Chapter 6
LILY
“You can’t actually be serious. Do you know what that man is capable of?”
Lily’s steps faltered as she passed her father’s study. The door was only open a crack. It wasn’t likely that her father even knew of his mistake. The conversation he was having wasn’t meant for her ears.
And yet she couldn’t bring herself to walk away.
“He’s going to ruin us,” her father roared.
Lily winced, then pressed her back against the wall and turned her head so she could hear whoever it was her father was speaking to.
This couldn’t be about Christopher, could it?
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rose said from inside the study. “Why would he show any interest in her if he wasn’t actually infatuated? This could work in our favor.”
“Work in our favor? Do you hear yourself? He’s a Meyer.”
Lily’s eyes widened.
One of her sisters was interested in a Meyer?
That was unheard of. They all knew what would happen if they acted on that kind of interest. She inched closer to the crack in the door, holding her breath so she wouldn’t be caught.
“Penny has a good head on her shoulders,” Rose said, sounding almost too calm.
“She wouldn’t just up and go for a guy who was going to bring harm to our family.
Besides, it’s not like she’s chasing after the worst one.
I’d hardly say Royce Meyers is the kind of man who would date a girl just to infiltrate their family. ”
Lily snorted under her breath.
She didn’t think anyone in that household would waste the energy trying to do something like that, and she had a strong feeling most of her sisters agreed.
“Now, Lincoln, on the other hand…” Rose mused. “I could totally see him doing something just to make you mad.”
“I don’t like it,” her father insisted. “Whatever this relationship of theirs is, it won’t last. You saw the way she looked at us when we stopped by this morning.”
Rose was quiet for a long moment. Too quiet. Lily half-wondered if her sister had picked up on the fact that they were being spied on.
That sent Lily’s heart into overdrive. She pushed away from the wall and hurried down the hall as quietly as possible. Her father was a strict man. There was no way he’d be happy with her eavesdropping on a private conversation.
She made it to the front door and swung it open, only to come face-to-face with Emerson.
He had his hand lifted, as if he’d been preparing to open the door. His usual effortless, put-together look seemed off today. Instead of adorably mussed, he looked bedraggled.
Did this have to do with Penny? Maybe everything she and Jasmine had guessed was right. Maybe he was heartbroken.
Lily reached out and patted his shoulder. Emerson stiffened. His eyes drifted to her hand, then back to her face.
She smiled sweetly. “Hey, Emerson.”
“Hey, Lils.” He glanced over her shoulder toward the house. “What’s up?”
She tilted her head, and her smile broadened. “It’s going to be okay.”
“What…?”
“You never know. The girl you’re meant to be with is probably right under your nose. Don’t give up. Just keep looking for her.”
Then she slipped past him.
She could feel him staring after her, but she didn’t want to have to explain why she was aware of his disappointment. That would only verify how much of a gossip she and her twin had become.
Besides, she had more exciting plans for today.
She was going to hang out with Christopher.
After their date the other night, she couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. He’d mentioned how much he liked visiting the city and he’d asked if she liked it as well.
It was a little far, and honestly, she didn’t have much of an opinion on the matter. But as long as she was with him, she didn’t care where they were.
She pulled out her phone and opened the last text message he’d sent.
Christopher: Meet me at the main road.
Lily smiled, then paused.
When he’d brought her home after their first date, he’d made sure to drop her off at the house. But today, he’d said it would be easier if she met him at the edge of the property. Besides that, he didn’t want people to see him.
Competing in the local rodeos had put him in enough of a spotlight, and he didn’t want the added attention. She could understand his reasoning.
Mostly.
Still, there was a tiny part of her that wondered why she was the one walking to the road instead of him driving up to the house like he had before. Maybe she was overthinking it. It wasn’t as if she was ready for her father and sisters to descend on Christopher after only two dates, either.
Lily glanced over her shoulder toward the house and sent Jasmine a message informing her that she’d be going out for the afternoon and not to worry. Intentionally vague, so she wouldn’t have to give extra details.
Her message was left as read.
Good. Jasmine had seen it.
Even better, she didn’t feel the need to interrogate Lily about it.
The truck was waiting for Lily when she arrived at their prearranged meeting spot. She grinned at Christopher, who smiled right back. Then he winked, and that sent off a stampede of flutters in her chest.
Christopher started his truck, and they were off.
It was too quiet in the cab.
The radio played softly, but it didn’t do much to cover the silence stretching between them, and Lily started to get antsy. She wasn’t sure Christopher had noticed until he turned the volume all the way down and cut her an encouraging look.
“Tell me something about yourself.”
Lily fiddled with her hands in her lap. “I’ve never dated someone famous before.”
He scoffed. “I’m hardly famous.”
“You’re famous enough that you didn’t want to take me on a date in town.”
Christopher flinched.
Immediately, Lily wanted to apologize. She wanted to assure him she hadn’t meant anything by it. But before she had the chance, he tried again.
“What I mean is something personal about you. Your family. What you want to do with your life. That sort of thing.”
She cocked her head at his question. “Didn’t you already ask me about myself last time we were together?”
He kept his eyes on the road, and for a moment, she wondered if he was going to ignore her statement.
She could ask him about his family. About what made him interested in competing in the rodeo. She wanted to know about his other work, because she knew all too well that his rodeo gig wouldn’t pay the bills, even if he was good at it.
Learning about him was something she couldn’t wait to do.
But the longer the quiet stretched, the more concerned she became. What was he thinking about? There was a furrow between his brows. He was definitely worried.
Or perhaps upset.
Was it because she’d deflected? Did he not trust her?
Then he flicked her his charming grin, and her mind settled.
Warmth spread through her when his eyes landed on her like that. Then his low voice brought another wave of flutters with it.
“Angel, I don’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing you tell me about yourself.”
She couldn’t tell if it was the way he said those words or if it was the timbre of his voice that made her feel this way.
Heck, it might be the pet name he’d already given her, even though they had only just started seeing each other.
Either way, he affected her differently than anyone else she’d ever been attracted to.
“What do you want to know?”
Christopher tilted his head. “How about your siblings? Or maybe we toy with trickier information, and you can tell me about your exes.”
Lily wrinkled her nose.
It wasn’t the fact that he wanted to know about hers. She simply didn’t want to know how many he had. The thought made something tight and unpleasant creep into her chest.
Jealousy.
That was what it was, wasn’t it? And she didn’t like it one bit. He chuckled, and she whipped her focus to him.
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” he said.
She shook her head. “It’s not that. I’ve told you I’m a little particular, right? I have a hard time forgiving people. I hold grudges. It’s not something I’m proud of, which is why I try to make sure people are aware right away.”
She nibbled on her lip—a habit that was getting a little out of hand.
The tension in the cab shifted. Even if some of it was in her head, Lily could see how much her words affected Christopher. His jaw tightened, and for a second, his expression went serious in a way that made her wish she could read him better.
He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand.
“Turns out I’ve got more flaws than I realized.” She made a face, feeling a blush slip beneath her skin. “Just the thought of the other girls you might have dated made me jealous. I’m a little sick to my stomach, if I’m honest.”
There. She’d said it.
The confession that would probably ensure he didn’t want to see her again.
They weren’t close enough for this. He was going to tell her she was too attached and he wouldn’t be seeing her again.
But he didn’t.
His hand moved toward her, then paused for half a second before resting gently over hers where it sat on her knee. The hesitation made something in her chest soften.
He wasn’t grabbing for her or trying to silence her.
Still, it was nearly impossible to read his expression, and that seemed to make everything worse.
Her blush.
Her disappointment.
Her hope that this infatuation wasn’t fleeting.
The furrow between his brows remained, and his jaw was tight. But there was something in his eyes that held her still. She wished she knew how he did it—managed to settle her with one look.
“I’m not going to lie, Lily,” he said quietly. “I’ve dated before. A lot.”
She flinched.
This was it. If he wasn’t going to break things off with her before they’d even gotten started, she might have to walk away so she didn’t feel this gut-twisting reality whenever she was with him.
“But none of that felt like this.”
Her eyes widened.
Christopher glanced back to the road. They’d come to a stoplight at some point and were still waiting. His thumb brushed once over the back of her hand, then went still. “I’ve never been interested in a second date before.”
His confession rocked her. “What?” she whispered. “But we’re on…”
“We are,” he confirmed. “And I still can’t get enough.” He released a quiet, almost disbelieving laugh. “That’s why I want you to tell me more. I want to know you even better.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Because suddenly those other girls he’d dated meant very little. They were all temporary. His past was still his past, and she didn’t love the ache that came with knowing he’d been casual with his heart.
But he wasn’t teasing her for caring. He wasn’t running after hearing her thoughts.
She’d told him the other night about her inability to offer second chances and her black-and-white view on respect. If that confession hadn’t scared him off then, and this conversation wasn’t scaring him off now, then perhaps he was willing to see the real her.
Christopher pulled his hand back and returned it to the steering wheel. “Well? Are you going to tell me more things about you?”
She laughed, offering him a shy smile. “Would it make you mad to know that my ex is sort of one of my best friends?”
He cut her a look, but there wasn’t an ounce of surprise in it. Not exactly.
“That’s… not common.”
Lily sighed, leaning back in her seat. “No, it really isn’t.
But honestly? I think we were always meant to be friends.
We connect in a way that is just…” She blew out a breath, and a smile returned to her lips.
“It’s comfortable, you know? Reese is my rock in a way I didn’t realize I needed.
But I don’t think we would have ever been able to make it work otherwise. ”
“Why’s that?” This time, Christopher’s voice sounded almost strained.
She glanced at him again, hoping he heard the sincerity in her voice. “Because he doesn’t give me butterflies. His smile doesn’t make the world seem brighter. And his laugh doesn’t chase away the clouds.”
Lily blushed.
She wasn’t great at prose. Thankfully, Christopher didn’t seem to mind as he cut her one of his boyish smiles.
“Yeah?” he asked. “And who does that for you?”
Smirking, she crossed her arms. “I’m not going to answer that.”
His smile deepened, and she had to look away before she forgot what she’d been saying.
“But I will say I don’t think I’ll be capable of cutting Reese out of my life. I know that makes me sound like a hypocrite after everything I just said, but—”
Christopher’s hand moved toward hers again, more slowly this time. He waited until she looked at him before giving her fingers a brief, reassuring squeeze.
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to change your life for me,” he said. “Especially not when I like the way you are already.”
Her relief was the sweetest thing she’d ever tasted.
He wasn’t making demands. He was offering trust, and it made her want to do the same.
Maybe someone else would have reacted differently.
Maybe another man would have been threatened by Reese or annoyed that she still cared about her ex as a friend.
But Christopher gave her room to be honest.
And for now, that felt like a gift.