Chapter 13
13
The theater was nothing like Ayla had expected.
She had never been to a private screening of a movie before. But this was a really fancy place, located next door to the Barratt—Finley Creek Resort. This place—the old Barratt Theater in downtown Finley Creek—had lots of charm. There were red curtains and gold cords and big plushy chairs. It seemed so 1920s. It was wonderful. She was going to have to bring Aubrey here sometime.
There were other people there she recognized, like Aubrey’s boss and his wife and their five kids. She waved at Dalton—he liked to come with his dad’s Uncle Henry to story time while his older brother and sister were in school, and his baby sisters were at the hospital daycare with their mom. He really liked Wonkus McBubbles ; Dalton had told her before. She would make sure he got an invitation to the Wonkus release party.
Ayla turned in her seat, as her beautiful date for the evening returned—goodies in hand. Candy—he had a real sweet tooth, this man.
“You really don’t seem like a movie date kind of guy,” she said, leaning back. This was a really, really comfy chair. She waved at a woman she recognized from PT quickly—Jo-Jo wasn’t all that steady on her own crutches tonight. They could take some getting used to; Jo-Jo had been in a wheelchair last time they’d crossed paths.
“I don’t?”
She smirked. “No. You seem like the sit-in-the-backyard-and-contemplate-the-universe type.”
Just like they had together before. All curled up, his arm around her. She’d drifted off a little. It had felt… perfect. Utterly perfect. Hard to forget that.
“That’s accurate.” He stretched his legs out, shifting so his knee brushed lightly against hers. “But I like to surprise people.”
“Consider me shocked.”
The theater lights dimmed before he could respond, and the TBFN logo flickered onto the screen. Ayla adjusted in her seat, tucking one foot beneath her knee as the opening scene unfolded.
And just like that, she was in .
The movie was exactly the kind she loved—fast-paced, sharp dialogue, a heroine who wasn’t afraid to take charge. A mother-and-daughter adventure that didn’t rely on cheap tricks or forced sentimentality, but the special effects—not to mention the incredibly hot actors Hunter Luis Clark and Quade Davis—Prince Rufus and Wonkus McBubbles themselves, of course—made it the perfect movie. Probably her favorite now… considering tonight was the first real date of her life.
Every once in a while, she’d hear him laugh. He had a good laugh. It was distracting in a way it shouldn’t have been.
Halfway through, she felt him shift slightly beside her, his knee pressing more firmly against hers. Not on purpose—at least, she didn’t think so—but she didn’t move away.
Didn’t want to move away.
The realization hit out of nowhere. When his arm went around her so easily—much like Dr. Alvaro was snuggling his wife three rows ahead of them, actually—she felt… like this was the most perfect place for her in the entire world.
Oh. That was… a scary thought. A really scary thought.
She just looked at him as the movie continued.
“Something on my face?” he asked, quietly.
“No,” she said, turning back to the movie a little too fast. “Nothing. Just… thinking. I’ll tell you later.”
She had a lot to think about. A lot.
She was still thinking about it when they were walking to the parking lot.
She pulled her sweater tighter around her, her crutch tapping lightly against the pavement. “That was so good.”
Gunn unlocked the truck and leaned against the door. “Better than expected?”
“A hundred percent. That mother-daughter thing for the side characters? The way it wasn’t all forced drama but still emotional? I might’ve teared up at that final scene, but you’ll never prove it.”
“I won’t tell a soul.”
“You’d better not. I have a reputation to maintain.”
He opened the passenger door, and helped her in. It was a lot higher off the ground than Aubrey’s SUV. She probably could make it in herself, but… well… they both knew the truth: he liked getting his hands on her.
He had said so himself, after all.
And she liked getting them on her. Was it okay to think that, considering the man’s profession?
When she settled, he rested his forearm on the edge of the doorframe and met her gaze.
“I like seeing you like this.”
Her breath caught. “Like what?”
“Happy.”
The single word settled into her bones, deep and unshakable.
She swallowed. “It’s the cookies from after the movie. Sugar high.”
His eyes warmed with amusement. “Of course.”
Her fingers curled around the fabric of her sweater as she forced herself to exhale.
She was so falling for Gunn Hiller.
And there wasn’t a single thing she could do about it.