Page 94 of Dare Me

“You would have gotten quite a show. Ryleigh got a little drunk, climbed up on a bar stool and yelled at all of us.”

Just the idea of that had him chuckling. “Wow. I’m sorry I missed that.”

“Yeah, we were all surprised. She never drinks, so I guess that’s why it hit her the way it did. So if you see anyone moving alcohol away from her in the future, you’ll know why.”

“Good to know.”

“So, what did you do tonight?”

“Other than worry about you?”

“Will…”

“I know, I know…” He shifted so he could face her. “Look, you may not want to hear this, but I am going to worry about you and I’m going to want to fight some of your battles for you. I can’t help it. That’s just who I am.” He paused and skimmed a finger across her cheek. “But I know you don’t need me to do that. You are a strong and amazing woman and I love you.”

“Aww…Will…”

“Liam came by after he got home from the pub,” he told her “Then after you told me you were sleeping, I came up here and went online and looked at real estate.”

“For more community projects?”

“No,” he said softly. “For houses. For us.”

A soft gasp was her initial reaction. “Really?”

Nodding, he relaxed against the pillows and pulled her in close again. “Then I realized I had no idea what kind of house you actually liked and wished you were here with me.”

“Hmm…and now here I am.”

“Like an answer to a prayer,” he whispered.

For several moments, neither said a word, and it was perfect.

“I know it’s late and we should be sleeping,” she began.

“But…?”

Laughing quietly, she said, “But…what kind of houses did you find?”

“All kinds,” he told her. “I don’t know enough about the area yet to know what’s good and what’s not, and I didn’t know what kind of house you preferred.”

“Were they all here in Laurel Bay?”

“No. I looked at the surrounding towns too, just for reference.”

“Mmm…”

“How do you feel about living near the water? Yay or nay?”

“I don’t think I ever really thought about it because no matter where you are in this town, it’s only a five-minute drive to get to the water.”

“That makes sense.” Pausing, he thought about it. “I don’t think I’d want to be right on the beach, but it could be nice to live a block or two away from it.”

“Do you surf?”

“Of course,” he replied, chuckling softly. “Do you?”

“Sadly, no. And not for lack of trying. Jamie is an amazing surfer and he used to try to teach me, but…I never got the hang of it. No matter how much he dared me.”

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