Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
I brought her hand to my lips for a kiss while gazing into her eyes. I saw us there, in her eyes, our future our joy. I felt it for the first time, like a live thing, and vowed to myself then and there, that I would do everything in my power to make us happen.
“Well hello you two, are we having fun this evening?” One of the town’s premier gossips, Ava Marie stopped at our table just then, giving me time to cool down.
“Good evening Ava, nice crowd tonight.” I said tongue in cheek. I knew she didn’t give a fig about her restaurant’s steady business at this particular moment; she was here on a gathering mission.
The fact that she was best buds with my future mother in law, not to mention my own mother, gave me a good idea whose ears she’ll be talking off come closing.
“Never mind that you scamp; Shania, don’t you look pretty, it’s so nice to have you home. I hope your momma gave you my excuses, I couldn’t find anyone to cover me last night.”
“Oh that’s okay Ms. Ava, it’s great to see you now though. You’re looking smashing as usual.”
The older woman beamed under her admiration as she asked her if she’d done something new with her hair and all that other nonsense women talked about that put men in a coma.
It was a testament to what the shock of seeing us together had done to the town’s people, because not one of them asked about the floater.
***
"I'm not ready to take you home yet. I want to walk with you in the garden at my place. I want to watch you under the moonlight, while sitting in the gazebo that I know I had built for you when I bought our home."
"Wow…you're amazing, how could you have loved me this much for all those years and never did anything about it?"
"You were too young Shania. I couldn't steal your freedom-your youth. I had mine, you needed to spread your wings, that's what was in the cards for you, now it appears to be our time."
I signaled for the check, all of a sudden I didn't need the audience anymore, the only one I had really needed to stake my claim to was her. Now she knows, now we can move forward without any of the awkwardness of new relationships.
I no longer had any doubt that her brother was right, he had been right about me after all hadn't he? So if that spark had been there all those years ago, I was banking on it still being there. Only this time, I planned to ignite it into a blazing inferno.
I paid the check and guided her out with my hand in the small of her back. It seems I had to be constantly touching her. Having her close, the way I wanted, after all this time, left me in a constant state of need. I was going to have to figure out how to spend as much time with her as possible in the foreseeable future.
Knowing me, there was only so much I could take where she was concerned. I figure if we fit in as many dates as possible close together, that that ought to speed things up. Because there was no way I was going to make it much longer without taking her to my bed.
I had years of dreams and fantasies to make into reality. Things I’d always imagined doing with and to her.
Knowing that I no longer had to shelve those feelings, I felt like a raging bull trying to get out of his pen. It was going to be fun seeing how long my control held out.
***
We made it as far as the passenger door before I was kissing her again, this time with more force, more passion. Her small body fit so perfectly in my arms, I wanted to never let her go.
"I'm going to love loving you my Shania." I kissed her nose before buckling her into her seat.
"You know you're spoiling me right."
"That's my job princess, it will always be my job from now on, so get use to it." I stole another kiss just for the hell of it.
We made the drive in comfortable silence, holding hands and listening to old Sixties Goldies music we both seemed to enjoy.
At home, I led her straight to the back of my property where there was a romantic gazebo with a rose vine creeping up the sides, and marble benches with padding. I hadn't much thought of it at the time, but I now knew it was for her that I had built this.
I saw her here, with me, and one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, with my kids.
Damn, I had to change my thinking; I was getting hard just imagining it. Not that I hadn’t imagined it a hundred times before, but this time it was different, this time it could actually happen.