Page 58 of Falling Into Forever
The lines of his face fade when he suppresses a laugh. “Okay, Oscar. Whatever you say. Do we have a deal?”
“Fine,” I mutter. “It’s not like you’ll get Grady. He’s as likely to shoot you as he is to toss your ass to the ground, so I have nothing to worry about.”
He steps forward until our bodies are almost touching, standing so close that the heat radiating off him warms my skin, and his spicy scent fills my nose. The anxiety that normally shimmers through me is pushed down to my toes.
“Oh, Sayls. You’ve seriously misjudged how much I want this date. And you have no idea of the lengths I’m willing to go to get it either.”
“Fine. I hope a date is worth your life,” I say with an eye roll I don’t mean.
“Not any date. A date with you. That’s worth so much more than my life because my life has been on pause without you in it. A date with you is what will give me life for the first time in six years. That is worth any risk I have to take.”
The blood rushing in my ears makes me lightheaded. I’m supposed to be the romance author, but he keeps coming up with proclamations that make me sound like Dr. Seuss.
He pulls back with an expression that says he knows what he’s doing to me, and this is only the beginning. He walks backward, never breaking our connection until he reaches James, who gives him a small pouch with his numbered pins inside.
“Oh, Sassy,” Cassie coos. She always freaking hovers. “You’re done for. That boy might be even more in love with you than when he left.”
“He doesn’t even know me anymore. And you’re one to talk. James is tracking your every move.”
“James and I are a different story for another time. But you and Dante? Time may have passed, Sass, but really think about if you’ve changed or not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” This is why I don’t socialize. Everyone has an opinion, and it’s fucking exhausting. And Cassie is the worst. She has boundary issues and no problem inserting herself into anything she deems a worthy cause.
“It means you’ve been going through the motions of life, but you haven’t been living. Experiences are what change us, shape us, help us grow. You’ve intentionally avoided experiences because they make you feel. So, you say he doesn’t know you, but have you grown all that much since he left?”
Vicious words sit on the tip of my tongue, but she holds up a hand to ward them off.
“Sorry, babe. That’s a lot of tough love right there, but if no one else will tell you the truth as we all see it, then I will. You deserve happiness. You need love. But you have to decide if you’re worth the risk, because that man there? He’s all in. It’s up to you to trust yourself enough to believe it.”
“Maybe people should put blinders on and mind their own stinking business.” My skin is on fire. I need to get out of here before I turn into one giant hive.
“No can do, babe. This is what friends do for each other.”
“And exactly why I don’t like having friends.” It’s not the truth, but it’s the nicest thing I can force out of my mouth right now.
“Oh, you love me. Even if you don’t say it, I know you do.”
She’s out of her mind. She also sees everything through rose-colored glasses.
“Cass?” James stands behind her, and I watch the ice freeze over her expression.
“No,” she growls. “See ya, Sass. Good luck today. I’m off to run Cherry Pie.”
Okay, so rose-colored glasses for everyone except the man who broke her heart.
“Shit,” James curses, following her into the crowd.
“That’s a lot of history to unpack right there,” Dante says, making me jump. How long has he been standing there like a creeper? Freaking Cassie and her stupid thoughts on love and happiness.
“Yeah.” I don’t elaborate, scratching at my neck with my knuckles so I don’t leave marks.
He holds up his bag. “We’ve got some time before I make my move, so Frozen T’s or Cherry Pie next?”
I close my eyes and inhale a long, pitiful breath. Today is going to test every level of patience I have.
“There’s no way I’m putting on a frozen T-shirt.”
“Cherry Pie it is,” he says. “Just like old times.”
