“I do.”
“Well, you are wrong,” she rolls up her sleeve and points to the scar on her arm.
“Hannah, I’m sorry. I’m working on it. Old habits die hard.”
“Let’s go,” she says softly.
In the fading light, I cast a final glance at the cabin, a silent farewell to the haven that held the echoes of our stolen moments.
“It’s nice to finally get out on a date,” Hannah says as we walk to the car. She glances back at Audrey’s house. For a moment, I think she is going to run back in and get Kerri.
“She’s going to be fine,” I say as I loop an arm around Hannah’s waist. “She loves Audrey, Preston, and Teddy. Hell, I doubt that she’s even going to know that we’re missing.”
Hannah looks up at me and I can see the tears shining in her eyes. I pull her into a big hug and kiss the top of her head.
“Everything is going to be okay. You know your sister will call us if anything happens.”
“I know,” Hannah says, her shoulders slumping slightly as we stop beside the car. “It’s just hard to leave her. I haven’t spent much time away from her since she was born. This feels like a massive step that I don’t know if I’m ready to take or not.”
I cup her face in my hands and swipe away her tears with my thumbs. “You are a good mom, and you deserve a night out. Kerri needs a mom who takes time to refuel her own tank instead of just giving herself to others all the time. Show her what healthy self-care looks like.”
Hannah smiles up at me and nods. That smile is so bright it nearly sends me staggering back a step.
To think, only a few weeks ago I was on the verge of losing her. The moment we got back from the cabin, I changed my work schedule to make sure that I was home when she needed me to be home. I’ve been accountable for my actions. I’m being more honest and working on communicating better with her.
And it’s only made our relationship better.
Even when I first met her, I knew that she was the kind of woman who would change my life forever.
After spending the last several weeks with her, I know that I’m right. The impact she has had on my life is stronger than anyone else’s has ever been. Even though it’s still early in our relationship and she wants to take things slow, I know that she’s it for me.
I’m never going to find another woman like her, and I don’t want to.
“Have I told you how absolutely stunning you look tonight?” I ask, kissing her forehead before taking a step back.
“Only about a dozen times in the last hour,” she says, her tone teasing.
I swirl my finger in a circle, and she laughs, her dark hair cascading down her back as she does a slow turn. Her black silk dress hugs her curves, and her high heels make her legs look a mile long.
My erection presses against the front of my black slacks as I think about all the things I’m going to do to her once we get home tonight.
“You’re stunning,” I say as she stops spinning.
I grab her by the waist and turn her around, pressing her back against the car. Heat shines in her eyes as I mold my body to hers.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” she asks as her hands slide up my chest.
“I think that I’m going to kiss the beautiful woman who agreed to go out on a date with me. Although, I’m very seriously considering skipping dinner and convincing you to come back to my place.”
Her cheeks are bright red as she laughs and shakes her head. “I live with you.”
“Then half of my plan is already complete.”
I dip my head and capture her lips in a searing kiss. Her hands slide over my shoulders and her fingers slip into the hair at the nape of my neck. I brace myself, hands against the car on either side of her body.
When she moans into the kiss, I have half a mind to open the back door and have my way with her in the car. There is no way that I’m going to make it through the night without an erection. Not when she looks good enough to eat and her moans set everything in me on fire.
“If you keep acting like this, we’re going to lose our reservation.” She grins up at me, the mischievous glint in her eyes telling me that she wouldn’t be upset about missing dinner.