Page 97 of Dare Me

Good grief…

“Are you going to help me or not?” she huffed. “It’s a little white lie and it’s not like I can’t cook anything. I can make soup and grilled cheese and pasta…”

“That’s not real cooking. The soup comes from a can and you use jarred sauce.” She rolled her eyes before looking heavenward. “Where did I go wrong?”

“I make breakfast foods too,” she mumbled.

“This week,” her mother said firmly. “You come to the pub two nights this week for cooking lessons. We’ll start small and work our way up to a Sunday dinner meal.”

“Do we really need to go that far? I just need a few recipes. And it’s not like you’re going to stop making Sunday dinners, so why do I need to know how to make them?”

“Arianna…again with the arguing,” she whined.

That’s when she knew they were going to be okay. And instead of keeping the argument going, she stepped in close and gave her mother a hug.

“Thanks, Mommy,” she said sweetly. “You’re the best.”

Later that night, they were breathless in Will’s bed.

His favorite way to end any day.

Arianna curled up against him with a happy sigh. “Today was a good day.”

“It definitely was, but the night was better, right?” he teased.

“If you’re asking if making love was more fun than dinner with my family, the answer is a resounding yes.”

“Good to know my bedroom skills outweigh your mother’s pot roast.”

“Well…”

“Hey!” he laughed. “Be careful. I have a fragile ego.”

“All men do,” she murmured and then laughed when he gave her a playful pinch. When she calmed down, her hand smoothed over his chest in a way that he loved.

“So what did you think about the house stuff?” he asked. “Were you seriously considering the townhouse? Because we can ask Patrick to show it to us.”

“In that moment, I thought it sounded great, but then I realized it was more about me being impatient and how it was something we could have right now.” She shrugged. “It’s a silly way to think, I know. But maybe when we figure more of this out, we can ask him to take us to see some places. Maybe walking through some houses will help us figure out more of our must-haves. What do you think?”

He kissed her. “I think you’re brilliant.”

“Mmm…thank you.”

They were quiet for several minutes and as much as he enjoyed it, he had something on his mind. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Liam and I are finalizing the construction schedule this week and I feel like once that gets going, my time isn’t really going to be my own.”

“O-kay…”

“So I was wondering if maybe you had any time off coming your way. I thought maybe we could go away for a few days and just have some time for ourselves. What do you think?”

Pushing up slightly, Arianna’s eyes were wide with surprise. “Really? You want us to go away together?”

He nodded.

“Oh my goodness! I love this! Where do you want to go?” Then she sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. “Do we want to go someplace tropical? Or…someplace touristy? An all-inclusive resort or a cruise? Oh! Or maybe…”

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