His eyes never left hers. Immediately, he swooped her into his arms and kissed her tender lips while his right hand held the roses behind her back. How he had yearned for that moment all day since he had left her. Her breath swayed with his, feeling his rough hand embracing her silky face. Evie’s hands ran over his chest firmly up to his shoulders and then pulled his kiss deeper.
They pulled apart. He grinned, looking deeply into her eyes. “You smell amazing and look insanely sexy.” He chuckled to hide his nervousness. With his large hand delicately placed around her lower jaw, he tilted her head to savor the scent against her skin. His nose gently brushed behind her ear.
Evie’s head was cocked back due to his height, and she moaned in adoration. “Thank you. How the hell did you get dressed like this so fast?”
He sat down with her at the table and put the roses in his lap. “I’m military. I know how to be prepared. I went home quickly to grab some things on a break and got ready at QuikTrip.”
She laughed and asked in surprise, “You changed in a gas station bathroom?”
“Is that bad?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “No, not at all. I can’t believe you went through all that extra trouble when every other man I know wouldn’t even comb his hair.”
He leaned back and playfully knuckled on the table. “Most men my age are losing hair anyway, so…”
She snickered again. He knew he was making her laugh, so he went on with it, “Besides, I’m on a date with a freaking graphic designer. If I showed up in shitty clothes, I’d bomb this interview.”
She paused. “Interview?”
Caleb flashed his eyes around the room, still leaning back. “I mean, yeah. Isn’t that what all dates are like? Asking, ‘What do you like?’ ‘What do you bring to the table?’ You know, that sorta thing?”
She smiled and shook her head out again with a laugh. “Good question! I’ve never been on a date, so I wouldn’t know.”
He returned his eyes to her with a smile and finally leaned forward, handing her the flowers. “Here.”
She took them lovingly. Two dozen long-stemmed roses were speckled with baby’s breath and wrapped in clear wrapping. Their fragrance was a nice break from the roasting garlic that lingered in the air. Evie gazed at the roses and nearly cradled them like a baby.
Caleb looked at her. Her eyes were sparkling, and she was smiling softly. The roses were gently held against her chest. It was so difficult not to let her eyes water. She tried, but a tear rolled down her cheek. She had gotten her flowers. “Thank you.”
He put his knuckles against his lip again and bounced his knee under the table. “You really get that worked up from flowers?”
She realized that she was being overly emotional again but couldn’t help it. “You don’t know what this means to me.” He didn’t. All those years, she had wanted flowers from a man other than her dad and Pawpaw. She should have felt lucky to have ever gotten that, but this hit in a different way.
As he looked at her, it dawned on him that this woman was definitely on the ardent side, and he was unsure if it was too much for his unbending outlook and way of life. He recalled telling his own father he was sorry he didn’t show more affection to him before he went off to war. But he also felt like no matter what he did to show love, it never landed right. Caleb always had a hard time expressing emotions.
Wait.
He swallowed hard as he kept staring at her. Eviedidinfluence his confessions of emotions. He confessed nearly all of it in texts earlier. And it damn sure felt good. He could have written an entire five-page-long text about what she moved in him, how her hands gliding across his deltoids made him feel cherished.
He smiled and leaned forward to reach for her hand. “I’m glad. You deserve it.”
Her hand was in his on the table, and she felt his strong thumb gliding across it. Their eyes met. Evie then set the roses on the table and reached out to grab his other hand. Even when the waitress came, he never let go and would only make eye contact to give his order, and Evie did the same thing. Before the waitress left, Caleb informed her that itwould all be on one check. Then he called out, “Oh, and save a piece of the triple chocolate cake for my girl right here!”
The waitress smiled and nodded. Evie giggled and shrunk down in her seat.
“Thank you,” Evie said sheepishly.
“You’re welcome. So how was your day?”
She stammered a bit, “You know, we usually talk about me when you’re around. Why don’t we talk about you?”
“You know a lot about me through Facebook already.”
She laughed, looking to the side. “Caleb, you post like twice a month and only upload to your stories once a week, if that. And it’s usually about your kids. Not that that’s bad or anything.”
He smirked. “Well, then what does that tell you?”
She thought then smiled in a soft laugh. “That your kids are your life.”
