Page 39 of The One I Love
There. This isn’t hard. Shane is holding my hand. We’re walking to his truck. He’s opening the door and helping me in as I step up into it. When he shuts the door I take a deep breath, letting my nerves try and calm themselves.
Then he gets in the car and shuts the door, and for some reason, right here, right now, this feels very real.
Very, very, real.
Because this is it. This is the moment. The moment that could potentially start it all.
“Hey.” His words are soft and soothing. I didn’t realize I was outwardly panicking. “It’s just me.”
I smile as I remember what advice Whitley gave me earlier. “It’s just you.”
“Exactly,” he says. “Just us.”
I feel my shoulders start to relax, and my chest become lighter. Yes. I can do this. We can do this. Just relax, have a nice night, and remember at the end of the day that this is Shane. No matter what the outcome is, he’ll always be in my life. Nothing will ever change that.
“I wanted to tell you…you look very handsome.”
“Thanks.” He looks down then back up to me. “You can thank Simon for the jeans.”
“Simon? He knows?”
Shane shakes his head. “No, but if this goes well, we have to tell him first.”
“What did you do? Also, Whitley knows, so he’s not going to technically be the first.”
He laughs and lets go of my hand only for the second he needs to put the car into gear. “I’ll tell you all about it. Just know that your code name is now Mary.”
Chapter 12
Shane
“Would you two like another round?”
I turn my glance to Amelia, who is shaking her head. “I’m good, thank you.”
“You sure?” I ask.
“I’ve had three glasses of wine tonight. I haven’t drank this much since…”
She trails off, and both of us can’t help but smile.
I look over to the waitress. “We’re good. Thanks.”
She nods and walks away before I lean into Amelia. “You know if you want another glass of wine, you can. It’s your night, beautiful.”
She leans in closer as well, making us just inches apart. “Officer Cunningham, are you trying to get me drunk?”
I take her hand in mine. “I would never.”
Amelia smiles, her eyes glancing down as she reaches for my hand, which I gladly give to her. She’s done this a few times tonight, and each time it’s made me feel like I’m on top of the world. I might not have a lot to base this on, but I don’t know ifa date could go any better than this. Then again, I’m pretty sure the company has everything to do with it.
I’ll have to buy Simon a drink—or do what he really wants and promise him future best man rights—for the strings he pulled at the restaurant. Not only was our table semi-private, it was also the only table that had candle light and a bottle of wine chilling when we sat down. The rose on the table was the perfect touch.
Dinner was incredible. And the best part? The conversation flowed like it was just Amelia and me on any other normal day. The only difference was that I held her hand every chance I could. We talked about the kids, our families, and our jobs. Our friends naturally came up—the biggest discussion on if Oliver’s going to come back from his vacation to Vegas with a wedding ring. Before we knew it, the check was being delivered, and it was time for stop number two.
“I don’t remember the last time we saw this band. I used to love it when they played at The Joint.”
I do. “Unless you’ve snuck out and seen them without me, it was Thanksgiving night, six and a half years ago.”
