“You’ll need to put your seat upright and fasten your seat belt.”
“Okay, thank you.” Amber could get used to the luxurious pampering of first class, which Dash had insisted on. It made flying much less stressful for her and Reno, who was lying in the spacious area at her feet. Or maybe her excitement about finally seeing Dash would have made any flight better.
He had surprised her in so many ways while they were apart. He’d left his copy of last month’s book club novel on the nightstand, and it had notes and rewrites throughout the margins, which were much hotter than the original scenes. But what she’d loved even more than that were his notes about things the hero could have done differently or things he should have said. Not only had he really read the story, but unbeknownst to Amber, with her blond matchmaking sister’s help, he’d created an account on the book club forum and had popped into the video chat during the discussion. She’d cried happy tears, and all the other girls had been jealous.
That was the first of many surprises. Like on Halloween, when she’d sent him a picture of her and Lindsay in costume. Amber had dressed as Sandy from Grease, and as promised, Lindsay had dressed as Dash, wearing a football jersey with his name on the back, a man’s wig, and a wide smile. Dash had called Amber on FaceTime, decked out as Danny from Grease, and he’d stayed on the line all night, making her feel like he was at the barn bash with her. Everyone had gotten a kick out of it, most of all Amber.
He’d sent her selfies at every signing and press event. She’d been shocked he’d called her after they’d taped the Jimmy Kimmel show to introduce her to Jimmy. But he’d blown her away when she’d seen the show, and Jimmy had asked Dash about his personal life. Her whirlwind of a boyfriend had protected her privacy and said he was officially off the market and madly in love. She was pretty sure Dash thought about her twenty-four-seven, which was great, because she’d feel pretty stupid if she was alone in that.
After the plane touched down, it took all of her willpower not to run through the gate to find Dash. Her pulse was beating wildly. She’d never power walked so fast in her life, and the second she saw him standing there with a bouquet of flowers, that gorgeous smile lighting up his eyes, her willpower shattered. She sprinted to him with Reno by her side and launched herself into his arms, absolutely giddy as they kissed and laughed and kissed some more.
“I don’t want to put you down, sweetheart. I’ve waited too long to hold you.”
What was she supposed to say to that? She was in no hurry to leave his arms, either. So she lowered her lips to his, right there in the middle of the busy airport, pouring twelve days of missing him into their kiss. When he finally lowered her to her feet, he loved up Reno, who gave him a face full of sloppy dog kisses.
Dash hugged Reno. “I’ve missed you almost as much as I missed your mama.” He pushed to his feet and tugged Amber in for another kiss. “How did you get even more beautiful since last night?”
Her cheeks burned. She’d surprised him last night and had fulfilled his dirty video-chat fantasy. “Shh. We’re not going to talk about last night.” She went up on her toes, pressing her lips to his. “Your sisters are going to tease me about having a toddler smile. I’m pretty sure I’ll look like this all weekend.”
“I love your smile. How do you feel? Are you tired? Was the flight okay?”
“I feel good, and you were right about first class. It’s a good thing I’m not a world traveler, because I’d be broke.”
“I just might make a world traveler of you yet, wild thing. But don’t worry. I’ve got pretty deep pockets.”
They retrieved her luggage and talked the whole way to Port Hudson. As they drove through town, Amber said, “I missed this place. I was so scared when I first came here. The day my parents dropped me off, I was sure I’d made the biggest mistake of my life.”
He squeezed her hand. “You love your hometown so much. Why did you decide to go away to school?”
“Grace and Pepper convinced me. They said I needed to experience the real world. They’d never misguided me before, and in the long run, they were right. It’s good that I have someplace to compare to home. But I got really homesick at first, and then my RA suggested I connect with the LWW sisterhood. That’s where I met Charlotte Sterling and Aubrey Stewart. They were seniors when I was a freshman, but they were great. They introduced me to other LWW girls. We weren’t all alike or anything like that, but there were enough bookworms who preferred low-key activities that I fit in, which was exactly what I needed. Being part of LWW made everything better.”
“Wait a second. You know Aubrey Stewart and Charlotte Sterling?”
“Yes. Why? Do you know them? Aubrey’s engaged to Graham’s business partner, Knox Bentley, and Char is married to Graham’s brother Beau.”
“Yes, I know them. They grew up here. I don’t know Char as well as I know Aubrey, but they were best friends. The Stewarts are my mom’s neighbors. Mrs. Stewart is the one who watched my sisters, and Aubrey’s older brothers, Troy and Joey, are two of my closest friends. Troy and I played together for the Giants.” He glanced at her with amusement in his eyes. “I had a crush on Aubrey when I was about sixteen. She was a pretty little sass-mouthed tomboy.”
“I can’t believe you know them. Please tell me you didn’t sleep with Aubrey because that could be awkward.”
“I didn’t. My crush lasted about as long as it took for her to tell off a guy two years older than her for checking her out, which was just long enough for me to realize two things. A, she’d never give me the time of day and B, I had a type, and it definitely wasn’t tomboys.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “You can breathe now.”
She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, and they both laughed. They talked the rest of the way, and when they pulled up in front of his mother’s modest two-story house, there were four vehicles in the driveway and two more parked at the curb. Her nerves flared to life.
Dash cut the engine and turned toward her, taking her hand. “Nervous?”
“A little.” She looked down at her rust-colored sweater, skinny jeans, and suede ankle boots, wondering if she should have worn a dress.
He lifted her chin with a reassuring gaze. “I love you, and they’ll love you, too. You’ve already gotten through the hard part. You’ve met everyone except Damon and my grandparents.”
“Your grandparents are here?” Oh boy. No pressure or anything.
“Do you think I’d bring you home and not introduce you to the most important man in my life and the woman who taught me about acorns?” He pulled her in for a kiss and slid a hand to the nape of her neck, keeping her close. “I know one way to help you relax.”
He pressed his lips to hers, kissing the nervousness right out of her and leaving her breathless. She sighed. “If I get nervous again, just drag me into a dark corner and do that.”
“THAT WILL NOT be a problem.” He gave her another quick kiss and came around to help her and Reno out of the car. He was relieved her flight had gone well. After learning her seizure had been caused by stress and sleep deprivation, he’d made a few modifications to their plans for tomorrow, so as not to wear her out.