Approaching him, I jerk a thumb at the door of the coffee shop. “This is the place. You didn’t have trouble finding it?”
“I know this place.” He glances at the paper menu taped to the window. “My mom used to bring me here for banana pudding after school when I was a kid.”
He’s only a decade younger than me, but I’d still label him as a kid. My jump from nineteen to twenty-nine was vast. I grew up once I graduated high school and hit college.
“We’ll order you one of those,” I half-joke.
His hands dart to cover his eyes.
Shit. Fucking hell.
I’m not an insensitive ass. I went into my line of work because of what I witnessed when I was a kid. My dad was always carrying the burden of the emotional pain he took on working as a detective with the NYPD.
My brother, Nick, lost his fianceé right around the time he was Rhys’s age. I lived through that sorrow with him. I was overwhelmed by her death, but I helped pull him out of the darkness.
“Rhys,” I start with a hand on his forearm. “Look, man, I’m…”
“She’d like it if I ordered it.” He sucks in a deep breath. “She’d smile if she knew I was here.”
Hope.It appears when you least expect it.
“I’ll give it a try too,” I say, tugging on the handle of the door to open it. “Grab a seat and I’ll get two coffees and two banana puddings.”
“Soda for me.” He pats a hand on my shoulder. “My mom always told me the coffee here was bad as hell.”
“It’s not half-bad, right?”I swing the bouquet I made in front of Athena.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she nods her head up and down. “It looks great, Liam.”
What the fuck?
I huff out a laugh. “Open your eyes. Take a good look at it.”
Squinting, she studies the mess of flowers in my hand. How the hell was I supposed to concentrate on her instructions? She’s wearing a blue dress and for fuck’s sake, her legs.
Her goddamn legs are perfection.
She’s not tall, but they’re perfect. Everything about her is everything I’ve ever wanted.
Leaning back, her gaze trails over my shirt to my face. “Do you want me to be honest?”
“Only if it means we’re not saying goodnight in the next two minutes.”
The corners of her lips quirk up. “I’d rate this as a solid six out of ten.”
I’ll fucking take it.
I shove the flowers into her hands. “I made it just for you.”
She takes the bouquet. When she brings it to her nose, she inhales deeply. “Do you know that smelling flowers can put a person in a good mood?”
Being within ten feet of her puts me in a good mood. “Is that so?”
She offers the flowers to me, brushing them against the tip of my nose. “Try it.”
I humor her by taking a whiff. “It works. I haven’t been this happy in a long time.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re serious?”
