.
Willa smiled, swung her bag on her shoulder, and took his hand. “You’re really committing to this whole chivalrous thing right now, aren’t you?”
“My grandpa would be rolling over in his grave if I didn’t,” he replied.
