“You know, I never knew you were this smooth.”
“You just haven’t been paying attention.”
I laugh, and he leans forward, peppering my face with kisses. My cheeks hurt from smiling.
“What about you? What do you want, Penny?”
“I want to spend time with you and work on figuring my shit out more.”
“What shit?”
“I’m still working through everything. With you know,” I wave my hand in the air and he nods in understanding over all my birth mom’s trauma. “But before the Key Club and everything after, I was kind of on a mission to figure out who I am.”
His brows furrow.
“What do you mean?”
“I just feel like I’ve always catered to what I thought other people wanted me to be like and never really worked to figure out what I like.”
He grabs my stool and scoots me even closer to him, like there can’t even be a breath’s width between us.
“You’re Penelope Abigail Myers, the most gorgeous, selfless, funniest woman I know. You hate mornings, love pets and babies, watch shitty tv shows, and you can’t sing for shit.”
My mouth gapes open and he smiles.
“You love the sun and it loves you back. You hate overly loud noises and rude people.” He pushes my hair behind my ear. “You’re strong, stronger than anyone gives you credit for, and you’re the best fuck of my life.”
I throw my head back and laugh.
“You really had to go and ruin it.”
“I am the most romantic person you know,” he throws my words from last night back at me .
“It wasn’t a lie,” I whisper, meaning it.
Lincoln might be crass, a total fucking baby when he doesn’t get his way. But he wants me in a way I didn’t think was possible. It’s the type of romance I’ve always read and dreamed about. The thought of this all crashing down is terrifying.
But I’m falling so hard and so fast, I just hope he’s still around to break my fall.
It’s pouring rain outside as the band continues going through their set list, the white noise of the rain fall just adding to the melody.
“Dance with me?” he asks.
He gets off his stool and holds out his hand, which I grab before getting off my own. He smells like coconut sunscreen and sunshine as we join the dance floor. It’s a slower number, and he rests his hands on my hips as I hold his shoulders.
The strumming melody has me leaning forward, resting my head on his chest as he holds me tight. Lincoln presses a small kiss to the top of my head and it’s at that moment I know I’m completely in love with him.
I love his sarcasm, his humor, and how thoughtful he is. Not once has he tried to make me into someone I’m not. He’s never told me to stop crying or that my feelings aren’t valid. Even with all this business with our family and how frustrated he’s been, he’s never truly tried to change me, just make me understand.
With his arms wrapped around me, I feel secure and cared for in a way I haven’t felt in a really long time, and never by a romantic partner.
Lincoln has chosen me repeatedly and all he’s asked for is the same in return. I hope he can sense what I feel, that I’m willing to risk it all for him too.
I tug on his shirt to tell him just that as he curses and pulls out his phone.
“Hey Dad,” he answers the phone, not taking his hands off of me. “Uh,” he says, looking around the bar for his brothers. “They aren’t here.”
There’s a long pause, and he looks down at me and sighs.
