Even Henry had betrayed her by falling asleep in his car seat so she couldn’t distract herself or change the mood with a few good knock-knock jokes.
Another mile or two melted away and when she realized they were close to home, she stole a glance at Jensen. He was gazing at the familiar road with that same look from before, the one that she knew meant he was now deep in thought.
Probably trying to figure out why he brought me out today.
He turned onto Ambler, and she was relieved to focus on the familiar sights of childhood. The big, gorgeous homes on the north side of town were strung with icicle lights that reflected in the snow. And as they traveled south toward the village, the houses got closer together and the decorations got more and more festive.
By the time they turned onto Park and were pulling up in front of Carla’s Place, she had almost forgotten her earlier embarrassment.
“Willow,” Jensen said as he turned the truck off.
She turned to him. Even in the relative darkness she could see there was something intense about his gaze.
“Thank you so much for letting me tag along today,” she heard herself say brightly.
But she was sure that he knew her too-light tone was just covering up her nerves.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” he asked.
She was so surprised that she didn’t say anything for a moment.
“You can think about it—” he began.
“Yes,” she said quickly. “I’d love to go to dinner with you, Jensen.”
“I’ll text you then,” he said, hopping out of his truck and jogging to her door, opening it for her like a prince in a fairytale.
Willow wanted to pinch herself, but she tried her best to stay cool. She wasn’t some teenager in puppy love, no matter how much he might make her feel that way sometimes. She was a grown woman, and though she was mature enough now to understand that he wasn’t without flaws, she still liked him so much.
Too much,she thought to herself helplessly.I’ve always liked him too much…
“I can’t walk you all the way up with Henry in the car,” he said, his voice so deep she could feel it in her belly.
“That’s okay,” she told him.
“I’ll text you,” he told her again, his gray eyes burning.
She nodded, feeling breathless.
When he reached out to cup her face in his warm hand, she thought for sure that he was going to kiss her, and her heart began to race.
But he only leaned down and kissed the top of her head instead, making her heart ache with his sweetness.
“Good night, Willow,” he murmured stroking her cheek with his thumb once before letting go. “I’m going to watch you walk up.”
“Good night,” she said, feeling like she was in a dream.
She practically floated up the fire escape, and when she got to the top she turned to see him standing there, leaning on his truck, his eyes fixed on her.
She waved to him before opening up her door and slipping inside.
Somehow, her small apartment didn’t seem big enough to contain her happiness. She wrapped her arms around herself in a big hug, smiling from ear to ear.
When her phone buzzed almost immediately in her pocket, she didn’t think it would be Jensen already.
But there was his name on the screen.
Jensen Webb
