“None, sir,” he responds.
“Exactly, none. It wasn’t a coincidence. I decided to add a few more opportunities for the two of you to run into each other in hopes that you’d figure it out. And enough of that ‘sir’ business. Call me Joseph as you always have. Besides, we’ll be family shortly,” he tells him in an amused tone.
“And you’re okay with that—with the two of us getting married?” I ask him, slightly bewildered at his plotting. If I’m being honest, I’m impressed he was able to pull this off with his health slowly declining.
“Of course. I’ve known Bennett since he was a teenager just entering the league. I couldn’t think of a more stand-up gentleman for my little Firefly to marry. But it doesn’t matter what I think, Scarlett, the only opinions that matter are the two of yours. I’m not the one entering into this marriage.” My grandfather pauses, looking back and forth between the two of us before finally looking down to where Bennett’s hand is wrapped around mine. “Do you want to know what your grandmother’s father told me when I asked for his blessing?”
The two of us nod, and he continues. “Her father told me that the key to a successful marriage is friendship. That first and foremost, the two of us be friends. And that if we put that friendship before anything else, if we always remained each other’s best friend, we could get through any curve or challenge that came our way. Do you consider yourselves friends?”
Bennett’s gaze meets mine and he gently squeezes my hand in his before turning to answer my grandfather. “Yes, Scarlett is my friend.”
It’s a simple statement—not a romantic declaration of love—so it shouldn’t have my chest squeezing, but I think being Bennett’s friend means more to him than most. From what I’ve seen, he keeps his circlesmall. I’m not quite sure why that is, but I know opening himself to me in this way is major for him.
I turn to my grandfather and nod in response, unable to find any words at the moment.
“Good, I’m glad to hear it. Bennett, will you be joining us for Sunday dinners now when you’re available?” my grandfather asks him.
“Uh—” Bennett looks over at me in question.
“Gemma, Gunner, and I try to have dinner with my grandparents every Sunday. It’s a tradition we’ve had since I was a little girl, and it was important to me that we continued it after my dad passed away. You’re more than welcome to join us when you’re in town if you’d like,” I offer, but I don’t expect him to spend more time with my family than he needs to.
“I’d love that, thank you for including me,” Bennett says, surprising me.
“Of course, my wife will be so excited to hear the big news. Why don’t we celebrate when we get back to town since you’ll be back on the road this Sunday?”
“Just tell us when and we’ll be there,” he answers for the two of us, and I’m oddly okay with it.
Moments later, Bennett is escorting me back to my room when I stop in the hallway. He halts his steps, turning to face me. “Thank you for that,” I blurt.
“For what? You have nothing to thank me for,” he replies.
I train my gaze on my shoes, unwilling to meet his eyes. “For agreeing to come to Sunday dinners. They’ve always meant a lot to me, but after losing my dad, and now, with my grandfather’s diagnosis, they’ve become sacred. It will mean a lot to my grandparents to have you there, and to Gemma and Gunner. And, well, me too.”
Bennett softly grips my chin and lifts my face until our eyes meet. “Don’t thank me, it’s not a favor. It’ll be my pleasure to join you for Sunday dinners whenever I’m in town.”
I stare up at him and my breath hitches when I catch his gaze retreating to my lips. Bennett eliminates the space between us, and my heart slams in my chest in anticipation.
“We didn’t finish what we started earlier,” he rasps.
“We didn’t,” I agree in a whisper.
Instead of pulling me in for a kiss like I had hoped, Bennett takes a step back and runs a hand through his hair. “I believe I suggested we play twenty questions to get to know one another better, but we didn’t finish before the movie started.”
I almost whine in frustration, but quickly mask my disappointment. Friends, we’re supposed to be friends first and foremost. Even if this is temporary, I should probably get to know my future husband better than I do now.
“When’s your birthday?” he asks, starting off the questions.
I play along and answer him. “May twenty-first. And yours?”
“December twenty-third.”
“Oh, you and Gemma have the same birthday!” I point out.
“It’ll be her sweet sixteen, right? I know Gunner said he was five, but I kind of assumed Gemma was fifteen when I saw her driving with you. She does have her permit, right?”
“Yes, she’ll be sixteen and she has her learner’s permit.” I roll my eyes at him.
“And how do you feel about her getting her license?”
