Page 98 of Always Been Yours

I clear my throat and lay my hand on the table. She gives me a funny look but takes it anyway. “There is one thing I wanted to clarify.”

“Um. Okay? What is that?”

“I think this goes without saying but I don’t want there to be any confusion for either of us. I’m not interested in seeing anyone else. Ever again, honestly, but we can work up to that at whatever pace you want.” She snorts at that. “And I can’t tell you what to do but I don’t want you seeing anyone else either. All of this is at whatever pace you want to go, as long as it’s just the two of us.”

“I’m not planning on seeing anyone else either.”Ever againis left unsaid but I can see the vulnerability in her eyes. It’s enough for me. For now. She bites her lower lip, looking guilty. “It isn’t that I’m embarrassed or anything like that. Lexi obviously knows about us, and my siblings aren’t stupid. It’s just something I would like as much privacy as possible right now. I’m not ready for people to think thatthey should have an opinion about us.”

Not only would people at work talk about us dating, but people around town would as well. “Just us then.”

She graces me with a sweet smile and goes back to her menu.

I watch Vivi read over the options. She crinkles her nose a few times, clearly unsure about what she wants.

All I can do is watch in complete adoration and contentment. In the last twenty-four hours, she’s all I’ve been able to think about. I’m surprised she hasn’t blocked my number from the amount of texts I sent her yesterday, just to check up on her. I even called her to say good night and hear her voice, but we still texted until one of us fell asleep. It’s absolutely something we would have done as teenagers. And as innocent as it was, it’s one of my new favorite things.

She peeks at me over her menu and it’s so freaking adorable. “I kind of want the lobster dish,” she says guiltily.

“Okay,” I chuckle, leaning back in my own chair. “Get the lobster.”

She shakes her head, “No. I’ll get something else.”

I push her menu down, so she looks at me. “Please don’t be ridiculous. I’ll be that guy who orders for you if you make me.” She scowls at me, but I can see her resolve slipping. “I want you to get whatever you want. Plus, there is a bottle of a Pinot Grigio that would go well with that and the salmon I was looking at.”

“You didn’t have to bring me somewhere so expensive.”

Maybe she hasn’t ever been here.

I’m about to answer her when our server comes to the table. We get the whole spiel about the daily dishes and his recommendations. I order the bottle of wine and the coconut shrimp to start. At the last minute, Vivi chimes up to ask for an order of the calamari. When she looks back at me, she gives me a small little shrug.I respond with an approving smile and thank the server.

“Good. I knew there was something you wanted on the appetizer list. I was taking my best guess.”

She laughs into her water glass. After taking a sip she says, “It was between the shrimp and the calamari.”

“Why not get both, right?” I smile at her. Her back is turned a little more toward the ocean, and the way the sun creates a halo around her is ethereal. It’s like the sun positioned itself perfectly, just to shine right over her. There’s never been a person who deserves to glow as much as Genevieve.

She nods but continues her earlier point. “Yes, exactly. So, thank you.Butyou don’t have to bring me to places like this… as much as I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. And I know I don’t have to, but I want to. You deserve more than this but unfortunately you got stuck with the single father, not the billionaire or NHL player.” It takes a second for realization to wash over her but once she remembers the moment fromthe sunroom night, as we’ve started to call it, she lets out one of her breathy cackles. They come so much more freely now, but they’re still one of my favorites sounds in the world. Second only to the noises she makes when she orgasms.

With her cheekiest grin she says, “It’s a good thing the single dads were always my favorite then.”

The server fills our glasses and leaves the bottle on the table for us. Vivi’s sitting forward with her chin on her hands, just looking at me with so much affection that my chest feels like it might burst open.

“Good thing,” I agree with a small smirk. “But I promise you I can afford it. And before you argue about dipping into my inheritance—because I know that’s what your cute, responsible butt would say—there’s a good chunk of it left untouched. Arielle andI got more for the house than we paid. Plus, I’ve gotten lucky with some random investments. One specifically.”

“What is it?” she asks in disbelief. It doesn’t even sound real, honestly. I was just trying to support some kids’ dreams, not really understanding the appeal but the rest of the world seemed to.

“Have you heard of that gameWalking Through Books? It’s an app.”

“Yeesss,” she says slowly. I assumed she’d heard of it, even if she didn’t play. It’s basically an interactive game that allows you to play as the main character through the stories. Authors give the rights to include their novels. Sometimes they even help develop extra challenges that aren’t a part of the main story—giving the players opportunities to make bigger mistakes and take greater risks. It’s another way for authors to promote their books and give readers another platform to enjoy their favorite stories.

“Well,” I chuckle awkwardly, fidgeting with my silverware, “the three kids who started that a few years ago were my students. They were in the first class I ever taught as an actual teacher, not an aide. A year after they graduated, I ran into them at an alumni thing at ASU. They told me about their app idea. I didn’t totally understand it, but I was much more frivolous with my money back then.” I laugh again. “I invested a couple thousand dollars. They were good kids, you know? I knew that they weren’t trying to screw anyone over. When I finally got a financial advisor, he said it was a terrible investing move. A year later, the app blew up and they’ve developed a few smaller but still successful interactive games.”

“Wow.” She blinks at me.

“Yeah, I told you… it was mostly luck. I had no idea what I was doing. Now I let Gary—my financial advisor—help me with all those things so it has only gotten better in someways.”

“Wow,” she says again, chuckling and looking a lot less guilty about our dinner.

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