Page 94 of Arranged To Be Mine

I grinned. “I grew up around it, so it’s normal to me. Tiana is just Mom. Grace is just my sister-in-law. She argues with Micah about whose turn it is to take out the trash.”

“That’s kind of amazing, actually.” She leaned against her car, looking up at me. “The way you all just treat each other like regular people. No pretense. No performance.”

“We are regular people. We’re family. That’s what family should do.”

There was something in her eyes. I wondered what she was thinking about. She looked a little sad.

I stepped closer, cupping her face in my hands. “Thank you for coming tonight,” I said. “It meant a lot to me.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

I leaned in and kissed her. She melted against me, her hands sliding up my arms, to my shoulders, and then she wrapped her body around me. It was so easy to get carried away when it came to her.

If I wasn’t in my parents’ driveway, I’d strip her and have sex with her on the hood of her car.

“I’ll see you at the ring launch,” she said, her voice slightly unsteady. “Couple of days.”

Right. The Fall in Love collection. The official release of her company’s new line of engagement rings. It was a big deal for Corwin Gems. She’d mentioned it was being held at their flagship store in LA.

“I can’t wait,” I said. I meant that far more than she knew.

She smiled, rising up on her toes to press one more quick kiss to my lips. “Goodnight, Beau.”

“Goodnight, Darcy.”

I watched her climb into her car and pull away. Maybe I’d go to her place. Surprise her. Invite myself to stay the night.

The front door opened behind me.

“She’s a good one,” Mom said, coming to stand beside me. “I can see why you like her.”

“It’s more than like, Mom.”

She smiled, that knowing mother smile that said she’d already figured that out hours ago. “I know, sweetheart. I can see it all over your face.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“To anyone paying attention.” She linked her arm through mine. “She looks at you the same way, you know.”

My heart stuttered. “You think so?”

“I know so. A mother notices these things.” She patted my arm. “Don’t let her get away, Beau. Good ones are hard to find.”

“I don’t plan to.”

She squeezed my arm and headed back inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I pulled my keys from my pocket and walked to my car.

Maybe it was too soon to be thinking about rings and forever. We’d barely figured out what we were to each other. There were still complications and obstacles and a hundred reasons why this might not work out.

We hadn’t even put a label on whatever it was we were doing.

I drove home with the windows down, letting the cool night air wash over me. By the time I got home, I had allowed myself at least three fantasies about her and me. I felt like we’d barely scraped the surface of what we could have together.

I grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed up to the balcony. The sound of the ocean waves soothed me. I sat with that for a while.

Darcy had been clear about her priorities. I respected them. One good evening with my family didn’t erase that conversation. We had a single beach day. That did not make a relationship. I had big feelings now, but that didn’t mean they would last forever. It didn’t mean she had the same big feelings.

My phone lit up.