Page 64 of The Only Thing That's Real

No. Not too busy. I would love some pizza.

Knox

see you in an hour?

Ryan

Sounds good.

If it’s only three in the afternoon, does pizza and a board game count as a date?

Are we having a day date or is this a friendly hangout?

He says we can’t cross the line while I’m writing about the band, but then he kisses me and gives me a Dragon Stone to unlock my heart.

An hour feels like five minutes and ten days with my nerves activated on all cylinders while I wait for him.

I’m not nervous because of who he is. Well, that’s a lie. It is about who he is, but not the person the world sees. I’m nervous at the prospect of something with this sweet, complicated man who makes kind gestures.

A man who is encouraging me to follow my dreams and open my heart.

A man who sees me.

Nobody has ever put this kind of effort into me. Romantically or otherwise. I’ve never let anyone this close.

I try on several outfits, struggling to find the right athleisure outfit for the occasion. It’s pizza and a board game. There’s no need to dress up, but I want to look good. I settle on a comfortable pair of cream Vuori joggers, a matching sports bra, and cardigan that I button halfway up. Not my sexiest outfit, but I’m comfortable.

I’ll never be like the women I saw him with online, and I’m okay with that. Because I know I’m enough. Not because his interest tells me so, but because I know who I am and what I can offer someone should I decide to let them in.

Now, I have to decide if I’m going to continuedeconstructing my walls brick by brick or take the risk of blowing it to bits and exposing myself to the vulnerability of being hurt.

Pacing back and forth in front of the wall of windows, a wave of panic hits me square in the chest when I see the basket of gifts still on the table. Leaving the game behind, I move the other gifts to the bedroom, where Bullseye sits center stage on my bed. Since he didn’t acknowledge his gifts or the penthouse large enough to sleep six, moving them out of sight feels like the right thing to do.

I’ve just set the basket on the dresser when there’s a knock at the door. A jolt of excitement tears through my heart. I pick up the nearest pillow and scream into it, feeling better once it’s back in its place on the bed.

When I open the door, his smile is breathtaking. With a pizza box in one hand and a reusable grocery bag in the other, he looks relaxed.

Dare I say, happy.

However, as I take in his gray sweats and matching gray hoodie, I think he might be trying to kill me. I force myself to keep my eyes on his face, but it’s a battle.

“God, you’re beautiful.” He tilts his head. “But I’m still gonna kick your ass.”

That’s all it takes for my sex-craved thoughts to turn swoony.

I am in so much trouble.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Knox

“Oh, my God! And then he fell face first into the tree!” Ryan can barely get the words out as she holds her sides. Her belly laugh taking over her body.

“Exactly! This is why it’s one of the top three best moments in Goose Hollow history!” I reiterate as tears of laughter stream down my face.

“Stan’s wife was mortified. Oh, the poor thing. Remember how she was holding her coat open, like she could somehow hide him from view? He was on a twenty-foot ladder. What good did she think that would do?” Ryan wheezes as we recount the time Stan McClain, who runs the rec center back home, ruined the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Main Street Park.

We started with pizza and a game in her penthouse, butwe never declared a winner. An intense debate over the best pizza in New York City derailed us. The game was all but forgotten as our debates continued, eventually morphing into a speed round of what’s your top three? Top three fast-food chains... songs... bands... colors... TV shows... movies.... When that wasn’t enough, we broke it down. Top three action movies... comedies... dramas... period pieces... romances. The entire time I memorized her answers as though they were the lyrics to a new song I was planning to sing for the rest of my days.

---