Dean scoffed as he crossed the kitchen to lean against the counter, crossing his arms and ankles as he watched.
I smiled a little when Bella took to nibbling and kicking at my hand, and then glanced at Dean and the rest of the quiet house behind him. “Is your mom not home?”
“The second she heard about our date, she made herself scarce.” His lips twitched and he rubbed the back of his head. “She’s stayin’ at a friend’s place tonight but left this little fluff ball behind ‘coz she wanted you to meet her.”
The fluffball in question rolled back to her feet before pouncing at the zipper on my overnight bag.
“I’m glad she did. She’s adorable.”
“You won’t be saying that when she’s chewed through everything in your bag.” He pushed off the bench and went to the fridge.
Heeding his warning, I stood and lifted my bag to the dining table.
Dean was rustling something in the fridge when I gave Bella one more scratch between the ears. When I turned around, I didn’t expect to find Dean holding a bouquet of dark pink roses wrapped in black paper.
“So, I had a date planned with this girl today,” he began, slowly walking towards me as he looked at the roses, tracing his finger along the petal of one. “Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, but unfortunately the date kinda fell through. She, uh, ghosted me for a meeting with some Mafia boss.”
I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth to keep my grin at bay. It didn’t stop the blushing though, or the way my heart skipped as he got closer. "That’s terrible. Who’d do such a thing?”
The corner of his mouth lifted as he brought his eyes to me again. “I don’t suppose you want them?”
“I guess I could take them off your hands.” I brushed my fingertips along his forearms as I tilted my head. “But on one condition.”
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “And what’s that.”
My stomach grumbled quietly in response, and I smiled sheepishly. “Can we start dinner early? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
A lopsided grin spread to his lips, dimpling his cheek. “Yes, we can.”
He moved the roses aside and leaned in to leave a soft kiss on my lips. And then groaned in annoyance at something beyond my shoulder. He gently brushed past me, handing over the roses.
Blinking out of my heady daze, I looked over my right shoulder to the ground by the back door where Bella finished peeing on the tiles.
“I’m kicking you out for the night,” Dean muttered, grabbing a roll of paper towels from the counter. He narrowed his eyes on Bella as she trotted passed him on her way to me.
I scooped her up into my hands and brought her back to him. “You take her to your mom. I’ll clean this up.”
“You sure?” He took the puppy in one hand. “Her friend’s place is a couple of blocks away.”
I took the paper towels from his other hand and placed the roses on the counter. “I’ll be fine.”
He considered for a moment, grinding his jaw a little until he breathed heavily through his nose. “I’ll be right back.”
Dusk fell outside as I sat upon the corner of the kitchen countertop and watched Dean at the stovetop to the left of me. I had changed into a loose-fitted T-shirt and shorts before he got home and was now his taste tester.
I watched Dean’s hands, arms — everything — as he stirred the Bolognese sauce and kept an eye on the spaghetti boiling in a pot. How he made something as simple as lifting the lid of that pot look good was beyond me, but I couldn’t help but admire him anyway. I also liked how he pronounced the Italian version of every ingredient going into the dinner.
Pomodoro sounded so much better than tomato.
“How do you pronounce this?” I picked up a tablespoon from beside me. It was the sixth or seventh time I asked the question.
He dipped his finger into the sauce and brought it to his mouth in thought while looking at the spoon. “Cucchiaio.”
“Kooky-ya-yo?”
He smiled and shook his head, repeating the word a little slower. “Cucchi-a-io.”
I tried again, only to completely butcher the pronunciation a second time when I got the giggles. He stopped what he was doing and moved to stand between my knees. It only made me smile harder as my stomach flipped.
