Page 6 of Her Paramedic
“As gorgeous as that smile is, if that’s what you want us to do, I plan on wiping it off your face.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Talia wasn’t sure how long they’d been dancing when the deejay announced it was time for the father/daughter dance. She was sure that it usually happened right after the first dance, but there was no set order to receptions. She and Slate stepped off the floor as her dad and Kaydence stepped on. Her sister would dance with both of their parents, and then Talia would steal her own.
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The celebration was over. Kaydence and Axel had left fifteen minutes ago, and everyone else had begun to trickle out. Slate double-checked the room they’d gotten dressed in, ensuring no one left anything before he went to find Killian, even though he had a pretty good idea of where his cousin was.
He stepped back into the reception area, where Talia and a couple of others were pulling the tablecloths off. Slate made a mistake last time by allowing her to leave without getting her number or giving her his. He wouldn’t repeat it.
“Are you heading out?” she asked when he approached her.
“I am, but there was something important I needed to do first,” he responded, pulling his phone from his pocket and holding it out to her. She handed it back to him after entering her number. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
“It’s a date,” Talia responded, and he smiled at her.
“Yes, it is gorgeous.”
Slate checked his watch as he went to find Killian. They needed to leave soon if he wanted to make sure he caught his flight. He knocked on the door of the room he’d seen him and Journee dip into after the newlyweds left.
“Killian,” Slate called through the door. “We have to leave in the next ten minutes, or you might not make it through baggage and security on time.”
There was a slight pause before he received a response. “Yeah, okay. I’m coming.”
“I bet you are,” he couldn’t help but tease before retreating. He waited for him in the car. When Killian slid into the vehicle six minutes later, he couldn’t help but tease him again. “Did you get enough to hold you over until you see her again?”
His cousin chuckled. “No, but I’m good for now.” Slate snorted as he pulled out of the parking lot. “And you? Are you finally taking Talia out?”
Slate didn’t have to ask how he knew he wanted to take her out. Even when Killian didn’t seem to pay attention, he was. He saw shit that other people would miss, and if Slate was being honest, it was unnerving sometimes. He refrained from telling Killian that he’d planned to do so months ago when they’d met in October, but it hadn’t worked out as planned.
“I am,” he responded.
“Well, have fun. Do everything that I would do.”
Slate chuckled as he switched lanes. “That’s a lot for a first date.”
“And look where it got me,” Killian countered.
“Touché.”
They lapsed into silence for the rest of the drive. While Slate would not do everything Killian would do on a first date, he would do everything he usually did. He could be honest with himself and say it was probably still more than should be done, but mischief lived in Talia’s gorgeous eyes, and he knew she’d engage him.
He dropped his cousin off at the airport, telling him to let him know when he landed before taking the forty-five-minute drive home. It was a little after six when he pulled into his driveway. He went inside, tossing his keys onto the entry table, and went to his bedroom. Once changed, he went into his garage.
He spent his free time restoring classic cars. The current one was a nineteen fifty-seven Ford Thunderbird. Finding some parts was like searching for a needle in a haystack, but he’d been able to get what he needed so far. He didn’t want to have to substitute any of the parts.
Slate worked on the car for a few hours before calling it quits for the evening. He went into his laundry room and stripped outof the oil and grease-covered clothes, putting them in the washer and starting it. He entered his en suite, turned the shower on, and stepped in when it heated.
After his shower, he grabbed his phone and went into his kitchen. He warmed up some leftovers from the night before and went into his living room to catch up on the episodes he’d recorded while working last week. When he finished eating, he put the bowl on the table and texted Talia.
Slate:Did you want to go to the same sports bar?
He put his phone aside and turned his attention back to the screen. It was a few minutes before his phone vibrated.
Talia:There’s a different one we can go to. It has more tables, and the drinks are better, in my opinion. There are restaurants nearby if you want to do that too.
Slate:If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were looking for a reason to spend more time with me, but I’m not complaining.
