Page 44 of We Can Forever

I bite into my smile and put my hands in my jeans pockets so that I don’t reach out for him. My skin is itching to be pressed against his, and longing spirals through me. Though we’ve been able to steal moments together during the day, we haven’t had an evening together since that night at my house, and I’ve been aching for more.

“I found mine,” Katie calls across the room. “Dad, what color crochet hooks do you want?”

Our moment is over—for now.

Stepping away from Michael, I busy myself with prepping for the class, though thoughts of his lips and hands all over my body never leave my mind. It’s good that we each have our own lives, and he has Katie, of course, but sometimes I wish we could steal away to a private island and spend weeks naked in a hut, just the two of us.

The rest of the class filters in, bringing the group to a nice head count of eight. I go over the project that we’ll be working on, making sure I don’t look at Michael too much while I speak. Once everyone gets to work, I go around the room giving one-on-one guidance.

Katie is a natural, and the others are doing a pretty good job, too. Plus, there’s my aunt, who was the person who first taught me to crochet and knit, outshining everyone. She might as well be teaching the class herself. There’s only one person who’s struggling.

“Here. Can I demonstrate?” I crouch and hold out my hands.

“Please.” Michael hands me his crochet hooks, but instead, I place my hands over top of his to guide him.

The simple touch ignites a fire that roars in my core. I guide Michael’s hands through the chain stitch, but more than once, I feel his gaze on my face instead of the project.

“Does that clear it up?” Hard as it is, I let go of him.

He gazes at me. “Sure.”

I have to bite back a laugh. He’s clearly more interested in me than the project. But what about Katie? Even an eleven-year-old could notice this chemistry.

She’s distracted, though, chatting away with the town’s mayor while they crochet. Which makes me relax at least a little bit.

I’m not sure what I’m afraid of more—Katie not liking that her dad and I are dating, or her loving it and then being crushed if the two of us don’t work out.

And what are Michael’s thoughts on it? I can’t get a clear read. Does he want me to act like we’re nothing more than friends, or is he waiting for me to make the first move and show him some affection in front of his daughter?

It’s all so confusing. If only we’d had a briefing before the two of them showed up together.

Not that I’m unhappy to see them—I’m thrilled. Katie is awesome, and I’m completely smitten with her dad. It’s unanswered questions that I have a challenging time with.

The class ends too soon, but to my delight, Michael and Katie don’t leave with the others.

“Can we help you clean up?” Michael is already helping Carol stack the chairs and cushions, so it looks like he won’t take no for an answer anyway.

“Sure. Thank you.” I gather the supplies into their baskets.

“Can you two come to pizza with us?” Katie flops down on a cushion that her dad was just about to pick up. “Every week, we go to this pizza place on the mainland. They make cheeseburger pizza, and it’s sooo good. Get Stuffed won’t serve it, even though I’ve asked the owner, like, twelve times. I even put it in my last letter to Santa, but the most I ever got here was a cheese slice with pickles on it.” She sticks out her tongue.

“Oh, I don’t know…” I trail off and glance at my aunt.

She touches my shoulder. “I need to get to the house and unpack, but you should go.”

“No,” I say quickly. “I’ll come home with you.”

She squeezes her shoulder. “Go, Hannah. We’ll have plenty of time together later. Plus, I grabbed something at the airport. I’m not hungry.”

I cut my gaze to Michael. What does he want?

He’s watching me, though—trying to get a read—and I can’t take all the uncertainty anymore.

“I would love it if Hannah went,” Michael says, “but she might be too tired?—”

“Count me in,” I blurt out.

His mouth drops in shock, but a moment later, he’s smiling, eyes sparkling. “Great.”