“Hey, beautiful.” He swoops in, and I stand to greet him.
“Hey, good looking.” We lock eyes, and a live spark jumps from his gaze to mine.
It’s textbook Romance 101, but around Grant, I never count anything that happens between us as textbook.
“You hungry?” That lopsided grin of his does me in, and, before I know it, I plant a full kiss over his lips.
“Hungry for you.” I give his side a tweak as we take our seats.
“Feeling bold tonight, huh?” He glances around. “No big brother in the vicinity I take it.”
“He’s behind you with a baseball bat,” I tease.
“Geez.” He pretends to duck as he glances over his shoulder. “He’s that bad, huh?”
“Worse.”
He winces at the thought. “I don’t blame him. In fact, I’d respect him a little less if he wasn’t.” Grant reaches across the table and takes my hand up in his, interlaces our fingers right here in the Black Bear. This whole night feels like a public declaration of our feelings. “You’re worth protecting, Ava.” His eyes bear into mine as the moment grows serious between us. “I want to do that for you, too. I’m all in, Ava.” Grant doesn’t blink, doesn’t take his next breath. “I really can’t see my life without you in it.” He shakes his head as if trying to free himself from his train of thought. “I hope that wasn’t weird for you. I haven’t exactly let people in over the last few years, but for some reason, my walls crumbled when I met you—Ava PB and J.” He pumps a dull laugh. “My mom is pretty psyched to meet you.”
“She is?” I’m dumbfounded by this. Not even my own mother has ever been that psyched about me.
“Yes, she is.”
Baya comes by and takes our orders, and Grant’s entire face bleaches out like he might be sick. I wait until she’s gone before saying anything.
“You okay?” I’m half-ready to convert the menu into a barf bag.
“I’m fine.” He shakes it off. “Just lost in my head for a minute.” He forces a smile to come and go.
“So back to your mom. You sure she’s fine with me crashing your Thanksgiving?”
“More than fine. It was just going to be the three of us—same two or three conversations we keep having, so we’re all pretty thrilled about having you there.” His cheek pulls up on one side, and something about that wayward grin makes him a thousand times hotter than before. “My mom asked if we were spending the night.”
“Really?” I’d laugh, but I’m holding my breath at what he thinks of this. Just the thought of spending the night with Grant anywhere makes my heart race and panties melt on cue.
“Yes, really. I told her of course we were, and that I’d like our bed turned down by nine and mints on our pillows.”
I belt out a laugh. “I bet she had a heart attack.”
He shakes his head as that knowing laughter dissipates from his eyes. “Nope. She was fine with it. My mom just wants to see me happy, and if rocking my childhood bed with my new girlfriend does it, she seems to have somehow made peace with that.”
My heart melts at the thought of his mother’s relentless ache for her son’s happiness. “Of course, she wants you happy.” I pull his hand over and land a kiss to his finger. “I want you happy, too, Grant.”
“You make me happy. Mission accomplished.” We share a small laugh as if it were actually funny.
“I’m looking forward to meeting your parents.” I give his hand a squeeze, our eyes never breaking their gaze. “But I’m sort of looking forward to spending the rest of the long weekend with you.” My throat constricts for a moment. “You know, just you and me, alone.”
That naughty grin slowly takes over his lips. “Any ideas of how we might entertain ourselves?”
“I don’t know, but Lucky is staying with her brother, and I’m terrified of sleeping all alone.” I had to bribe Lucky with cash and prizes, not to mention laying out a full access pass to any salacious detail my first night with Grant might entail. Since she’s just shy of doing the dirty deed herself, she’s looking forward to my raunchy rundown.
“Are you really terrified of sleeping alone?” His brows flex, and his entire affect warms as if whatever stronghold his thoughts had on him earlier have completely evaporated. “Because it would be my honor to protect you.” He pulls my hand forward and buries a kiss over the back of it. “Your room or mine?”
I wrinkle my nose without meaning to. “I was sort of thinking we’d be extra safe in a third location.”
He blinks with mild surprise. “I like where this is headed. I hear it’s snowing at higher elevations, and I’m an expert at keeping a fire going all night long.”
My thighs tremble when he says those last few words. “That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
