I let out a chuckle. “She walked in on you two?”
A rueful look fills her features. “I wish,” she says with a shudder, and I laugh a little harder. “So, whatever, not worried about it. Then we do the do, everything was decent, but I didn’t want to put my jean shorts and crop top back on to sleep in. I ask him for something, fully expecting a tee or a hoodie. Owen, he went and got me one of his mom’s nightdresses.”
I choose the wrong time to take a drink. I almost spew my wine everywhere, laughing so hard I can’t breathe. “No fucking way.”
“I shit you not,” she says, laughing along with me. “I was beyond creeped out.”
“Did you put it on?”
“Yes! I had no choice!”
I roar with laughter as she chuckles. “I can’t.”
“It was insane, I swear,” she insists, shaking her head as her laughter subsides. “People are nuts.”
“For real. Kind of glad I won’t have to deal with that anymore.”
Angie’s eyes meet mine, something moving in them as my heart swells. “That’s pretty damn presumptuous.”
“Presumptuous or confident?”
Her lips quirk at one side.
“I told you off the top I wanted a relationship.”
She nods. “You did, but I assumed it was to get in my pants.”
“Yes, because that happened so quickly for us,” I deadpan. A heated look moves between us. “I basically had blue balls for you for like eight years.”
“Eight years?” she asks with a troubled look. “We’ve only been dating for just over a month.”
“Yes, but I’ve wanted you since I was like twelve,” I admit, and then I wink at her. “Like my fast math?”
“You’re insane. You wanted a totally different version of me.”
“No,” I say sternly. “I want you.” Her eyes darken as she leans on her hand, staring at me with desire and sweetness in her green depths. “Do you not want the same? A relationship, I mean?”
“No, I do,” she insists. “But, of course, I’m scared. It’s easy to admit love and be all in, but it’s hard when you don’t know what the other person is thinking.”
“I’m thinking the same thing, Pax.”
“You’re just staring out on your own, though,” she laments, holding my gaze. “You can have years of dating and women. Anyone you want, really.”
“And I want only you,” I say simply, my heart pounding in my chest. “I’ve always wanted just you.”
Her eyes soften as she reaches out, taking my hand in hers. I thread our fingers together, and it feels as if time is standing still. “I’m about to admit something super corny and maybe a bit clichéd.”
I kiss her hand as our knees knock under the table. “I’m ready.”
I can tell she’s uneasy, but it’s us. It’s easy for us. “I feel brand-new since we started this.” She licks her lips, her eyes never leaving mine. “Like, I sit here and I’m staring into your eyes, and I feel… I feel…” Her words fall off as she takes in a deep breath. “I feel worthy, I feel loved, and I feel safe.”
“Sugar, that’s—”
“Sorry, let me get this out,” she says, interrupting me. “Even when I was skinny, I never felt like a man would love me. My sperm donor didn’t want me. No guys ever stuck it out with me, and I felt like they only wanted me for sex. And I know my dad loves me and wants me, but it’s still in the back of my head that I was part of the package with my mom so he forced himself to love me.”
I shake my head, squeezing her hand. “That’s not true, Pax. Benji loves you, loves you, as if you’re his blood. I’ve heard him talk about you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. No one would ever know he wasn’t your bio dad.”
Tears fill her eyes. “You really think so?”
“Absolutely,” I vow. “And honestly, I think when they come for graduation or you go home, you’re really going to realize it. Because people love you for you. Your beauty and your wicked smarts are just a bonus.”
A tear falls, and I catch it quickly. She smiles a thanks before clearing her throat. “I just want you to know you’re very special to me. I was convinced I was broken before I met you, but I found out I just wasn’t allowing myself to live.”
I kiss the back of her hand again. “Pretty sure I’m supposed to be the one with all the sweet words. It’s how I get in your pants,” I tease, needing to lighten the mood, and as I wanted, she laughs, her eyes bright.
“Just wanted you to know.”
I sigh roughly, grinning at her. “Well, I need you to know—I’m not done being over the top.”
She looks confused. “What else could you possibly do to be any more over the top?”
I flash a toothy grin at her and call out, “You ready, Evan?”
At my cue, my brother comes out with his guitar. Angie’s eyes widen as she looks back at me. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” I say, taking her hand and bringing her into my arms. “Also, I got you the plants you wanted.”
“What?”
“The variegated Monstera and the pink princess.”
Her eyes almost fall out of her head. “No way. Owen, this is insane!”
I shrug. “Some would say I’m insane for you.”
Evan nods. “Smooth.”
“I thought so,” I say with a wink just for my girl. She’s speechless as I pull her in close, and it’s hard to remember there is supposed to be music when I get lost in her eyes. Evan starts the chords to the song, and when he begins to sing, we sway to the music. She looks into my eyes as Evan sings Clinton Kane’s “I Guess I’m in Love,” and I kind of wish Evan weren’t here. I had planned to play this song for her way before I decided that I would tell her I loved her. It’s just a gorgeous song, and when Angie’s head falls to my chest, my heart about flies out of it. Not only am I totally in love, but my brother is providing us the perfect ambiance with his voice being so smooth and deep. The words are there, and I know I chose the right song for Angie.
“This is really romantic,” she says, holding me close as I lean my head on hers.
“I know.”
I can feel her smile as she wraps her arms tighter around me. I slide my hands down her back to her ass, holding her sweet globes as Evan sings from his soul. “When I heard this song, I knew you’d like it.”
“It’s beautiful,” she says and then tips up her head to see me. “No one has ever gone to this much trouble for me.”
I grin, cupping her jaw with one hand while the other continues to hold her ass. “I’ll go to all the trouble for you.”
Her lips curve. “That is a bold statement.”
“I’m a bold man. You know this.”
She eyes me. “Bold and cocky aren’t the same.”
I grin. “Sure they are.”
Her face breaks into a matching grin before she turns her head and kisses my palm. “We’ll agree to disagree.”
“Whatever you want as long as you keep those lips moving.”