“I’ll help you put it on your bracelet while we wait for our food.”
Before I know it, Matilda is out of her seatbelt and leaning over the center console. I feel her soft lips on my cheek before I can react. “Thank you, Alec. This is so sweet of you.” Sitting back in her seat, she glances down at the charm in her palm, touching it gently with her finger. “I love it.”
“I’m glad.” Pushing open my door, I ask, “You ready for some salad and breadsticks?”
“Heck yeah. And Lasagna Fritta, please.” Matilda claps again. “Yum.”
“Whatever you want, honey.” I mean that. She can have whatever she wants. Anything.
“You’re not so bad after all,” Matilda says as she slides her arm around mine and places her hand on my forearm. I like it. Reaching over, I give her hand a little squeeze and leave it there.
I make a scoffing sound when I realize what she just said. “I’m not bad.”
The laugh that escapes her makes me smile. The second we enter the restaurant though, she stops and breathes in. “Smell that?”
I nod.
“That’s the smell of love.”
If she thinks the scent of garlic and spices is love, I’ve got my work cut out for me.
ChapterThirty-Two
Matilda
I’m in love.
And not just with the food. The second I saw him waiting for me in the airport terminal holding that bouquet of beautiful flowers, I nearly fainted. Add to that the sight of him in his uniform, well, I was a goner, ladies and gents. There’s no going back now. I’m screwed.
The ride in his truck was weird at first. We chatted over lunch, but there was a lot going on around us, making the awkwardness less so. Another thing that broke any uncomfortableness, I got some frantic text messages from my dad because I’d forgotten to tell him I landed safely. He ended up calling, demanding to speak with Alec.
I couldn’t hear what my dad was saying to him, but Alec laughed several times, so it’s all good. Not that I was worried. My dad has my back on all of this. The man should be father of the year every single year.
From Austin to Killeen is an easy drive straight up. Half the drive we were on I-35, and the rest was on a Texas highway. Once we got out of the Austin suburbs, there wasn’t a lot to see, but we did pass a town called Ding Dong that gave me the giggles.
“I’d hate to tell people, ‘Hi, I’m Matilda. I’m from Ding Dong, Texas.’” I looked up information about that town on my phone because I had to know. Since Alec appeared to be a little interested, I read out the deets. “Ding Dong, Texas. Population: 22.” There was only one photo online, and it was of long-horned cattle. “Oh, em, gee. You can get T-shirts.” I held the phone up to show him a picture. “I need one. Do you think we can find one around Killeen?”
“Maybe.” Alec looks over at me and smiles. “We’ll see what we can do, honey.”
Gah! He’s called me honey twice today. I want to ask him what it means, but I’m afraid what he’ll say. And, honestly, I don’t want him to stop saying it because his voice gets all low and sort of sultry when he says it. It makes me all gooey inside. I can’t respond after that, but I can smile, so that’s what I do.
We pull into an apartment complex that’s seen better days. I keep that to myself though. Maybe it’s nice inside.
“Home sweet home,” Alec says, shutting off his fancy truck. I’ve never seen so many buttons and gadgets in a car before. He went all out. Don’t get me wrong, I like it. It rides like the limo we took at Vicky’s wedding. “Hang on, let me help you out.”
Probably a good idea since the last time I got out, I nearly fell on my face. It’s quite a drop from my seat to the ground. When he gets to my side of the pickup, he opens the door. I turn my body so my feet end up on the step thing. I startle a little when Alec’s hands wrap around my waist. As he pulls me closer to the edge of my seat, I prepare for the descent, only it doesn’t happen. Confused, I look at his face. He looks serious, like he’s about to tell me my pet hamster died.
I don’t have a hamster. Just using it as an excuse.
“What?” I ask. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He doesn’t move, so neither do I. “You sure?”
“I’m just glad you’re here, Matilda.”
Aw, that’s nice of him to say. Like the endearment “honey,” the way he says my name makes my nipples hard.
