“Here’s our first stop,” I say, turning off the engine and catching her slow-growing surprised smile
“You brought me all this way to go furniture shoppin’? Oh, my goodness, Austin. This is thoughtful” She beams at me beforereleasing her seatbelt and launching herself forward into my arms. “You’re killin’ this first date thing so far. Ten out of ten, highly recommend.”
A shocked chuckle escapes me as I turn my head to take her mouth for a much-wanted, long, and meaningful kiss. I lift my hand to stroke my finger down her flushed cheek when I pull back. "Like this smile on ya, doc. Can’t wait to spoil you more often.”
She seems a little taken aback but quickly recovers, her features turning soft and warm. "I just like bein’ withyou, Austin.”
Now my face is hurting with a big grin. "Good. Now let’s see what furniture there is that needs a new home. Wait there, I’ll open your door.”
“Ever the gentleman,” she says warmly.
“For you, always.”
As we walk into the furniture store, Char's eyes light up like a kid in a candy store. I stand back and watch as she wanders from display to display, touching and admiring each piece, making thoughtful comments, and asking questions to the shop assistant about the different styles and materials. She’s adorable when her brow furrows with concentration. She’s so animated too and I can’t tear my eyes away from her. I pat myself on the back for acing this whole first date thing.
“Austin, come look at this,” she says, calling out to me. I make my way over to where she’s standing in front of a minimalistic bookcase made out of raw-cut oak shelves and what looks like old fencing wire.
She runs her hand over the lacquered wood. “Isn’t this cool! It’s recylin’ the old and unusable and givin’ it another life.” I find myself more captivated by her than the bookcase. “Austin,” she whines playfully. “You’re not lookin’ at it. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“You certainly are,” I reply.
Her cheeks pink before she rolls her eyes, her lips twitching. “I’m talkin’ about the bookcase.”
“Yeah, and I’m talkin’ aboutyou.” Tearing my gaze away, I look over the bookcase, liking it but also thinking I could make something just like it in my workshop.
“One of the downsides of always movin’ from place to place and not havin’ a home is havin’ to store all my books. They’re all in boxes in the apartment ‘cause I’ve had to read on my e-reader. Books weigh alotand when you’re travelin’ light—especially when you’re on the road—sometimes you have to make sacrifices.”
“If you want this one? You should get it,” I say, looking at the price and wincing because the bookcase is good, but the price isnot.I could also make her somethingsomuch better.
She shakes her head, running her hand over a shelf one last time. “Nah. I’ll keep lookin’.” Then she grabs my hand and leads me deeper into the shop like she wants me close. I’m not complaining.
We spentthe rest of the day making the most of our time in Timber Falls. When night falls, we get cleaned up and dressedfor dinner before leaving the Bed and Breakfast where we’re staying and walking along the main street through town.
Char squeezes our linked hands, grabbing my attention as she pulls us to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Thank you for today, Austin," she says softly. “I’ve spentwaytoo much money but it’s goin’ to be worth it. I can’t wait to make that little apartment my own.”
“Once we’ve finished the bathroom, of course.”
She nods. “Yeah. But even before then, makin’ it mine will make it sink in that I’m finally home.” She lifts on her toes and brushes her lips against mine. “Thank you.”
“Any time, doc. I wanted to give you a first date you’ll always remember. One that you deserve.”
For a moment I break our rule of not thinking about the what ifs. I missed out on years of moments like this with her. We could have had hundreds more memories together by now. That’s why I want to make up for lost time and show Char that Icanbe everything she’s ever wanted. I’ll spoil her, cherish her, and make sure she knows she is and will always be my number-one priority every day we're together,
I want to build a life with her, build a home on the ranch for us, one with all the bookcases she could ever need. I want to cook her meals from around the world so that she doesn’t miss her former life. That’s my focus, giving my girl everything she could ever want so that she doesn’t regret a single moment of her life with me.
She scrunches her nose, giving me a puzzled look before it clears. "You've definitely done that so far. We've had a good day, Austin.Nowwill you tell me where we’re goin’ for dinner?”
"Yeah," I say quietly as we come to a stop outside one of only two Michelin-starred restaurants in the state. It was the fanciest, most expensive place I could find. "We're here."
Char looks through the front window, her eyes widening before jerking back to mine. “Here?” she breathes.
I lift her arm and kiss her knuckles. “Yeah, doc. Nothin’ but the best for my best girl.”
The momentwe step inside the restaurant, I feel out of place. I'm not a fish out of water, it’s more like I'm a bull standing on a floating iceberg in the Bering Sea. The hush of the room was palpable as we walk in, questioning eyes of the polished, well-dressed guests glancing our way as we move toward the front desk. I tried to keep my eyes down and my hands calm, but I can feel the sweat gathering on the back of my neck.
The maître d' steps forward with practiced grace, his eyes traveling from us to the reservation card and back again before he gives us a small, understanding smile and leads us to a table.
