Chapter 50
—Kasey—
The restaurant was exquisite and lavish—everything expected at a restaurant proudly displaying its Michelin stars at the entrance. Reed and I sipped fancy cocktails while deciding on two entres each, then sipped expensive wine while savoring the tiny portions of lobster, scallop, caviar, and venison. I’d never been somewhere so extravagant but didn’t feel out of place in my sleek gown with plunging neckline.
I caught Reed glancing at my cleavage again as I washed my last bite down with another sip of wine. I smirked and gently lowered the flute. “I didn’t realize they’d be so distracting.”
He chuckled. “Lies.”
“You’re right.” I laughed quietly. “I totally did. And that’s why I called Mom upstairs. I needed her to tape me in so the girls wouldn’t cause a scene. They’re not going anywhere now,” I whispered, shaking my tatas from side to side, making Reed’s brows shoot high.
He hastily glanced around the tables, then leaned across the table. “No titty shaking during entres.”
I tucked my chin back. “Why?”
“Because I can’t bury my face between them in the middle of a goddamn Michelin-star restaurant, Kasey,” he hissed through gritted teeth.
A stupendously girly giggle slid out before I could stop it. There was something about the forceful way he used my full name that got me fired up.
I arched a brow. “What about on the way to main course?”
“Darlin’... down that glass, then stand up and walk your ass to the door,” Reed growled.
“What!”
His grin turned devilish. “The car is waiting.”
While he pulled out his wallet and counted out a few large bills, I drank the rest of my wine like we were at the pub on a rowdy Friday night, outing myself as someone who didn’t belong in a place like this. I stood as Reed tucked the bills neatly under the cutlery, then tossed back the rest of his drink. His hand met the small of my back, immediately warming my skin through the thin fabric.
Our waiter hastily approached, looking concerned over our unexpected departure. “Sir, ma’am, is something unsatisfactory with your meal?”
Reed set his hand on the guy’s shoulder. “It was absolutely perfect, thank you.”
The waiter’s brows drew low in confusion. “Don’t you want to continue dining?”
I felt bad for the guy until Reed assured him that he wouldn’t be short of tips because of our short stay. The sum on the table more than covered it.
“And please give our table to someone who’s lined at the door,” Reed added as we resumed our departure.
To my surprise, our car waited for us at the curb where we’d left it. Tomos opened the door wide, and I slid in with Reed directly behind me.
Reed leaned forward as he buckled. “Anywhere that you recommend for street food, Tomos?”
The guy shook his head. “You’ve just been to one of the best restaurants in town, nothing can compare to that.”
“We’re gunning for something different now. Authentic. Doesn’t matter what,” Reed stated while eyeing me like I was his next meal.
The car eased from the curb, and Reed pulled me into the middle seat. His hand immediately cupped my breasts as he whispered into my ear.
“You’re the sweetest temptation, darlin’.”
I smiled and tilted my head, allowing him easier access to my neck where he peppered seductive kisses that had my thighs squeezing together. His fingers teased my cleavage, finding it stuck down just as I’d told him.
He laughed, low and throaty. “You weren’t kidding about the tape, eh?”
“Tape’s a girl’s necessity for a dress like this. The risk of wardrobe malfunction is far too high without it.”
He hummed and gave my breasts an appreciative once-over, then glanced up as the car rolled to a stop.
Tomos twisted in his seat. “Best food trucks in town on a Friday and Saturday night. I highly recommend the samosas.”
Reed clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
I slid from the car after Tomos opened the door for me and immediately felt conspicuous in my evening gown on the arm of a man in an impeccable suit.
Reed checked the street, then walked me across to a paved, wide alleyway, lit and bustling with food trucks and patrons.
“Let me know what you want,” he said as we strolled down the center of the alley.
We both spotted the samosa truck at the same time.
I pointed. “There they are!”
Reed laughed. “Want one?”
“God yes.”
He pulled out a chair for me at the table between this truck and the next, then made the order. His smile and conversation came easy with the man and woman inside the food truck while they cooked the samosas. I found myself studying his effortless charm, then bit my lip when he casually unbuttoned his suit jacket and tucked both hands into the front pockets of his dress pants. Simone told me I’d loved him in his uniform but call me converted to a man in a suit.
As if sensing me looking, Reed twisted my way and hit me with a dazzling grin. He was in my space three strides later and pressing his lips to mine.
Dark eyes, almost blackened by the night, connected with mine. “You warm enough, darlin’?”
I smiled. “I am. Are you?”
He dragged his lower lip out from between his teeth, and I wanted him to do it again.
His mouth met mine in a fleeting yet hard kiss. “I am now,” he murmured.
“Order up,” was yelled in the background, sending Reed whirling and conversing with our chefs as if we hadn’t just been caught in an intimate moment.
I positioned myself better at the table and tucked my dress around my ankles, ready for when Reed returned and held up two triangular samosas in triumph.
“Freshly made. Careful, babe, they’re hot as fuck.”
“Yay, thank you.”
I nibbled at one corner, then blew on the hot contents through the small hole. Reed, however, forged forth with taking a massive bite, realized it was too hot, then tried to breathe around the burning mouthful.
Grimacing, I watched him struggle until an unchecked laugh escaped. Reed’s eyes flicked to meet mine.
“Fuckin’ hot,” he puffed.
“Want me to get you a drink?”
He shook his head and managed to swallow. “Christ—it’s down.”
I laughed while blowing on mine again. “You gotta blow on these things.”
“Mm, like pizza. Cheese burns the balls off a blowfly too.”
“Or skin off the roof of your mouth.” A sudden thought came. “When it peels, do you play with it with your tongue?”
Reed’s face scrunched. “That’s gross.”
“I take it you’ve never, then?”
He laughed. “No, I’ve never ate my own mouth skin.”
Snickering, I shook my head while smiling happily. Our relaxed conversation put me completely at ease—no doubt helped by the two drinks I’d consumed. I loved the restaurant, but it was nice to hang out in a less formal environment. Despite being among the constant hustle and bustle, sitting with him at the tiny steel table on uncomfortable chairs, blowing on lava-hot samosas, felt more intimate than ever. Reed seemed to feel the same, and he reached across the table to take my hand.
“This is nice, babe. Thank you.”
“For what?”
He smiled. “For being honest earlier. I’m enjoying tonight with you so far.”
“Same.” I picked at my samosa and ate the tiny bits that flaked off. “So, how do you envision tonight ending?” I asked, probing for both information and instigating some flirty talk.
Reed laughed around another mouthful. “With us getting naked,” he replied, straight up and without embarrassment.
I arched an eyebrow, ignoring anyone close who might feel compelled to eavesdrop. “Sounds like fun.”
He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “Remember what we did the other weekend?”
“Yeah,” I said on a breathy exhale.
“It’s gonna be like that. Wild.”
My tongue dried, and my pulse spiked. The memory of what we did on his living room floor flooded back and took the air straight from my lungs.
I urged myself to play it cool despite arousal igniting. The only outward tell that his words had the desired effect was my thighs squeezing together.
I smirked over my samosa. “You don’t know the meaning of wild.”
His boyish grin widened, and he winked, oozing charm like every small-town boy knew how. “When it comes to you, Kase, I know exactly the meaning of wild.”
“Uh huh.”
“Mm yeah, uh huh,” he mumbled around another mouthful, making me snicker.
After managing to take a bite myself, I started, “So, tell me something…”
“Anything, babe.”
“You’ve shown me around Gatlin Falls, your family has welcomed me into their lives—again—you’ve told me about our plans to live together, but what was I planning to do when I actually did move up?” There was no way I would sit around and play house all day.
Reed hummed and angled in, giving me his undivided attention. “You got a job at the medical laboratory and diagnostic clinic in town.”
I stopped chewing, taken aback in surprise. “I did? I mean, I have a job there?”
Regret crossed over his face. “You did. When you had your accident and returned to Denver, I contacted them and updated them on the situation. They promised to keep the position open for you for a few months while things settled, though I haven’t heard from them recently…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged, but his eyes held pain. “I didn’t want you to have that added pressure. There’s been so much uncertainty that I thought it would be too much to tell you before now. When, or if, you come back to the Falls, I need that decision to be based on what you wholeheartedly want to do, not what you feel obligated to do.”
I couldn’t fault his logic. He was right. If he had told me soon after the accident, he may as well have taken a barge pole and driven it between us.
I looked him over with renewed adoration and smiled. “Thank you for telling me, and for not telling me.”
“I’ve hated that I kept it from you until now.”
“I understand why you did.”
Reed shifted in his seat. “Call me optimistic, or just purely delusional, but I’m still holding out hope that we’ll find our way back onto our path.” His dark eyes searched mine as if seeking confirmation.
The weight of a thousand wishes hung around us. I sorted through them as best I could while trying not to overthink our situation.
We ate the rest of our samosas, quiet with our thoughts for a minute.
“Are you still hungry?” I asked, searching for lighter topics.
Reed smirked devilishly and wiped his hands on a napkin. “Always. What about you?”
I popped the last piece of samosa into my mouth and spoke from behind my hand. “Dessert, Reed.”
He shrugged. “Either way I’m hungry. Oh—” His posture changed when we both heard his phone ping. He leaned to the side to extract it from his pants pocket, then let out a laugh that lit the night. “Look at this!”
He showed me the picture Mom just sent him. It made my heart burst and brought a wash of unexpected emotion to my eyes to see my parents posing with Posie—them grinning widely while holding their granddaughter between them, and her gorgeous dark, round eyes focused directly on their selfie image.
I stared, choked up a little, then shrank into myself while I adjusted to the invisible squeeze in my chest. Mom and Dad looked so happy. So young-spirited and in love with her. The realization of how pivotal Posie’s unexpected arrival was hit home all at once. I knew my parents adored her, but seeing that selfie really punched that comprehension home. With it came a wash of sadness. I’d already missed out on so much of our daughter’s life and it had me questioning me leaving her behind when I returned to Denver.
Reed shifted closer, setting his warm hand on my thigh. “Babe. I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought it was the sweetest moment…”
Sniffing and blinking away the sheen of moisture, I looked up at him. “It is. It’s... I can’t explain it.”
He bobbed down in front of me, suit pants straining to accommodate his muscular thighs, and rubbed his hands over my hips. I continued to blink and pull myself together as he then flicked rogue tears from my lower lash line with his thumb.
“Good or bad?” he asked, searching my face with concern etched throughout his expression.
“Good,” I whispered. “Really good. They’re so happy. Every time they talk about Posie, they completely light up. I already knew this, but that picture hit home unexpectedly hard.”
His entire stance relaxed with relief, and he cleared his throat. “The best photos do, babe. It’s the unexpected moments that have the greatest impact.”
That photo summed up everything I couldn’t put into words: the power of a grandparent’s unconditional love and emphasized the happiness a child—planned or otherwise—could bring to a family. Even when life held uncertainty and fear, the smallest and newest soul on Earth had a way of lighting the darkest of paths.
Looking into Reed’s now relaxed face, my heart stuttered all over again. A little harder and with more certainty than last time.
He tugged me to my feet and secured me in his arms. The heightened cadence of his heartbeat thudded under my ear. As his warmth blanketed me from the cool night air, I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the sound, getting lost in the pull toward home. Toward him.
“Wanna see my favorite picture of us, darlin’?”
My eyes opened but the magical spell of his embrace didn’t wane. “Yes, please.”
One arm disappeared while the other kept me anchored close. Reed unlocked his phone one-handed, then showed me the photo that shifted the world under my feet.
It was a selfie of us. Reed’s eyes were almost closed, and he had the widest smile on his face, and I had my head tilted back, obviously laughing hard. The image captured a part of us I couldn’t remember, yet it seemed so familiar, as if I could conjure the memory from the image alone.
I let out a snicker. “Oh my god, what were we laughing at?”
Reed chuckled heartily. “We were walking down by the lake and stopped to take this photo. A second before I took it, a jogger passed and tripped on the uneven ground, then let out a wicked loud fart that shocked the fuck out of the three of us. Damn near knocked him off his feet. The look on his face though—” Reed cut off and laughed one of those laughs he couldn’t control. It kickstarted my own giggle as he tried to pull himself together.
“—Funniest shit ever, babe. We laughed so hard and for so long afterward. That’s why I love this photo as much as I love you. It’s filled with happiness from a single unexpected moment and always makes me smile like a fool whenever I see it.”
Well damn. My heart definitely stood on uneven ground—it stumbled for the second time in as many minutes.