Page 116 of Here & Now

Twenty-six

Zane held Bree close until her tears subsided. Finally, she tipped her head up and looked at him.

“I’m okay,” she said.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Seeing their faces…it just made me realize how much I miss them.”

She’d talked a lot about her family, and after meeting them, he understood just how close they were.

“I meant what I said about us driving up there.”

“What about your shop?”

“Marco can cover for me, and my parents would help too if I asked them.”

“I’d like to meet them sometime.”

“You will. They wanted to come this weekend, but I told them I had plans.”

“With me?”

“Um-hmm.”

She smiled and sat up straighter. “The weekend has officially begun. What should we do first?”

“Whatever your heart desires.”

She wriggled her brows, and he laughed.

“Aren’t you hungry?” He was getting familiar with her routines and habits, and it was past her usual dinnertime.

“I could eat, but I need to change first.”

“What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?” She was dressed in shorts and a striped T-shirt, and her hair was in a ponytail.

“It’s too casual for our first official date.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Okay.”

“I know we’ve gone out before, but it’s different now, don’t you think?”

He nodded, though he wasn’t sure he completely understood.

She gazed at him lovingly. “I feel like this is the start of a new chapter, and I want to mark the occasion.”

He got it now. She’d made a major decision to stay and be with him, and he suddenly felt the weight of that. “I hope you won’t regret your decision.” I hope I can be what you need was what he didn’t say.

She must have read between the lines. She picked up his hands and twined their fingers together. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, “I won’t.”

He swallowed hard and pushed his fears aside. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go celebrate!”

“I’ll change and meet you outside in twenty minutes.”

“Okay.” He gave her a quick kiss and went out through the lanai.

When he entered his house, he decided to change too. His wardrobe didn’t vary much, but he traded his cargo shorts for pleated ones and his T-shirt for a short-sleeved button-down. Then he reapplied some deodorant, spritzed on cologne, and ran a comb through his hair. He still had ten minutes to spare, and he spent it scrolling through the newsfeed on his phone.