Chapter fifteen Dallas #3
“Well, I was born here, along with all four of my siblings. Dad served in the Marines until I was four, and we stayed here even after his honorable discharge. My parents lived in the same house my entire life, though Penn and I have done some updates to it in the past five years. Mom was a teacher at the elementary school for thirty years. She retired two years ago, but still likes to volunteer there every once in a while. Our life was always here, and I guess the four of us never saw a reason to leave.” I look out over the water.
“There’s a comfort in knowing you have somewhere in the world that grounds you, a place that’s familiar and feels like its own little world separate from everything else.
I remember hearing about things that would happen in big cities, crime or fights between people, and I’d think, those things would never happen in Carrington Cove.
I had the kind of childhood you’d see in old movies.
Hell, Penn and I would ride our bikes all over town when we were young and only had to come home when the streetlights came on.
Everyone helps one another, and everyone knows you by name, which was both a blessing and a curse, especially when I was up to no good as a kid. ”
“You? A troublemaker?” she teases.
“Only as a teen. My dad and I butted heads a lot, so I did some shit I’m not super proud of.”
“Like what?”
Sighing, I tilt my head at her. “Drink underage, sneak out to parties, and I stole my dad’s car once.”
“Yikes. Now I’m not so sure I should be hanging out with a guy like you.”
I pinch her waist again. “Hey, I cleaned my act up, and I have the Marines to thank for that.”
“Why did you join?” she asks, growing serious again. “I mean, I can’t imagine what a sacrifice that was, but I’m also curious why you made that decision.”
There’s an underlying tone to her voice that has me wondering if there’s another reason she’s asking.
“Honestly, I think it went back to September eleventh. I was only twelve when it happened, but the tone of the world after that day is one I won’t soon forget, nor the way my father reacted.
He’d been out of the service for years, but he was devastated, wanted to reenlist but my mother begged him not to. ”
“Why not?” she asks, trepidation in her voice.
“Because his time overseas messed him up pretty bad. My siblings and I all knew it, but he and mom never talked about it. Hazel probably remembers that time less since she’s nine years younger than me, but it became a big issue between him and me the older that I got.
I wanted to serve, and he didn’t support that idea. ”
Willow stares down at her hands, fiddling with the hem of her dress. “I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. However, you can probably gather that my dad didn’t want me to follow in his footsteps because of it, and I didn’t listen.” I understand his concern, but I still don’t understand why my father couldn’t be proud of his son wanting to serve his country like he did.
“He loved the Marines, though. I mean, I was there at the veterans’ dinner. I heard the way people spoke about him.”
Talking about my dad is the last thing I wanted to do on our date, but I also don’t want to shut down our conversation.
“Haven’t you ever heard someone talk about your parents, and you’ve thought, that’s not how they are when no one’s watching?”
Willow’s face falls and she grows silent.
Fuck. Did I say something wrong?
“Willow?”
“My parents died when I was two, Dallas, so I never really knew them.”
Her admission makes me freeze. “Fuck.” I reach out to her, pulling her into my chest and she lets me. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she mumbles against my chest.
“I know, but…”
She pushes off me way too soon, smoothing her hair from her face. “It’s fine. In fact, I think we should change the subject because the night just got way too depressing.”
I huff out a laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, but at the same time, I feel like I just got to know you on a level you don’t allow many people to. Am I right?”
Her brown eyes lock onto mine. “Yeah, you are.”
I take her hand and place it over my wildly beating heart. “Then I’m honored.”
Fuck. What is this woman doing to me?
“You should be,” she fires back, making me laugh.
How is that one moment our conversation can be so heavy, and the next, I can’t hold back my smile? How can the desire to lift those burdens from her shoulders overwhelm me so soon after meeting her?
I don’t know her—not deeply, at least. But at the same time, I feel like I do, like she’s meant to fucking be here.
It’s a magnetic force that I can’t explain, but one I’m listening to nonetheless.
“You know what would make me even more honored tonight?” I squeeze her hand that is still on my chest.
“What’s that?”
“You being my plus-one on the Ferris wheel.”
Willow peers up at the metal structure towering over the pier behind us, a centerpiece that catches your eye instantly. “You want me to go on that thing?”
“Yup. Believe me, the view from the top is worth the trip here as well.”
Her head drops down as her eyes meet mine. “Uh, I’m not getting on that, Dallas.”
I grab her by the hand and pull her toward the back of the line that’s already forming. When the sun sets in the distance, people gravitate toward the ride to catch the spectacular view. If we don’t get in line now, we won’t make it on in time to see the sky light up in yellows, oranges, and pinks.
“Yes, you are, Goose.”
“No, please.” She resists my pull, but when we find our place in line, I spin her into my chest, so her back hits my front.
“Don’t tell me that the badass businesswoman is afraid of heights?”
“That’s exactly what I’m about to tell you.” I can feel her shaking in my arms.
Leaning down so my mouth lines up with her ear, I whisper, “You don’t have to be afraid, Willow.” She lets out a breath. “I’ve got you and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
I’ve uttered those words a few times in my life, but saying them to her does something to my heart.
It makes me want to uphold that promise in a different way.
I’m not trying to save her life.
No. I’m trying to get her to see a life that she could live if she stayed—and somehow, the stakes seem higher because a different part of my heart is on the line this time.
“Okay,” she whispers back, and that’s good enough for me.
When we get to the front of the line, I help her into our seat and secure the safety bar across our laps.
“I cannot believe you got me on this thing,” she mutters.
I drag her closer to me, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “Trust me. It will be worth it.”
The seat jolts and we begin to propel up into the sky.
“Oh my God! This is how I’m going to die, isn’t it?” Her knuckles turn white as she grips the lap bar. It never fails to amaze me how strong this woman appears on the outside, but how human she truly is.
And I’m honored that she allows me to see that.
I glance over at Willow, chuckling until I notice that her eyes are closed. “Don’t shut your eyes, Goose. You’ll miss the view.”
When her eyes pop open, the gasp that leaves her lips is everything I wanted from her in this moment. “Oh my God, Dallas.”
“This is how Carrington Cove is meant to be seen.”
Down the coast in front of us, lights start to pop on, illuminating the town in orbs of bright white and yellow.
The sun has cast the sky in a hue of pink that grows to dark blue above us as the sun dips below the horizon, letting night take over.
But our town still stands out against the backdrop, like a photograph you might see in a magazine.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life.”
“And you won’t see anything else that will ever compare.”
I’ve seen this view many times before, but with this woman by my side, it feels different. Monumental.
Purposeful.
After a few moments of silence, she turns to me, her eyes meeting mine. “Thank you for tonight, Dallas.”
“Thank you for trusting me to come up here.”
Our seat jolts to a stop, swinging slightly as another couple gets off below, leaving us frozen in time at the top of the ride.
“Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’m here in the first place.” Willow stares back at the view.
“All because of a house, huh?”
Her head dips down. “Yeah.”
“Are you happy with the progress so far?” I ask, trying to distract her, but also curious about where her head is at.
“I am. Penn has done a great job. I know you didn’t look around the other night, but it’s such a stark difference from what was in there before. He wants to start on the floors next week.”
“Sounds like things are moving along then.” I gently trace her bare shoulder with my fingers.
“They are. I think he’ll be done in about a month.” Her phone buzzes in her purse, interrupting our conversation.
And it’s probably a good thing because the thought of her leaving is making me tense all over again.
A month? Things are definitely moving quicker than Penn thought they would.
She silences the call and slips her phone back in her bag. “Sorry.”
“No worries. You can answer that if you need to.” I drop my eyes to her lap.
“No. I don’t want to ruin this moment.” She looks back up at me.
Reaching out to cup her face with my other hand, I say, “I don’t think anything could.” I lean in, waiting for her to meet me halfway, and she does. Her lips touch mine just as the ride jolts back into motion, but our mouths don’t part.
Willow dives into the kiss just as much as I do, gently moving her lips over mine, teasing me with her tongue as the Ferris wheel continues to spin.
I pull her closer to me, lunging deeper into her mouth, burying my hands in her hair like I envisioned doing the second I saw her tonight, showing her that what’s happening between us is just as thrilling as the view we shared.
When we part, we’re both breathing heavily, resting our foreheads on each other’s.
“God, why do you have to be so good at that?” she mumbles.