Chuckling to myself, I walk away from the fallen tree, looking around until I find a patch of wildflowers. Kneeling down, I take a series of photos, then sit on a rock.
"Is his highness going to give us a royal hand?" Dash calls out.
"As soon as I find the perfect gift for my super special date tonight, yes."
Braden grins. "So when do we get to actually meet this girl?"
"You've probably met her hundreds of times at Acorns already."
"Not the same thing and you know it. I mean have her over for a family dinner or something."
"She's pretty quiet," I explain. "I'm going to let her get really comfortable with me before I subject her to you maniacs."
Corbin shakes his head. "I bet she's imaginary."
Scowling, I hold up my fists. He waves a hand at me as if swatting away a baby mosquito.
Our brotherly play fighting stopped being even the slightest bit real after Corbin had his last growth spurt. Although he's never been truly rough with us, you just don't threaten someone who's built like a tank, even if you're joking.
I turn back to my phone, searching until I find what I'm looking for. Luckily, I'll be able to pick it up on the way to Lynn's apartment.
A few hours of work and a quick shower later, I arrive at her door with my hands behind my back.
"Okay, what are you up to?" she asks as she leads me inside.
I hold up a frame with three small photos of wildflowers, each with a different one featured in the shot.
Lynn's hands flutter to her mouth. "Oh my… You didn't."
Setting the photo on her kitchen counter, I slip my arms around her, pulling her in for a kiss. "I did. I wanted to bring you flowers that you liked, and would last forever."
She seems rattled, so I place a hand on her stomach. "Are the squirrels causing problems? Because I will have a stern word with them, if necessary."
Smiling, she shakes her head and waves me to the dining room table which is already set beautifully. Her apartment is small and cozy, all earth tones and bookshelves, with a huge array of plants lining most of the front window.
"The squirrels are fine. I think I'm nervous about giving you some strange news, though," she says.
"I'm totally open-minded. Hit me."
She busies herself with filling two small bowls with salad. "My sister Kayla works at City Hall. The other day I noticed she'd received a huge gift basket. Apparently your uncle Lloyd has been going pretty far out of his way to…umm…ingratiate himself with everyone there."
It takes some effort to stop my back teeth from grinding together. "Thank you for telling me."
"Ugh. I knew you'd get angry."
"Well, of course. Lloyd is a…" I wink as she sets the salad in front of me. "A whole string of terrible things that I'm not going to say out loud in front of a pretty girl, especially not when she's being so kind as to make me dinner in her home."
I glide my hand into the back of her hair, pulling her close for a slow, breathy kiss. "If I ever get seriously angry, I will definitely keep that from you. And it will never be because of you. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you."
She sits down and we begin to eat. I realize compared to our first date, she's calming down much faster. I hope things are even easier on her in a few months.
We chat all about our days, as I revel in the wholesomeness of it all. She tells me about some of the seniors who come into Acorns every week for an informal coffee group. I tell her about removing the sad warped pine trees that ended up in the worst soil, that will be perfect for that live edge wood furniture that's so trendy right now.
We talk about the new businesses that are opening in downtown Oakton – a new hair salon, and a natural foods store.
Every time she asks a question about my family, I feel the need to change the subject as soon as possible. It's not that I don't want her to meet them all, I just know she'll be overwhelmed. I know she can probably handle more than I think, but I think we should have more time and trust built up before I test that theory out.
