How many times did he repeat Grandma Bridges’s motto to me? How many times did we say those words, mimicking the warm, gravelly croak of her voice? We always recognized the wisdom behind her words, butLord, when we were younger, she said it every. Single. Time.
We’d roll our eyes, like,weget it.
But now, I guess we finallydoget it. The importance of investing in the people and values you care about in order to flourish. We do need to tend to our foundational relationships. More than ever, I see that now.
Linc smiles at me, and in the mix of nostalgia and the loose threads between us, I sense that he gets it too.
“I’m glad I ran into you,” I say.
“Yeah?” He lifts his chin, the cords of his neck growing taut as he deepens his stare. Then the edge of his lip curls, and something hits me.
“Wait, did youknowI was going to be here tonight?” I narrow my eyes, studying his expression.Nope, I never said where I was going onmy live.“You checked my calendar, didn’t you?”
He laughs, a guilty laugh. “What?”
“And here I was thinking, wow, he’s so sweet. It must be the stars aligning that he’s here tonight, looking like a snack. And lo and behold—”
Linc tugs me between his legs, still laughing. “Wait, so you think I look like a snack?”
He’s all mesmerizing gray eyes and lopsided smile, the scruff of his dark beard lightly dusted with gray.
I squirm, trying to pull away, but in the middle of messing around with this man, I somehow forgot this dress is backless, requiring certain undergarment, um…choices. His massive hands are flat against the small of my back, his long fingers inching lower. But the way his grip is firm, possessive, just the way I like…
“Correct me if I’m wrong.” Linc tilts his head, amusement dancing in his sparkly gaze. “Didn’t you say you wanted a man who’ll show up? I think the exact words were ‘meet me halfway.’” He pauses. “‘Keep the romance alive.’”
I don’t know whether to be flattered that he watchesThe Divorcétante Chroniclesor semi-annoyed that he’s using my own words against me.
“And this was how you translated that, huh?” I nod a good dozen times, utterly tickled—and completely turned on.
He shrugs, adorably. “What’s more romantic than walking a woman to her car to make sure she gets home safely?”
I’m parked in valet, but I don’t have it in me to steal his thunder.
Then I glance at the fresh drink, the half-melted ice bobbing at the surface, the glass sweating with condensation.
He hasn’t touched it.
Lincoln Bridges may wear rough work boots and roll his sleeves up the second there’s work to do, but he’s not the kind of man who drinks and drives. A chasm opens in my chest. He’s been sitting here, patiently waiting for my event to end, just to make sure I’m safe.
And that is…incrediblysexy.
“Yes,” I say softly, needing to see him when I say the rest. I need to read the invitation in his whisper-gray eyes, that silent plea telling me to choose him, to forget about the other dates and whomever I met at the mixer. “Remember when you asked if I’d been fantasizing about you? My answer is yes, and I want you, Lincoln Bridges.”
And just like that, he stands and searches my eyes, looking sheepish. “Are you ready?”
It feels like a loaded question. Ready for him to walk me to the valet? To kiss me silly? To swipe away every drink on this bar and take me right here? I don’t know. Do I want none of that or all of the above? My answer is still a resounding yes to anything he has in mind, because I’ve decided. Right now, with him breathless and still searching for adequate words, I’m ready to try again with Lincoln Bridges.
I have to squeeze my thighs together just to get the word out.
“Yes.”
Chapter Sixteen
Chasing Waterfalls
Lincoln
I skip the liquid courage,rushing to pay my tab before I take Ebony’s hand, guiding us away from the valet toward an emergency exit, which, at the moment, feels appropriate. Hand in hand, we spill out into a darkened side street, sirens blaring in my head, pulse racing, the rain coming down in thick sideways sheets. But I stop, muscles locked up as the deluge cascades down the side of the building.
