Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
I bite my lip and fight the blush working its way into my cheeks. “Thank you, so you do.”
“Are you ready to go?”
I nod, and my sisters wave me off, Avery looking ridiculously excited and London smiling softly, but I can see the hint of worry in her eyes.
Gavin opens the passenger door for me and helps me in before he rounds the hood and takes his place behind the wheel. He slides his key into the ignition and turns the engine over, then grips the wheel for a moment before he turns to look at me, giving his head a little shake.
“What?” I ask, suddenly feeling nervous and uncertain.
“This feels a little surreal, that’s all.”
“The date part?”
“Mmm. That you’re back in my life. That I asked you on a date and you said yes. You’re sure about this? You didn’t say yes to be nice?”
I grin. “I didn’t say yes to be nice. Did you ask just to be nice?”
He gives me a wry smile. “I wasn’t trying to be even a little nice.” He shifts the car into gear. “If I’m going to be completely honest, when I picked up Peyton from your place and Chad was there, I wanted to punch him in the junk. Or the face. Or both.”
This time I laugh. “I think it was the same on both sides. He was not … not happy to say the least.”
“Really? Why?”
“I, uh, I think he was under the impression that you were older.”
He arches a brow. “I am older. I have nearly a decade on you.”
“Less than a decade, but yeah, I think in his mind you were like, closer to fifty with a bald spot, not this.” I motion to his general hotness.
“He expected me to have a dad bod?”
“I think so, yes.”
“What else did he say?”
“That you had the hots for me.”
He nods once. “Well, he wasn’t wrong about that. But it wasn’t until after that night that I realized there was more to me wanting to spend time with you beyond how well you and Peyton get along.”
“We were two peas in a pod, then. I had my head buried in the sand too. When he freaked out about you and all the time I was spending with Peyton, I started questioning what I was doing with him.” I don’t tell him what Chad said about Gavin just looking for a mom for his daughter, or about London worrying that I was interested in dating him in part because of Peyton. This date will give us an opportunity to figure out if the chemistry between us is as real as I think it is.
“As bad as I feel about being part of the reason you broke it off with him, I’m glad we get the chance to explore us,” Gavin tells me.
“Me too.” I hold my clutch with both hands so I’m not tempted to touch my hair or bite my nails. “Is Peyton excited about having a sleepover at her grandparents?”
“She is. My mom is great at keeping her entertained, and she always has fun with them.”
“That’s good. Does she sleep okay when she’s away from you?” I ask.
“Probably not as good as when she’s in her own bed, but my parents have a special room for her in their house, and she really loves it there. My mom will let her stay up a little later than usual, and the next day she can be a bit of a grumpy bear, but you’re absolutely worth it.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
He reaches across the console and squeezes my arm. “I didn’t tell her I was out with you tonight. I don’t want to confuse her or put that kind of pressure on you or us.” He pulls into the parking lot of one of the nicest restaurants in the city. I’ve never been here before, but I’ve heard great things about the food. He pulls into an empty spot and shifts the car into park. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, though, so let’s enjoy the evening and figure things out as we go.”
“Okay. That sounds reasonable.” I know eventually, if one date turns into more, we’re going to have to talk about what this will look like. I don’t think it’s a good idea to jump right into a new relationship with both feet, not when there’s a child involved. And I have no idea what relationships have looked like in the past for him. I’m aware we want to be very careful about how we address it with Peyton.
Gavin gets out of the car and rushes around to the passenger side, offering me a hand as I climb out. He closes the door, and instead of slipping my arm into his and guiding me toward the entrance, he raises my hand and presses his lips to my knuckle. “Can I make a suggestion?”