Page 5 of Unicorns Forever
Some people refused to see the truth. So I had to try a different tack.
“If you help me out, when the battle is over, I’ll share the unicorn throne,” I wheedled. “You and I canbothtake the favorite uncle crown and reign in peace and prosperity over the land… er, yard. If you don’t”—I shook my head sadly—“you’ll be relegated to my unicorn consort.”
Mason grabbed my arm and towed me around to the far side of the garage. The air still smelled like freshly mown grass and sweet smoke from the barbecue—which was the kind of candle fragrance I could get behind if someone could figure out how to bottle it—but no one could see us.
“You’ve either taken me over here to yell at me,” I began, setting my hands on his hips, “or you really like the idea of being my—”
But I never got to finish my thought, even inside my own head, because the next thing I knew, respectable Dr. Mason Bloom had pushed me against the wall of the garage, threaded his two hands into my hair, stood on his toes, and started kissing the shit out of me.
Sweet Jesus.
It didn’t matter how many times he kissed me, it still felt like the very first time on the beach back in Whispering Key—part dare and part reward, part yearning and part satisfaction. He kissed me with no reservations because when he loved, he loved fully, and I was starting to learn that from him. And, like every time we kissed this way, I felt myself fall in love with him a little bit more. It was almost enough to make a guy like me start to believe in my cousin Beale’s schtick about soulmates and the Universe.
Almost.
When we finally pulled apart, it was only because a car had rumbled into the driveway and honked its horn, catching all the kids’ attention. I wrapped an arm around Mason’s shoulders, and we walked around the corner to see what all the fuss was about.
“Damn,” I breathed, coming to a halt when I caught sight of the truck. “Mase. Mason. Do you see that?”
“Looks like… an old truck?” Mase sounded breathless from the kiss, which was gratifying, and pissed at being interrupted, which was adorable, but still… I couldn’t let the man I loved be ignorant like that.
“Baby, no. That’s a 1950 Chevy,” I informed him, dragging him closer to the vehicle, which all the kids wereoohingandaaahingover. “It was a top of the line specimen when it came out.”
“It’s a 1952 actually,” the owner of the truck said with a grin. He was somewhere between my age and Mason’s, tall and stocky, with broad shoulders, a scruffy chin, and bright white teeth. When Micah hurried over, the two shook hands. “Got the goods for ya. The main piece and the blower.”
A blower? I frowned.
“Good man.” Micah grinned and slapped his shoulder. “Con’ll be relieved. You have no idea how hard it is to get one of these on short notice.”
The guy shrugged. “Still don’t get why he wanted it, but I’m happy to help Connie out. We only use it on weekends in the autumn for the kiddos.”
“I’ll get my brother-in-law Chris to help us carry the stuff to the back. Maybe you can stick around for a bit and help us set it up?” Micah asked hopefully.
The man nodded. “Sure thing.”
Turning to us, Micah said, “Guys, this is Watt Bartlett, a friend of Con’s. His family owns an orchard not far from here. Watt, this is my brother Mason and Fenn. They’re from Florida. Back in a second.”
The man turned to me and Mason with a bright smile as Micah disappeared. “Nice to meet you, Fenn from Florida,” he said archly. “You a car enthusiast?”
Mason wrapped a proprietary arm around my waist. “Fenn’s a professional. He restores classic cars.”
I tucked my tongue into my cheek. Call me crazy, but I really loved it when my man got territorial.
Watt’s eyebrows went up. “That so? I’m a dabbler myself. I’ve got a 1966 Chevy Corvette in the barn at home, though, and I can’t get her running. Had her for years, but I’m hesitant to take her to a mechanic. Maybe sometime you could stop by and check it out?”
“Uh,yeah,” I agreed. Shit, I’d pay money to work on a car like that. “Maybe I can come look later this week.”
Mason’s hand tightened on my hip—just a quick little catch-release I was pretty sure was involuntary—and I bit back a grin.
No, but like, Ireallyloved it.
“Anytime you like,” Watt said. He winked at me. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Mason smiled his very widest smile, which meant he was getting wildly annoyed. “Delightful. Fenn and I will both come. But right now we have a”—he made a vague gesture toward the house—“thing.”
“Think you mean a date with destiny,” I corrected, squeezing him when he rolled his eyes. “See you in a bit, Watt?”
“I’ll be around,” Watt assured us, going around to the back of the truck to open the gate.
