Page 48 of We Can Forever

“Aw.” Katie pouts. “Can we do it soon?”

“Your dad and I can talk about it.”

Katie shoots me a look over her shoulder, a silent plea for me to agree.

“We’ll talk about it,” I echo.

We climb into the truck, and Katie puts on the latest pop hits to sing along to as we drive Hannah home.

“We’ll have a sleepover soon?” Katie asks as we pull into Hannah’s driveway.

“Soon,” she says with a smile.

“I’ll walk you to your door. Be right back, Katie.” I get out of the truck before Katie demands an explanation as to why Hannah can’t get inside herself—though maybe she understands I want a moment alone with her.

“Thank you for dinner.” Hannah steps to the side of the porch, where it curves around the house, out of Katie’s sight.

“Thank you for coming along.” I wrap my arms around her waist and tug her close. “Hey… I would love for you to come over for a sleepover.”

Her eyes search my face. “Yeah? In that case, it’s a promise. We’ll have a sleepover. Soon.”

Lowering my head, I kiss her gently. Shivers run down my spine, and my hands ache to explore her body, but I step back.

Another time. Soon.

A curtain moves in the front window, and I frown. Was Carol watching us?

“What?” Hannah follows my gaze to the window.

“Nothing.” I smooth my hand down her cheek. “I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Same,” she breathes.

“Good night.” I leave her house grinning and climb into my truck.

Did she really mean that? Is she comfortable enough to stay at my house? And with both me and Katie?

Am I comfortable with it?

As I back out of the driveway, I realize that I am. I’m more than comfortable with it. I’m craving it, and so much more, from Hannah. I’m ready for the next steps, and it doesn’t matter that I don’t know exactly what those are.

I’ll be taking them with her, and that’s enough for me.

Chapter Seventeen

HANNAH

“There was so much there. You would have loved it,” Flick gushes. “Look at this one.”

She pulls another yarn sample from her bag, and I run my fingers over the silky coil. “Beautiful,” I murmur.

“Next year.” She smiles at me across Knit Happens’s counter.

“Next year,” I confirm, though I’m really not that disappointed I had to miss the yarn convention. Even though I couldn’t take off from the shop, there’s so much good happening in my life—my classes taking off, my relationship with Michael blooming—that I haven’t even been thinking about what I’ve been missing out on.

“Did anything happen while I was gone?” Flick sets her folded arms on the counter and leans into them.

“Not much. The new classes went well…and I went out for pizza the other night with Michael and Katie.”

---