Page 58 of Date Notes

And he hit it out of the park.

It was like he read my thoughts as he lifted our joined hands and placed a soft kiss over my knuckles, lingering there until my breath grew ragged, and I wondered if he could feel my pulse beating out of my skin.

This whole time, he’d been right there in front of me, but I’d been too blind to see. After the kiss, I’d been too scared. But he was perfect for me, and I was no longer afraid. He never needed a makeover to prove it.

Then again, maybe it was the effort that allowed me to fall. Because he’d done everything I asked and more. He proved he cared. Proved I was worth it to him, something no one had ever done before. And because of that, I knew he’d guard my heart.

He dipped his head, slowly closing the space between us as my breath caught in my throat. Our lips met, and I felt wholly unprepared for how a kiss might affect me this time, when I felt so much more for him.

BARRY

Every ounce of effort was worth it, every lingering doubt or fear.

I pressed my mouth to hers, and my body came alive.

I moved slowly with the faintest brush of my lips. My hands glided from her face into the back of her hair, and she responded, opening her mouth so I could sweep my tongue inside.

Energy traveled from my chest to my stomach as my heart pounded behind my ribs. Time and place were forgotten. Nothing existed in this moment except her and me and the heat between us as I pressed her even closer.

We kissed until we were breathless, until I had no idea how much time had passed, and I was forced to pull away just to gain a little of my sanity.

Catching my breath, I stared into her eyes. It was like looking into the night—dark and restless, with a million little details and galaxies, all waiting for me to explore.

A splashing sound broke the moment. My head jerked up in time to see several retreating figures racing away from us, disappearing through the rose bushes, their laughter drifting toward us on the breeze.

The hair rose on the back of my neck as my gaze settled on the spot where my telescope had sat just moments ago to discover it gone. Instinct drew my gaze to the fountain just as Ella covered her mouth with a gasp.

My telescope sat in the pool of water while the fountain rained down over its hard, sleek surface.

I sucked in a breath like I’d been sucker punched, then jumped to my feet while my already racing heart drummed faster in my chest. Without thinking, I stepped inside the fountain and lifted the heavy telescope out of the water, slowly walking it over the lip of the large stones and placing it back on dry land.

“Here, let me help.” Ella rushed to hold it in place while I climbed back out. “Is it okay?”

Water dripped from the hem of my jacket as I moved to her side and examined it. A hairline crack streaked down the lens. The eyepiece was slightly dented and the sides scuffed. Still, I couldn’t be certain of the actual damage until I tried to use it, so I said, “I’m not sure.”

“Oh, Barry, it was your father’s. And your suit . . .” Ella covered her mouth with her hands, and for a second, I feared she might cry.

Glancing from the dinged-up telescope to my pond-soaked clothes, I sighed. Not exactly the way I envisioned a romantic evening of watching the stars. “Hey, it’s okay,” I said, drawing her back into my arms.

“Who did this?” She craned her neck as if she could still spot the perpetrators.

I glanced down at her, my mouth a grim line, because there were only a handful of people I knew who would do such a thing.

A spark of something moved through her dark gaze. “JT, Mikey, and Luca?”

I nodded, and the muscle in my jaw pulsed. If I had to guess, they didn’t like how I stole Ella away from Luca. But I refused to allow them to ruin everything. So I ignored the gut-clenching instinct to give up or to inspect the telescope, and instead, I placed a palm over the side of her face.

“You need to press charges. To—to—”

“Shhh.” I leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers.

“But you can’t just let them get away with this.”

“I didn’t see their faces, did you?”

She fell silent, knowing the answer.

“I want tonight to be about us,” I murmured. My thumb brushed her cheek, drawing her eyes back to mine, and she ran her hands down my suit jacket.

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