Page 80 of Take This Heart
Because when we drive down his driveway, the nerves rush back.
The house is beautiful—a sprawling home with a lake backdrop. Milo glances over at me as he parks, his smile soft and tentative. “Are you ready?”
“Ready,” I murmur, my heart hammering.
He grins and hops out, coming around to open my door, which just charms me more.
“Milo?” I say.
He pauses on his way to the trunk and looks back.
“Thank you…for what you said earlier and…for bringing me here. I...” I take a deep breath. “I like you too.”
He’s in front of me the next second. His hand comes up to cup my cheek and he leans in so very slowly and presses the softest kiss to my lips. My heart stutters in my chest and I gasp. He swallows it up with his kiss, and even though it’s gentle and sweet, my knees threaten to buckle. I sway into him, and when we break apart, he smiles when I blink up at him, both of us breathless.
His arms circle my waist and his head falls back as he yells, “Woohoo! Goldie Whitman likes me!”
I crack up and shove his chest. He just laughs and pulls me back in, kissing me again.
“I like you too. So much,” he whispers against my lips.
“You already said that. You must be obsessed.”
He laughs. “I am. You don’t even know.” He kisses me again and then groans. “We should get inside before my mom comes out and hauls us in.” He tugs my hand and we walk toward the house. “I’ll come back to get our things.”
I think he’s right about his mom potentially coming out because we’ve barely stepped onto the front porch before the door opens wide. His parents are both there and rush toward us. I was braced for polite-but-distant, but no. His mom, Kathleen, wraps me in a hug within seconds of seeing me, and his dad, Anthony, beams at me like I’m an old friend.
“We’re so glad you’re here!” Anthony says. “Come in, mio figliolo.” He kisses Milo on each cheek and then does the same to me.
“You’ve had a long drive. How are you feeling?” Kathleen asks. “Do you need to rest before dinner?”
I glance at Milo, who’s smiling over at me. “Milo drove the whole way, so he might want to, but I’m good.”
“I just got a burst of energy,” Milo says, his eyes gleaming, “right before we came in.”
My face heats and I try to hold back my smile but fail.
This man is going to wreck me and I can’t even care right now when this feels so good.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A LONG WAY
MILO
I can’t stop smiling.
Goldie’s laughing with my mom over dessert, the two of them leaning close like they’ve known each other forever. My dad keeps cutting me amused looks across the table, obviously as charmed by Goldie as my mother is. As I am.
I wasn’t sure how tonight would go. I knew everyone would like each other if they gave one another a chance, but I was concerned the Granger elephant in the room might derail things. But watching them fall for her, hearing her make them laugh, seeing my mom’s face light up when Goldie complimented her garden and decorating, my dad asking about Goldie’s art and how touched she is by that—it’s all more than I could have imagined.
I catch her eye for a second and her lips tug into a smile—one meant just for me. My chest tightens. Yeah, I’m gone.Completely gone over this woman. Suddenly, I can’t wait to take her home. I want her to myself even if it’s just to stare at her for as long as I want.
When the fuck did I get so hopeless?
Despite my inner clinginess, we stay for another hour and a half, thoroughly enjoying our visit. When my mom hugs me goodbye, she whispers in my ear, “She is spectacular, Milo. Don’t let her go. The two of you are perfect together.”
I kiss her cheek, grateful that she’s willing to put aside any residual family prejudice against a Whitman for my sake. Something tells me it’d take a lot more to get Bruce on board with our relationship, but he’s not someone I base any life decisions on.
