Page 6 of Forever Yours on Christmas Eve
“Get me ready… how?” she asked, clearly skeptical of whatever it was he was proposing.
At this point, he was just flying by the seat of his pants. He really wasn’t sure himself where he was going with it.
Still, it felt right.
“A mock date.”
Her eyes widened. “A… what?”
“You heard me,” he said, grinning at the idea of keeping her off kilter. “Let’s you and me have ourselves a mock date right now. I’ll show you what it is you’ve been missing.”
“A mock date, huh?” she asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied his face. “And then what happens tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow doesn’t exist,” he said. “This is right here, right now. Christmas Eve. When the clock strikes midnight, we’ll look back and evaluate.”
“Evaluate?” She burst out laughing. “You make it sound like you’re expecting a review. Five stars for ajob well done.”
“Smart aleck,” he said, that urge to kiss the sass from her cranking up a notch. Still, knowing he was going to be shipping out in just a few days, Sev dialed it back. “This isn’t the end of your life, Kels. If anything, it’s the start of something greater.”
He hadn’t planned on dropping the nickname, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Instead, the stars came out in her smile. “My dad always says something like that.”
He furrowed his brows. “Something like what?”
“Start from where you are.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” he said, holding out his hand to her once more. “How about you?”
She paused for a beat as she looked at his hand, anticipation and caution clearly warring for spaces in her mind and heart. He was a stranger, after all, and she had just broken up with her fiancé, probably an hour ago. She had every right in the world not to trust him.
But he already knew something about Kelsey that she didn’t remember about herself. He could tell she was fearless. Determined. Coming to a strange bar dressed as she was, in a vulnerable state when anyone else would seek to hide away. And if she didn’t take his hand and step into her own future right now at his insistence, it might take her forever to do it on her own after they’d parted ways.
If she ever did again.
Sev watched her as she nibbled delicately on her lip, and then suddenly still. It was the instant that she’d made up her mind.
When she looked directly at him and lifted her hand into his, he knew he had her.
Sev watched Kelsey dive into the plate of fish and chips, unlike any woman before. She danced silently in her seat, contemplating with delight the meal in front of her as her fork hovered over each portion in indecision. When she finally selecteda good chunk of fish to dip into the plastic tartar sauce cup, raising it to her lips and not hesitating to gobble down the bite, he was pretty sure he fell in love with her right there.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone enjoy food more than you.”
Kelsey stopped mid-chew, the food poking her cheek as her eyebrows crinkled back at him. “What?”
Sev laughed in response. “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” he said, figuring he knew better than to comment on a woman’s eating habits, but things just felt different with Kelsey. Like he could be honest with her and somehow, she’d understand. “But I’ve been sitting across from women who nibble on a lettuce leaf and claim they’re full. It’s… refreshing to have an actual meal with someone who clearly likes food.”
“I was raised by a single dad,” she began, swallowing. “He tried to instill manners in me, but I’m afraid when push came to shove, it was his Navy training that really took hold.”
“Really?” he asked, loving the fact that she was Navy.
“Mmm-hmm,” she said, chewing another mouthful down. “He and his buddies taught me the value of getting a good meal in quickly. I can also complete a shower in under two minutes if I have to.”
“Impressive,” he praised. He could still remember the stench of his division in boot camp as everyone there tried to nail that particular skill down. “I was raised by a single mom, so I get the idea of an unusual upbringing.”
“No kidding?” she asked, completely engaged in the conversation. Sev liked having her full attention. “Was it just you and her?”
“Me, her, and my little brother, Andy. He was a handful.” Sev laughed. “Then she met my stepdad and his son when I was seven, and the rest was history.”
