Chapter 13 Theo
THEO
I was fucking nervous. Not the familiar belly flutter when I enter a challenging negotiation knowing that when I walk out, I would have exactly what I want. It wasn’t even the small panic I feel when Zoe or Connor aren’t home a little after curfew.
No. This was full-on sweaty-palms, pacing the bedroom, nerves. I’d changed my shirt twice, had an internal debate over faded or dark wash jeans. And finally over whether or not to style my hair or just leave it damp after my shower.
I decided against styling since I would be wearing my baseball cap, anyway. In the end, I settled on the faded jeans and a plain white T-shirt and black light weight jacket.
It was late spring and the likelihood of either of us needing the jackets was slim, but the temps could drop pretty low at night.
I walked out of my room at the same time Connor walked out of his wearing pretty much the same outfit. He frowned at me. “You’re wearing that?”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I looked down just to make sure I wasn’t missing something. “You’re wearing practically the same thing.”
Connor shook his head as we both made our way downstairs. “I’m hanging out with Landon, not going on a first date with a girl I’ve wanted for more than a decade.”
I wasn’t sure about the accuracy of that statement but I let it go.
“It hasn’t been a decade.” I mean, yeah I had feelings for Maggie since high school, but he didn’t know that. And it wasn’t exactly like I’d been a monk waiting for her. “Remember, curfew is at eleven. Do you need me to fetch you?”
Connor rolled his eyes as I expected him to. “Do you not know how a first date is supposed to go? Doc Evans said he’d bring me home as well.”
“First date or not, if you need me, I’ll come get you.” It was something I wanted all four of my siblings to understand. “Thank Logan for me, though.”
He waved as he got to the front door. “Have a good night.”
Then he was gone and I was left alone in the living room waiting for Maggie.
The kids came down first.
Hayden charged ahead of his sister, his eyes narrowed on me. “Uncle Theo, Mom said she doesn’t know where she’s going. Are you taking her on a date?”
“Yes, kiddo, but I want it to be a surprise.” I bent down so we were eye to eye. “Is that okay with you?”
He nodded and his shoulders squared. “Don’t hurt her feelings. I don’t think my dad was nice to her.”
Just as he said that, Maggie started down the stairs. Her eyes widened, but I gave her a subtle shake of my head and looked back at Hayden.
“Your mom means the world to me.” My words were a solemn vow to him and his mother. “I will do everything in my power to make sure she is never hurt again.”
Hayden’s trusting eyes never left mine. I would do everything to keep my promise to him. Two of my sisters bore the scars of a careless man’s ruthlessness. I would not let it happen to anyone else in my life. Especially not Maggie or her two precious children.
He took a step back, and gave me a single nod, as Maggie came into the room.
She wore a pair of dark jeans that hugged all her curves with a flair at the feet.
Platform sneakers allowed for the bottoms not to scrape the ground.
The deep purple cropped top looked good against her deeply tanned skin, leaving a strip of bare flesh above her waistband that had my mouth watering.
I took a deep breath inhaling that familiar apple shampoo and the scent of sunshine I’d always associated with her.
“Hi.” She gave that smile that warmed everything inside and out. I wanted more of those smiles. She lifted up the pale pink oversized cardigan. “I’m not cold, will this be fine where we’re going.”
“That’s perfect.” Everything about her was. “Let me just get Zoe, and we can go.”
“I’m right here.” Zoe walked in with a bright smile on her face. She held out her hand. “That will be twenty dollars an hour, plus dinner and snacks.”
I hand her the credit card we usually use for takeout. “There’s snacks in the pantry. And I will settle with you via direct transfer. Even though I feel like I’m being swindled.”
“This is a high level security detail. I’m taking care of the two most precious people on the planet.
I think twenty an hour is a steal. I’ll send you a detailed invoice of all the spending I do tonight.
” She then pulls a mock stern face and sets her jaw.
“Remember curfew is at eleven. Don’t make me call to find out where you are. ”
The throwback to the words I had said to Connor earlier, that I had probably said to her over a hundred times, made me smile.
“Ready to go?” I nodded my head to the door.
Maggie bent down to give each kid a kiss. “Be good for Zoe, okay?” Both kids nodded and she looked over at Zoe. “Thanks for doing this. If you need anything just call.”
“I will.”
As we made our way to my car my hand dropped to her lower back. She smiled when I opened the car door for her. Only once we were driving away from the house did I speak again.
“So, I have a few rules for tonight?” I took a quick look in her direction before my eyes were back on the road.
She let out a laugh that immediately warmed the car. “This ought to be good. Let’s hear it.”
“No talking about Fred and his threat.” I gave her a quick glance. “I know talking about shitty exes is part of the dating process. But seeing as he’s the reason for our very logical and practical arrangement, he’s off limits.”
Maggie let out a huff that was loaded with sarcasm. “No talk about my convicted felon ex-husband on the first date I’ve had in over four years? I think I can manage that.”
Wait. What? Surely, she’d been on a date. Did that mean she hasn’t… she had two kids, so dating was difficult. Still.
With me stunned into silence, Maggie urged me on. “What is number two?”
“No talking about the kids,” I said. “They’re wonderful and I love them. But tonight is about you and me.”
She tilted her head from side to side and narrowed her eyes. “That one will be more difficult, but I will give it a go. What’s your last rule?”
“No talking about the loan or my investment. We can talk about work, because, well that is normal getting to know you know dating conversation. But no talking about my involvement in your business.”
Maggie nodded at me. “Okay, I accept your rules. Now, can you tell me where we’re going?”
“Not a chance.” I smiled, but kept my eyes on the road. “It's a surprise.”
We made small talk for the rest of the drive. With all our friends either deployed or working out of town, we caught up on the gossip we’d managed to find out from each of them.
Maggie shifted in her seat to partially face me. “I still haven’t managed to find out from Cat what had happened to Holden last year.”
Aah, she was fishing. Hoping I’d share anything Holden might’ve told me.
The truth was I didn’t know much more than her.
All I could figure out was that Holden and his SEAL team had been on a mission with the Duke of Wiltshire and that they were captured.
Holden never spoke about what happened. Cat was part of the team sent in to rescue them.
She maintained that the mission was classified, and the parts she could share were not her story to tell.
“You know there is not much he can share with us.” I pulled off the main road and drove in the direction of the beach.
She narrowed her eyes, likely assessing how much she could push the subject. “Yeah, I get that. But he went through hell, he needs to talk to someone.”
“Hopefully, Holden is talking to someone about it.” I gave her a quick glance. “We’re here.”
As I pulled into a spot overlooking the ocean, I could feel Maggie’s frown burning at my temple. “Theo, did you bring me to a make-out spot?”
“You do realize this is also parking for people taking a walk on the beach?” I didn’t say more than that.
I got out of the driver’s seat and before I could make my way around, she stepped out of the passenger’s side.
“Maggie, if you want to be wooed you need to allow a gentleman to woo you. You wait in the car until I come around to open the door for you.”
She rolled her eyes at me and I raised a brow. We stood staring at each other for a good few seconds before she relented. “Fine. Next time I’ll wait.”
The quick flash of defiance and that reluctant surrender was so intoxicating, I’d be happy to chase that high for the rest of my life.
“Come.” I took her hand and led her down the path toward the beach.
The sun was just beginning to set, casting a deep purple and orange over our surroundings.
Even though both of us had walked that path often over the years, I would bet that, like me, she didn’t do it as often as we used to.
I took her hand once again, savoring the current flowing between our palms.
Her voice was an adorable mix of curiosity and annoyance. “Theo, where are we going? My outfit might be cute and layered, but it's not suitable for hiking all the way to the beach.”
“Patience, love. We’re almost there.” A smile tugged at my lips as I guided her over a rocky section.
We rounded the last bend and the path opened to a familiar clearing. A secluded cove, hidden away from the main beach we claimed as our own as teenagers.
“Wow, Theo.” Her eyes wandered around the space our friends hung out at regularly as kids. “How did you do all this?”
She took in the temporary picnic table set with a blue gingham table cloth and two settings of proper china and silverware.
Candles lit up the cove since it would get completely dark at night.
A chef, fully dressed in coat and hat, stood to the side in front of portable catering heaters and coolers ready to serve our meal.
I smiled at her, holding her closer. “With the right amount of money, most things are possible.” I didn’t want to mention that anything was possible. That would be bordering on banned conversation. “I knew a fancy restaurant would not impress you. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to spoil you.”
“This is perfect.” Her mouth lifted into that beautiful smile. The one that warmed my heart and made the rest of the world disappear. And a shot of triumph raced through me.
For the next two hours all we did was talk.
Sure, we teased each other and flirted a bit.
Neither of us mentioned our jobs or responsibilities.
No talk of psycho exes or secrets. We were two adults enjoying our time together.
She learned that I still played chess online with our friend who was in the Navy.
I learned her dream was still to build an empire. Preferably in the hospitality industry.
As she spoke, hands moving around wildly, a tightness in my chest slowly loosened. Since my father’s death my life had been a revolving door of responsibility and obligation. For the first time in years, I felt my age. I was just a guy, nearing thirty, trying to get the girl.
She balked at my distaste for pineapple on pizza and I made fun of her fear of frogs.
In the candlelight, with every emotion playing across her face, it was hard to miss that she had a tendency for hyperbole and melodrama.
Something I always knew but it looked different when it was aimed at me.
This was what I wanted. She was what I wanted.
And I had a shot. I would do everything in my power not to lose it.
The drive home was quiet and comfortable. I walked her to the front door minutes before Zoe’s eleven o'clock curfew.
She looked up at me. “Theo that was…”
Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the words.
“The best first date ever.” I finished for her, a roughness I hadn’t heard before in my voice.
I cupped her jaw, my fingers savoring her silky soft skin and I finally kissed her.
It wasn’t the desperate, half naked kiss from my bathroom. This was a slow promise. A question and an answer and a taste of everything I wanted. Her hands gripped my jacket as she kissed me back with a sweet hunger that was sure to be my undoing.
I pulled back just far enough to breathe, my heart pounding in my chest. Her soft panting answered any doubts I might’ve had. I kissed her once more, quick and possessive before I rested my forehead against hers. “Just so we’re clear. Operation: Woo-ing is just getting started.”