Chapter Twenty-Five
Edward had picked her up for their third date at approximately two in the afternoon.
Sliding into the passenger side of his Audi, she’d gaped at the smooth, black-lined interior and leather seats.
They were driving out to Surrey, where he had something planned, giving nothing away other than saying to ‘dress comfortably’.
On the way, they’d driven down motorways and were now passing through quaint villages, the crisp smell of British country air filtering through the cracked window and filling her lungs with the earthy scent of home.
Olivia looked over to Edward, who clasped the steering wheel at a perfect ten and two position, his eyes never straying from the winding road ahead of them.
“So, where are we going?” Olivia broke the silence.
Edward grinned as he rounded another sharp country bend, thick bushes on either side of the one-way road. “It’s a surprise. Just enjoy the ride.”
When he’d picked her up from her apartment, he’d offered her a single rose, and asked, “Do you trust me?”
A bit apprehensive, and despite the thought I don’t trust you, but I trust Theo, she had accepted the rose and smiled into the red petals all the way down to his car. Now they had been driving for a solid forty minutes, out of the city and into the grass-laden Surrey countryside.
“Are you driving us out to the country to murder me? If so, I’ve told multiple people I’m with you.
” Olivia had told a total of three people: Danielle, John and Hannah.
All of whom told her to keep her location settings on, and phone fully charged.
Only one of which she had done, her phone being at a mere thirty per cent charged by the time he had rung the doorbell of her building.
Letting out a booming laugh, Edward’s eyes turned to her before focusing back on the winding roads ahead. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to murder you. My only aim is to impress you, hopefully.”
“Ah, so you’re trying to impress me?” Olivia bit her lip to stop the smile from taking over her whole face.
“Of course. It’s our third date, the third of what I hope will be many more.” His eyes flicked to hers again for a fleeting moment before reluctantly drifting back to the road.
Heat bloomed in her sun-warmed cheeks, and she turned to glance out of the window once more.
Another thirty-five minutes later, Edward signalled right and pulled into a gravel drive.
Hopping out of the car, he ran a short twenty feet to undo the latch on a large metal gate before pushing it open and running back to the car.
They continued down the drive before pulling into a tall, grassed paddock.
The afternoon sun was beginning to set, golden hour taking over in full force as they parked up in the middle of a vast field surrounded by lush greenery.
Olivia stepped out of the car, her eyes widening with amazement as she took in the sight before her.
A hundred yards in front of her, an old pickup truck was parked; dozens of roses in various pots circled the truck.
Along with multiple fluffy pillows and thick duvets.
The truck bed was filled to the brim with thousands of vibrant roses.
The sweet scent of flowers filled the air, and the colourful petals created a stunning contrast to the green backdrop.
Edward had created a rose garden oasis in the back of a truck, in the middle of the lush green fields and rolling hills of the British countryside. It all felt too romantic.
Edward took her hand and led her towards the truck through long blades of grass. Beside the truck was a big pile of blankets and plastic candles, glowing softly in the daylight. Olivia gazed at the display with a hint of confusion. “Edward, this is… I mean, it’s beautiful.”
“Do you like it? I wanted to do something special for you, and I remember you saying that roses were your favourite flower.” His smile was too bright for Olivia to admit he was implicitly wrong.
Roses were her least favourite flower. Despite this small detail he had attempted and failed to take note of, Olivia was still touched by the gesture and took comfort in knowing that he’d gone out of his way to set up such an elaborate and thoughtful third date. One she felt was not warranted at all.
Jumping up onto the truck bed, Edward reached down and offered a hand to Olivia. “Milady?” he said, grinning at her as she placed her hand in his. Olivia let out a small and embarrassed giggle as he pulled her up, before she settled on the blankets and pillows.
“So, tell me about your writing,” Edward asked, leaning over and pulling a bottle of wine from a cooler tucked behind the decor.
Olivia watched as he retrieved the wine, as well as some cheese and crackers from behind a plush fluffy pillow. “Where did you…?”
“I had one of the villagers drop it off while we stopped at the petrol station.” He popped the cork off the bottle.
Olivia’s spirits lifted at the promise of wine. He was interested in her writing, and that was one of the things she found most attractive in men. “Well,” she huffed slightly, accepting a small plastic cup of wine from his awaiting hand. “I’ve been working on a novel recently…”
Edward’s prolonged gaze made her feel unsettled, unlike the comfort of Theo’s warm brown orbs.
Instead, the sun reflected in Edward’s blue eyes so piercingly that she felt herself falter in speech.
He was listening so intently, his eyes transfixed on hers, as if he were sucking up every word she said like a vampire feasting on blood.
Talking about her novel seemed almost holy, and for some reason she felt reluctant to share the same details she had with Theo months ago.
Looking away from his heavy eyes, she instead scanned the sea of red roses surrounding them. “It’s a romance novel about an independent woman who learns how to let love in after a previous—” Olivia paused, noting how he’d gulped his wine and shuffled further into the blankets. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting comfortable,” Edward said, lying back with his hands behind his head, eyes closing underneath the setting sun. “Wanna lie down too?”
Olivia glanced at him before saying, “Uh, sure,” then lying on the duvet beside him. Their shoulders brushed, hips joined, and thighs touched. The truck was small, and suddenly, with the summer evening heat and the warmth emitting from Edward’s large frame, she felt hot. Too hot.
“Please, continue.” Edward swung an arm around her and looked up at the orange and pink clouds littering the sky. “You were telling me about your book.” Although he listened intently, his voice wasn’t enthusiastic as he asked her short and generic questions about her planning and writing.
Olivia decided to change the subject. Turning onto her side with a small smile, she glanced up at his face and at how the sun hit his gold hair making a halo of light around his profile. “What about you, Edward? Is there a particular area of law that made you want to practise it?”
Olivia noticed his hesitancy as he cleared his throat loudly before answering her question. “Well, to be honest, it’s a demanding job. Being a divorce lawyer… well, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.”
“But don’t you feel good helping people?”
“Unfortunately you’re not always fighting for the good guys, Olivia. But it’s fulfilling in its own way, I suppose.”
Olivia hummed. Leaning over to a pile of roses, she ran her hands through the flowers. “So how did you come up with the idea to— Ow!” Looking down, she saw a tiny drop of blood form on the tip of her thumb.
Edward leaned up onto his forearm. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I just pricked my finger.” She shook her head, waving his concern away.
“Let me have a look.” Edward quickly took her hand, noting the small injury on her thumb. Bringing her hand up to his lips, he kissed the wound gently, the act making her heart race faster. “There we go, all better?”
“Y-yes. Thank you,” Olivia stuttered, trying to hide the breathlessness that came as a result of her racing heart.
The gesture momentarily distracted her from her previous doubts about the over-the-top gesture of the truck full of roses.
It distracted her enough to almost not feel the first few drops of summer rain that pattered against the truck roof behind them.
Gazing up at the evening sky, she felt another drop on her face, causing her eyes to squeeze shut.
She started to laugh as the rain began to fall harder. The sudden shower caused Edward to jump up and gather the blankets with a low mumble of “shit.”
She let herself enjoy the moment, laughing at how he worried and floundered around gathering the electronic candles he had set up around the field and the blankets that they had lain on. He filled his arms and shoved them into the boot of his car with frantic movements.
“Don’t just sit there and laugh. Help!” he snapped from across the field, hands full of decorative items.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming!” Olivia laughed, her dress now damp, hair sticking to the back of her neck in thick wet strands. Forget summer rain; this was more like a thunderstorm rolling in at the same speed as a Formula One racer.
“For fuck’s sake, hurry up! It’s getting heavier,” he snarled.
Her giggles halted as she realised that he was genuinely annoyed. Sobering up, she picked up as much as she could and walked quickly to his car, shoving the damp cloth into the back seat.
After running around and gathering as many things as they could, Edward snapped the fabric roof of the convertible onto the windscreen before they slumped onto Edward’s leather car seats in silence.
The cool rain soaked into her bones, and following his snappy demands, she turned her knees away from him as they began to pull out of the paddock and back down the gravel road.
“It’s too rainy to drive back,” Edward stated, nodding towards the constant patter of rain against the windscreen.