was expecting. It’s big for someone who lives on his own.”
That lump in my stomach grew bigger as the weight of the words hit me. Maybe he hadn’t always
lived here alone. While I wasn’t sure how old he was—that wasn’t really the type of thing you just
blurted out to someone when you were just getting to know them—the fact he was a principal at a high
school said there had to be at least ten years between us, probably more. That was a whole lifetime
he could have shared with someone else.
“Relax,” Theron urged me, resting his hand on my hip. “If you’re having second thoughts, I can
grab my keys and we can go out to lunch. It was probably a bit much for me to ask you over to my
house when we barely know one another. I don’t want you upset.”
“No, it…it’s n-not that,” I stammered. Great, now I was turning into a bumbling mess. “It’s
unconventional, but I’m not worried you’ll hurt me or take advantage of me.”
Theron grabbed my bag, slinging it over his shoulder before sliding his hand into mine. “Let’s
take this inside and you can tell me what has you worried.”
“I’m not—” Theron cut me off with one quirked eyebrow, silently daring me to finish what would
have been a lie. “Sorry. I wouldn’t say I’m worried so much as realizing I don’t know anything about
you.”
“That’s the whole point of me inviting you over here, sweetheart. I was upset when you weren’t
able to go out to dinner Monday, and wanted to find a way to see you that would allow you to take
care of your homework, too,” Theron explained. His house looked like something out of a magazine.
While the walls and hardwood floors were shades of gray, there were pops of color throughout that
brought the open concept to life.
“I’m sorry about Monday,” I apologized, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth as I toed off my
shoes. This was our chance for a fresh start, and that meant being honest with him. “Ididhave a
project I needed to work on, but I was also nervous. I… Well, let’s just say I haven’t dated much, and
I’m sure you have. While I was getting ready, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the reasons you could
do better than someone like me.”
I stiffened at the low growl behind me. Theron spun me around, dragging his thumb over my
bottom lip to free it from my teeth before tipping my head back so I had no choice but to look at him.
“Thank you for being honest with me about Monday. Now, let’s get one thing clear.Iwill be the one
to decide if you’re worthy of my time. And you aremore than enough. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t
