Page 107 of Say You Remember Me
I hesitated, glancing over at Grant who was now sprawled on the floor, watching TV. “Yeah,” I said. “Probably next Saturday or Sunday.”
“Do you need a ride?” he asked quickly, almost like he’d been waiting to say it. “Since your car is still sitting in my driveway.”
I bit my lip, unsure of how to answer without it sounding awkward. “Jaxon offered to give us a ride,” I said finally.
“Oh.” Something flickered across Ian’s face—disappointment, maybe? But just as quickly, he smoothed his expression and nodded. “Awesome. Let me know when you’re close. Maybe you and Grant can stop by and see Satan.”
I blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the name. “I’m sure Grant would love that.”
“And maybe after,” Ian added, his tone light, “I can show you the house. It’s pretty close to my place. We could even walk there.”
“Sure,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral even though the idea of spending extra time with him sent a little thrill through me. Probably more than it should.
We ended the call, and as the screen went dark, I let out a long breath and leaned back against the couch. Being here for my dad had been good, grounding even. But as much as I hated to admit it, part of me was already counting down the days until I’d be back in Eden Falls.
Closer to the man who was starting to feel like home.
39
MADDIE
“Take care of yourself, Dad,”I said, wagging a finger at him. “And don’t even think about bribing Lexi into sneaking extra cheese into your meals while I’m gone.”
My dad chuckled, propped up in bed with a blanket over his legs, a twinkle in his eye. “I’ll try to be a good boy, but you know Lexi—she’s a sucker for a well-placed puppy-dog look.”
“Don’t even try it,” I said, smirking.
“Okay, fine.” He softened, his expression turning more serious. “I appreciate you taking such good care of me, Maddie. I know you’ve got that new life and fancy fiancé of yours waiting in Eden Falls…”
“I’ll always have time for you,” I said, my voice steady even as my chest tightened. I hated that he seemed to feel like he was a burden when, in reality, he was one of the most important people in my life. “I hope you really know that.”
“I do, sweetheart.” He gave me a soft smile, his eyes warm. “I just want you to have your own life, too. But once I’m all healed up, I’m heading your way to meet this mystery man of yours. Gotta make sure he’s good enough for my girl.”
“He’s not perfect,” I said, unable to keep the affection from my voice. “But I think you’ll be impressed. And happy.”
“Well,” Dad said, his tone light but firm, “I already like that you two haven’t moved in together yet. I know we see things a little differently there, but it’s nice to know this guy’s a gentleman.”
A hint of surprise flickered through me, but I managed a nod. “Yes, very gentlemanly.”
Maybe a littletoogentlemanly, considering I was fairly certain I’d have jumped into his bed if he hadn’t kept our kisses firmly PG… Okay, edging toward PG-13.
Yeah, I had the hots for my boss, and my usual self-control seemed to vanish into thin air when Ian was involved.
“Jaxon and Grant just pulled up out front,” Noah said, poking his head into my dad’s room. “Want me to carry your bags out?”
“That would be awesome,” I said, smiling at my brother-in-law. “Thank you.”
Noah grabbed my suitcase while I turned back to my dad, leaning over to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything. I know Lexi and Noah will take good care of you, but I’m just a phone call away.”
Dad patted my hand and smiled. “Just take good care of my best friend,” he said, referring to Grant. “And don’t you dare elope with that billionaire fiancé of yours before I can meet him.”
“Okay.” I laughed lightly, though his words settled uneasily in my chest.
How was I going to tell him that Ian and I were never actually engaged?
Maybe I could convince Ian to hold a fake wedding ceremony in a couple of years…and then keep dodging my dad’s attempts to meet him.Sorry, Dad. Ian’s on a work trip…again.
Yeah, that was a terrible idea. Probably shouldn’t have let him believe it in the first place.
