Page 29 of Fortuity
“What?” he asked after setting me back on thegrass.
I clutched onto his arms to steady myself. “I was justteasing.”
“Pumpkin cookies are nothing to joke about. Not with me ormymom.”
“You guys sure are serious about your Thanksgiving meal,” I muttered as he caught the ball and threw it back to his dadagain.
“That’s putting it mildly,” he laughed. “My mom’s love for turkey dinner is a sure sign of how happy my mom is about us being a couple. If I hadn’t already realized you had her stamp of approval before you got here, that would’veclinchedit.”
A couple? Stamp of approval?So much about his statement blew my mind, making me dizzier than the twirling had just moments ago. “What doyoumean?”
“That comment, about Chinese food being worth thesacrifice?”
“Yeah?”
I wanted to stomp my foot when he paused again to catch the ball. “You want to throw itthistime?”
“No, what I want is for you to explain about the Chinese foodthing.”
He seemed to find my frustration amusing because he laughed while tossing the ball back tohisdad.
“Dillon,” Igrowled.
“You’re cute when you’re irritated. Did you know that? I noticed it the first time we met.” I glared at him, making him laugh again before he finally answered, “My mom would’ve been willing to eat Chinese today, sacrificing her favorite meal, if it brought the two of ustogether.”
“Shut up! Really?” My gaze slid to the house, where I could see through the windows to where she was working in the kitchen. I respected Elaine a hell of a lot. It wasn’t just because of what she’d done for the foster kids at my school, either—although that would have been enough of a reason. But she was a genuinely nice person who cared about others and didn’t have a problem showing it. I hadn’t known a lot of people like Elaine in my life, and it made me appreciate those qualities inhermore.
“Yeah, really. It’s why she tried so hard to make sure we met.” Dillon caught the ball again and nodded when his dad said he was going inside to check to see how much longer it’d be before Elaine needed help setting the table. “See, even Dad is in on it now that he knows what my mom was tryingtodo.”
It was hard for me to believe that Elaine was trying to pair me off with her son. At least she’d gotten to know me, so it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility. But Dillon’s dad? We’d just met today. I couldn’t imagine how much Elaine had to have raved about me for him to be okay with his son dating a foster kid with nothing to her name. “Maybe he’s just really excited aboutdinner.”
“No, I don’t think so.” He tossed the ball at the bottom of the steps leading up the stone patio and gripped both of my hands once his were free. “My dad’s a sharp guy. He probably clocked our body language the whole time we were out here and decided we could do with a little bit of alone time before dinner isready.”
“What? No!” My eyes went wide, and my cheeks filled with heat. “Do you reallythinkso?”
“Is it so hard tobelieve?”
“But he’s your dad.” My voice dropped a notch, like they could hear me from inside thehouse.
“Yeah, but it’s not like we’re teenagers who need a chaperone twenty-four seven.” He yanked me closer. “Or that we could get into too much trouble out hereanyway.”
“This is soweird.”
“Whichpart?”
“All of it!” I felt his chest shake with laughter and nudged him in the shin withmyshoe.
“Ouch!” He gave me an exaggeratedwince.
“Oh, please,” I snorted. “I barelytouchedyou.”
“I already told you how much I like it when you’re irritated.” His eyes were filled with humor, but they also held a thread of heat. “If you keep it up, I’ll be tempted to put the time my dad gave us togooduse.”
And if they hadn’t been inside with a clear view of us, I might’ve been coaxed into finding out exactly how we would’ve passed that time. It was crazy! The pull between us was strong enough to get me to act completely out of character. It was turning me boy crazy for the first time in my life—but only when it came to one, specific guy. Dillon Montgomery...who was grinning down at me and making those butterflies take flight yetagain.
“You’reimpossible.”
The heat in his eyes ratcheted up a notch. “Impossibly attractedtoyou.”
