Page 78 of Charlie and Her Sweet Escape
What if Bennett Forrester realized that I was falling head over heels in love with him, and stayed with me out of obligation? Because he would. My self-sacrificing husband absolutely would.
Was I selfish enough to let him?
Not yet. But if he kissed me,reallykissed me, all bets were off.
He brushed his nose against mine, and then, to my surprise, he pulled us both down to the ground so we were lying on our backs, staring up at the rippling tarp above us. My stomach whooshed with the movement, and I let out a unexpected laugh.
“If you could go one place in the whole world, where would it be?”
“What?” My mind raced to catch up to what was happening as I tried to recalibrate.
Bennett lifted up onto his elbow to look down at me with his playful smile. Of all his smiles, this one was my favorite. “A bucket-list place. Like Paris. Or Rome.”
“Oh, um, I’ve always wanted to go to Prince Edward Island.”
“Why?” He took my hand, and his thumb drew a line down the creases of my palm. I loved the casual ways he always wanted to be close to me. Touching me.
It could be for the camera. Maybe. But at this angle, his hold on my hand couldn’t be seen.
“Why Prince Edward Island? I’m surprised you have to ask,” I teased him.
His brows furrowed in confusion.
“Didn’t your sister ever make you watchAnne of Green Gables?”
His laugh crinkled the lines around his eyes, and I reached up to run my fingers over them. He was always touching me so casually, but I rarely initiated—except in my sleep. But when Bennett’s gaze on me softened, I resolved to do it more.
“How could I forget Anne? Shameful.” He rolled onto his back and spoke to the camera. “Sorry, Rosie.”
I giggled, and when he rolled back to face me, he was even closer this time. I felt his breath fan over my face as he stared down at me.
“What about you?” I asked, breathlessly.
He traced a line with his finger across my eyebrow, the bridge of my nose, and along my other eyebrow. Breathing? Overrated.
Right when I thought he might kiss me, he dropped his elbow down and interlocked our fingers together. I blinked away my confusion. I’d grown to like our little kisses and wouldn’t mind one right now.
“I’d climb Denali,” he said.
I squeezed his hand at the wistfulness of his voice. “Why Denali?”
He hesitated, and when I turned toward him, he had his eyes closed. “It’s going to sound dumb.”
“Dumber than wanting to go somewhere because a fictional character lived there?” I nudged his ribs gently.
“That’s not dumb,” he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “Did Greg say that it was?”
He’d never had to for me to know he’d be dismissive. “No. I never even told him I wanted to go there.”
“You deserved better,” Bennett said so quietly, I knew it was just for me. And for the first time, I wondered if I could believe it. Iwantedto believe I deserved better. That I was meant to have someone steal playful kisses and tease me when I worried, and wash my hair when I couldn’t reach it, and look at me like I took his breath away.
“So, Denali?” I asked before my thoughts could go any further down that path.
“My dad and I were planning a Denali trip before he left. We had the itinerary planned. The dates set. And when he left…” He paused to exhale slowly. “I thought he’d be back for the trip. I got everything packed and sat outside waiting for him all day.”
“Oh, Bennett,” I whispered. I pictured a teenage Bennett sitting outside for hours, waiting for a dad who never showed up, and my heart broke in half for him. I wished I could go backin time and sit with him. Hold his hand until he could stand up and leave the porch. Until he stopped waiting for his dad to be someone he wasn’t.
“It’s no big deal,” he said in a way that sounded like he’d brushed it off a million times before.
