Except when it comes to Sloan—but he didn’t say that. I just hope this version of Perry is smarter than the younger one. He always chose Sloan.
There’s only two days left until Sloan gets back from her week away with Johnny. I hope they rekindle whatever it is she saw in him and I don’t have to deal with her constant indecisiveness. I know that’s a long shot, but a girl can dream.
Perry’s really been doing well at the shop. Rumors spread around town he was back in the game and his appointments booked in record time. I’ll admit I’m a little jealous his waiting list is longer than mine, but I’m not surprised. He’s always been amazing, he just never let himself do what he really wanted.
He closes the register after cashing out the last client of day and turns to me with a grin. “What do you say we do something fun tonight?”
“Isn’t every night fun with me?” I ask with a wink.
He walks over from behind the counter and wraps me in his arms. He plants a quick kiss to my lips. “Of course it is, but I have something planned that we haven’t done in a very long time.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Should I be scared?”
The smirk that etches his perfect face makes my stomach flip for more than one reason. “No, I think you’ll like it.”
When we’re standing at the top of a snow-covered hill about an hour later, I’m starting to question how excited I’m going to be. Perry grins at me, carrying the orange and yellow plastic sleds in his hand.
“You’re going to love it,” he says, nudging me with his shoulder.
“I don’t know,” I say, looking down the steep bank. “It was different when we were young. You’re fearless when you don’t have responsibilities—or when you still have decent medical coverage.”
Perry laughs and hands me a sled. “You act like being twenty-one makes you an old maid. Live a little.”
I begrudgingly take the plastic death machine from him and almost laugh. The looks we were getting from the cashier at the store were hilarious. Imagine her surprise at two grown-ass adults, covered in tattoos, standing there with no children in sight buying sleds made for a ten-year old. It was priceless.
He leans into me, and his warm breath brushes my cheek. “What if we make a friendly wager?”
I laugh again, turning my face toward his. “You want to make a bet?”
He nips my bottom lip with his teeth. “Yes, I do.” His voice is so low that I swear it vibrates all the way into my stomach.
“Okay.”
He smiles, pulling back from me. “The rules are simple. Whoever makes it to the bottom of the hill first wins. If I win—I get to sleep in your bed tonight.”
“I thought you were saving that for the second date,” I tease.
He shrugs. “Technically this is our second date.”
I bite my lip. The thought of Perry sharing my bed again makes me all kinds of twisted up inside. Especially since this time I’m sure he’ll want to do more than some light spooning.
“What do I get if I win?”
“Whatever you want.”
You, forever.
“Um. I guess if I win, I get to sleep in your bed.” He laughs and I slap him in the chest with the back of my hand. “What? I may be a girl, but my mind is in the same places yours is.” Extending my gloved hand to his, I smile. “Is it a deal?”
He acts like he’s uncertain for a moment, keeping his hand just out of reach. Instead of shaking it, he leans down to me again, cupping my face in his hands.
“Just so you know, Tess. I would let you sleep in my bed any day of the week.” He presses his lips to mine so lightly I barely felt the warmth from them. “All you had to do was ask.”
“Let’s go there now where it’s warm,” I whisper.
He smiles and kisses me once more. “Nope. You’re not getting out of this that easily.”
With a sigh, I poise my sled on the ground next to him. The way he’s grinning from ear to ear right now reminds of when we were kids. I used to beg Jeremy to bring me here for hours, but then Perry would show up and take me immediately—no questions asked.
He looks over at me with that wicked grin before sitting cross-legged on the round plastic sled. It’s almost too small for him and it’s actually pretty adorable to see such a rough guy doing something like this.
“You ready?” he asks.
I take another breath, mirroring his position. After pulling the beanie I stole from him so many years ago over my ears, I nod. “Ready.”
We both push off the top of the hill at the same time. For a brief moment I consider wrecking into a tree so he wins. On second thought, I decide that either way—tonight is going to be incredible. Even more than it already is.
34
Choose Me
Perry- Now
Tess has woken up in my arms for the past two days now. It’s a feeling I can’t really describe. It’s comfortable and scary all at the same time. I keep remembering all those times I promised Walker that her and I were just friends, that the love I had for her wasn’t intimate. A part of me knows that’s always been a lie. Even though he’s gone, I still feel like I’m betraying him. That thought keeps me up at night.
It’s also part of the reason I haven’t taken things further. Sex isn’t a big deal to me, but sex with Tess is. I need to make sure we’re completely solid before we take that step, and I still have one major loose end to clear up.
I’m using my time between appointments today to run down to the drug store to pick up a few things. More and more, my stuff keeps ending up at Tess’s apartment. If we keep this up, I’ll be moved in by the end of the month.
Strolling through the laundry aisle, I come to a stop when I see a familiar face. Johnny’s smile fades as his gaze lands on me. I attempt a casual nod, but he sees through it.
His hand falls from the pack of dryer sheets he was grabbing. “I figured I’d run into you sooner or later.”
I shrug. “Small town.”
He laughs once. “Yeah, something like that.” His jaw is tense and I can tell he’s trying to keep the obvious anger brewing inside of him in check. I can’t really blame him. If I was engaged to Sloan, any guy that even looked at her wrong would be eating their teeth.
“Listen,” I say, rubbing my hand along the back of my neck. “I think I owe you an apology.”
The laugh that sputters out of him now is loud enough to cause a few eyes to drift over to us. “Apologize? For what?” He leans in closer. “For fucking my fiancé or convincing her to leave me?”
My chest immediately constricts around my heart. “Leave you?”
He shakes his head and reaches for the dryer sheets again. “Well, she hasn’t yet but I can already see the change in her since you’ve been back.”
“I don’t want any trouble.”
He throws the small box into his cart roughly. His nostrils flare when looks up at me again. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I’m going to be a cardiologist for fuck’s sake. Clearly I’m smart enough to figure out that my girl is still in love with someone else.”