Page 40 of Stay With Me
“Great! She’s so smart. She’s getting better and better at sitting for longer periods. I have no doubt she’ll be fine once school officially starts.?Education-wise, she’s catching up faster than I could imagine,” she tells me with a smile.
Pride fills my chest. “Yeah, she’s a smart cookie.”
“We added some harder worksheets for reading and math this week. So let me know if you think she’s struggling and where.”
I nod as Jess runs up to us. “I’m ready to go see Sam,” she says and smiles, then looks at Cassidy. “Thank you for helping me today! I enjoyed looking for bugs outside.”
“You are so welcome! I can’t wait to hear all about your time with Sam,” Cassidy tells her with a laugh. “See you both next week!”
“Thanks, Cass. See you next week.”
We walk to the truck, and Jess talks about her day and what she learned.?My mind wanders as I think about how excited I am for tonight. But I’m nervous that maybe what I have planned isn’t good enough.?It’s been years since I planned a date, and if I couldn’t keep my wife happy enough to stick around, how am I supposed to show someone else I’m worth a shot?
She wanted low-key and just the two of us, and the drive-in idea was the first thing that came to mind. But maybe it’s not romantic enough for a first date…
I shake that thought from my head. If it seems like she doesn’t like it, we can find something else to do. I don’t care what we do as long as we spend time together, getting to know each other better.
TWENTY
Noah
Luna’scabincomesintoview as I round the corner, and nerves swirl in my stomach. I want tonight to be perfect. It’s not only our first date but her first-ever date. I want to show her she’s safe with me and how important she’s becoming to me.
Since she got off work at the same time as me, she brought a change of clothes and was going to get ready in her cabin.
Leaving the truck on, I put it in park and hop out to go and get her, but before I get to the door, it swings open, and I stop in my tracks.
I’m met with the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She’s wearing a pair of tennis shoes, fitted jeans that are slightly distressed, and a dark gray T-shirt, and a forest-green flannel is tossed over her shoulder for later. Her long blond hair is out of its normal braid, her wavy hair framing her makeup-free face.
I don’t know how I got so lucky.
“Do I look okay?” she asks, and I walk up the rest of the stairs and stand in front of her.
“Yeah, baby, you look perfect.”
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Soon. Are you ready to go?” I ask as I brush her hair behind her ear out of her face.
“Yeah, I just have to grab my bag with my clothes from today.”
I want to tell her to just pack up the rest of her stuff in the cabin and move it all into my house. But I have a feeling she needs some stuff in this cabin as a safety net.
So, instead, I tell her, “Of course. Where’s the bag?”
“Right here.” She turns to hold the door open and grabs the bag right beside the door.
“I got it,” I say, grabbing it from her.
I step back and wait for her to shut and lock the door behind her. As we walk to my truck, I grab her hand, needing the connection. After throwing the bag in the back seat and helping Luna in, I run around the front of the truck and hop in.
“How was your day?” I ask her as I shoulder check to make sure nothing is behind me before doing a three-point turn to pull out of her driveway.
“It was really good. I did some work on updating the website for the bed-and-breakfast and was able to deep clean one of the cabins someone checked out of today. How about you? How was Jess after her day at school?”
I reach over the console and grab her hand, lacing our fingers together. “It was good. Busier than normal, had to write a couple of tickets, and there was a fight at The Bar this afternoon. But it was a good day. Jess had a blast and was so excited to go to Sam’s house that she could barely sit in her seat.”
“I love how quickly Sam jumped at the chance to watch her. What are they doing?”
