I rush to my bedroom closet to find something that isn’t obvious I changed specifically for him, but nice enough. I pick out a denim skirt with a red belt, a white blouse with frayed sleeves and then my black boots. Perfect! For all he knows, I’ve been wearing this all day.
I go to pick up my purse and realize my hair is a fucking mess, so I throw it up in a cute bun - swipe some mascara on my lashes and head out because I’m not one to be late to anything.
I get into my car and head straight for Miles’ bar. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been if Lincoln and I stayed in Lawson Ridge. We’d probably already have three or four kids running around by now. Yet, we both had big dreams and sometimes you have to put yourself first. And we did.
We never even so much as kissed in high school, but after his high school sweetheart dumped him right after Prom - I’m the one he came to. I held him while he cried, yes he cried. It was that night we made the pact. If we aren’t in a committed relationship by the time we are thirty-five, we’ll find each other. And now look at us, both of us in Lawson Ridge. It can’t be a coincidence, right?
I put my car in park and open the door to the bar. There he is, Lincoln Montgomery, perched on a high stool at the counter, his profile as striking as ever. I haven’t been in here since being back but Miles is moving around behind the bar like an expert.
“Lincoln?” My voice hitches.
He turns, and those soulful eyes meet mine, grounding me like they always have. “Hey, beautiful. What would you like to drink?”
“Flatterer.” I laugh.
“Tequila shot or a margarita?”
“Margarita is always a safe bet with me."
Things seem different today. Almost like there is something weighing on his mind. His eyes rake me in and it makes me a bit self-conscious.
“So, I want to be clear here.” Lincoln looks up, his gaze holding mine. “I guess I've always been afraid of getting hurt," he confesses, a vulnerability flickering in his eyes. “And when you pour your heart into your career, it's easier to avoid... complications.”
“Complications?”
“I want something real, you know? Something beyond the superficial connections that seem to come and go.”
“Real can be scary,” I say, understanding more than I let on. “It means taking risks, letting someone see the not-so-perfect parts of you.”
He rakes his hand through his hair. “I’m looking for someone who knows that I'm not just a doctor, but a man who loves old movies, who volunteers at animal shelters, and who sometimes eats cereal for dinner because I can't cook to save my life.”
“Sounds attainable,” I tease, though part of me wonders if I can be that someone for him.
“Maybe.” A hint of a smile plays on his lips. “But first, I have to find her.”
Our gazes lock. “After him… That kind of blew my 'risk-taking' quota for the decade.”
He pulls back his hand, resting it on the bar back. “I guess we've both built our walls pretty high, huh?”
“Sky-high,” I agree.
Lincoln chuckles, the sound rich and warm, easing the tension from my shoulders. “Well, look at us. Two old friends, terrified of what it means to let someone in again.”
“Terrified might be overstating it,” I counter, arching an eyebrow. “Cautiously optimistic?”
“Is that what we are?” He grins, the expression lighting up his face and making those soulful eyes crinkle at the edges.
“Maybe.” I let the word hang between us, loaded with unspoken thoughts and the remembrance of simpler times.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Always.”
“I feel this connection,” Lincoln says. “Between us. It's like we've picked up right where we left off, but there's something...new. Something different.”
Oh my god. Am I dreaming? “Yeah, I feel it too.”
“Good.” A smile touches his lips, genuine and hopeful. “Because, honestly, I don't want to ignore it. I want to see where it goes.”
