Page 99 of Love in the Storm

“Why? You look great.” He took her in from head to toe and back up again. “Better than great, as usual.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that.”

“I only tell the truth.” Man, would she ever understand how irresistible she was to him?

Probably not, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

33

LYRIC

Of course, tonight was the night her hair would decide to call in sick. It was flat on top, and she couldn’t get a single piece of it to hold a curl. With a sigh, she unplugged the curling iron and grabbed a clip. She’d pull it half back, and maybe no one would notice it was flat and lifeless.

The doorbell rang, and she paused. In the weeks she’d lived here, she hadn’t once heard it chime.

Lyric raced down the hallway toward the front door. Everyone they knew used the side door. Even the mailman knocked on that one.

She turned the deadbolt and opened the door a crack to peek outside. “Asa?”

He stood on the small front porch with his hands behind his back. He’d changed into a button-down and dark jeans but kept his boots on.

Wow. How did he know the perfect combination to sexiness?

He pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back and handed them to her at the same time he swept her into his arms. When he pressed his lips to hers, she pulled him in, resting the flowers over his shoulder.

He couldn’t even wait to say hello before whisking her into a heart-stopping kiss, and she had no complaints. He whispered his greetings against her lips, adoring her with every movement.

She pulled back and righted the bouquet in her hands. “Let me put these in water.”

He held onto her hand until it slipped from his grip. Why was walking away from him so difficult? She wanted every moment, every look, every word. She wanted Asa and his family filling up every second of her days.

She trimmed the ends of the roses and placed them in a clear vase she’d found in a cabinet. Taking a second to arrange them, she brushed the pad of her thumb over a silky petal. Remembering the card, she reached for it on the counter.

I love you. Three words aren’t enough.

Inhaling a deep breath, she laid it back on the counter. She understood completely. The love she felt for Asa was more than attraction. Her love was mixed up with respect, commitment, trust, andloyalty. It was an all-consuming force built on a foundation of faith and forgiveness.

Rushing back to the front door, she zipped outside where Asa waited with her coat. She slid her arms into it and turned to lift onto her toes and press a quick kiss to his lips.

“Thank you for the flowers,” she whispered.

“Thank you for throwing Jacob a party. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Lyric waved a hand in the air. “It was nothing.”

He took her hand in his and lowered it to his side. The dim porch light cast his face in shadows, but she didn’t have to see his eyes to know they were fixed on her. “It’s something that means a lot to Jacob and me.”

“And I was happy to be a part of it.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it. “Are you ready to go?”

“So ready.” She followed him to the truck and settled inside. It wasn’t until the dark wrapped around her that she realized what they were doing. They’d been together at church and out in public before, but Barn Sour was a place where alcohol ran freely, even if they didn’t intend to drink.

What were the chances they might run into someone from her past? Or someone who didn’t think she and Asa fit together?

Asa held her hand as he drove and talked about the party. It wasn’t until they pulled up in theparking lot at Barn Sour that he broke the tentative bubble around them.

“Okay, what’s on your mind?”

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