Page 26 of A Date with Fate

But will you? Really? I was only here for a day or two, just to see the town I’d loved so much. Then I was catching a series of flights that would take me back to Chicago and real life.

So instead of trying to explain that there was no way in hell I was worthy of him or that his family would accept us together, I just nodded and went back to watching the scenery fly by.

Chapter Eight

Scott

I could tell something was off. Taylor’s pretty face was pinched, quiet as she stared out the window. Even her hands, which rested over mine, were overly hot. If I had to guess, it seemed like she was almost nervous.

But that couldn’t be it. She’d been to Jackson Falls dozens of times. She’d been the darling of our small town, and I knew that every one of my friends and brothers would be vying for her attention the moment I opened her truck door.

When we got into town, I called my father.

“Hey, Pop.”

‘Scotty! Did you get here all right?”

I glanced over at Taylor. “Yeah, we’re here.”

My dad’s voice lowered. “On a scale of one to ten, how close to marrying you is she?”

I chuckled, but deep down my heart constricted. “You’re crazy.”

“No, I’m very, very observant. Now get here so I can impress your mother with not only that camper but with her first daughter-in-law.”

I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks as I hung up. Taylor was humming along to the radio, blissfully unaware that my family had already laid claim to her. I wanted to be embarrassed or even worried about it, but honestly, if they wanted to ask her those types of questions, it would cut out a lot of the time that I didn’t want to spend away from her.

She needed to stay so we could continue to see what this was between us. This dynamic, almost desperate, need to be in each other’s presence.

“Dad wants us to come by the diner, make a big deal about it.”

Taylor smiled. “Of course he does.”

“Are you ready for this? Your triumphant return?”

“I think I am.”

Life was funny. When I left a few days ago, I had resigned myself that I was about to drag my best friend away from his newborn so that I could fulfill this promise to my father. Which I didn’t mind in the least. But I felt awful needing to do it.

But then, as we parked in front of my parents’ diner, the lights bright and welcoming in the dreary gray weather, I felt like my entire world had been flipped upside down.

And it was mostly due to the gorgeous woman curled up on the truck bed beside me. Her face was relaxed, pensive, the mask of beauty and quiet resolve. But I could feel her fingernails digging into my hand as it rested on her thigh.

“We’re here,” I said needlessly.

Taylor's lips curled a little, her hand loosening on mine as she went to wipe her palms on her thighs. Every little bit of her I committed to memory, each bit of information somehow feeding my soul. And my resolve to keep her.

Because after this trip, after last night, there was no mistaking that she wanted to be mine too.

I just had to prove to her that I was after the real her. The part of her that was messy, sassy, who stole French fries and got into bar fights. I wanted it all. I loved it all.

Ignoring her stiff arms, I picked up her hand again, pressing my lips to the back of it. “Do you need a moment? I can hold them off.”

Taylor’s eyes met mine, softening instantly. Almost as quickly as my heart thudded in my chest just at the sight of those pretty lips. I remembered what they’d felt like against me. And I wanted more. So much more.

My hopeful cock twitched in my jeans, and I pulled away. Taylor’s lips quivered a little, as if she knew exactly what was going on. But she answered me anyway. “No way. I’m ready. Especially since I now know that she loves me. It’s time to test your theory.”

I paused, hand on the door handle. “A theory?”

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