Page 5 of Estranged Heart
Things I hardly get from him and sometimes need. I’m not the kind of person who requires life to be easy all the time. Unlike him, I like a little fight and struggle. To have a reason to make up and work hard to prove myself. To possess the passion from feeling too much. I don’t only want his good emotions—I want them all. Not just when he’s trying to be perfect, but when he allows himself to be messy too. “Especially those.” I smile and it’s as contagious as I’d hoped it’d be, causing his lips to mirror mine.
His eyes widen and his smile fades quickly. “Shit. We can’t be late. We have to go.”
“You were serious about reservations?”
“Si. Let’s go before I have to pay extra for wasting the man’s time.”
“Wait, who are you paying extra to? What kind of restaurant is this?”
He winks at me, sliding on his jacket and snatching the keys from my hand. I arch a brow as he drags me through the front door and toward the car, not bothering to lock the house up. He’s trusting in that way. We live in a small neighborhood filledwith good people. That hasn’t stopped the bad from getting into places before though. After a life full of hardships, I know better. There’s hardly anyone in this world you can trust or rely on. I happened to find one of the very few by pure chance. My stubbornness had almost led to him getting away. What a mistake that would’ve been.
We both get in the car and as he’s pulling out of the driveway, I turn on the radio. “Since you’re going to play the secret game, I’m going to play all your least favorite songs on the way there.”
Smirking, he speeds up, and I scroll through my playlist on my phone.
“You mean all the ones you love?”
“Exactly. Starting with a little Pearl Jam.”
His face wrinkles. “Not Pearl Jam.”
“Want to tell me where you’re taking me then?”
He shakes his head, his lips bunching in the corners.
Hitting play, I turn up the volume and “Just Breathe” starts playing, earning me a groan. Laughing, I sing along and he side-eyes me through the whole song. He doesn’t give in no matter how loud I blast the whole album, and by the time the tenth song starts he’s pulling into the lake parking lot.
More curious than before, I turn off the music and glance around. “The lake?”
“Mi amor.” He casts his eyes down. “Stop questioning everything and trust me.”
Unbuckling my seat belt, I shoot him a side grin. “Fine. Fine. I’ll stay quiet while I follow you the rest of the way to my death.”
Huffing out a laugh, he gets out of the car and mutters under his breath, “So damn dramatic,” before shutting the door behind him. Following suit, I exit the car and head in the direction he’s walking in.
“We aren’t going swimming, are we?”
“What happened to you not questioning me anymore?” He glares in my direction, stepping onto a dock leading us to a line of parked boats. An older man wearing a blue trucker hat waves our way. “You made it. I was starting to think I had another no-show today.”
“Sorry. The day got away from us.”
“No worries. It happens. This must be the husband?” His eyes flicker between us.
“It is.” Landon perks up, smiling. “Hank, this is Elijah. Elijah, this is Hank. A customer from work recommended him.”
“Nice to meet you, Hank.” I shake his hand. “Are we going on a boat tour or something?” I ask, pulling back my hand slowly.
Landon shakes his head. “Not exactly. We’re having a romantic dinner on the water. Hank rents out boats and has package deals. One of them includes dinner and two hours of being out on the water.”
“This is definitely a surprise.”
“You don’t like it?” Landon’s brows wrinkle with worry.
“Of course I do, baby.” I reach for his arm to give him a gentle squeeze. “It’s perfect.” Being on top of the water isn’t as bad as being in it. I can handle a little rocking and splashing for him. I glance toward the water, shoving down the memories of my mom’s reaching hands.
“Really?” His excitement pulls me from my reverie. When he leans in closer, I’m so tempted to capture his lips with mine, but knowing how much Landon hates public affection, I decide against it.
“Really.” I settle for squeezing his shoulder gently instead, and luckily it’s enough to help lessen the tension in his body but not too much for him to shove me away in embarrassment.
