“Don’t kiss me in front of Beau and Colby,” Harper demands, all grumpy and hissing like a kitten.
We aren’t even in the house yet and already with the demands. Harper sits in the passenger seat, arms crossed, a pout on his perfect lips. Maybe I should’ve given him a warning thattonight’s date night was Friendsgiving, but I didn’t want to give him more time to figure out an excuse to not come.
“Can I hold your hand?” I ask sarcastically.
Harper’s lips twitch at the corners. “No.”
“Can I look at you at least?”
“Once every thirty minutes is fine.”
I nod in acceptance of his demand just as the car comes to a stop in front of Colby’s house. “I’ll set a timer on my phone.”
Harper sighs loudly, then pinches the bridge of his nose. “All right, let's go.”
“Nope.” I cup the nape of his neck, letting my fingers curl into the soft hair there. My mouth is on Harper’s before he can even utter a word. It takes a few teasing swipes of my tongue, but finally, he opens for me, relaxing into my hold. When I pull away, he’s starry-eyed and quiet. “Better?”
“Yes,” Harper admits quietly, as if it’s a secret.
“If you get overwhelmed and want to sneak away to kiss me, just tug on your ear.”
Harper chuckles against my lips. “How will you see the sign if you’re not allowed to look at me?”
I mock gasp. “Oh no, maybe thedon’t look at meorder should be lifted.”
Harper drops his forehead to my chest, his fingers tightening against my stomach. Colby comes out of the house barefoot and waving when he spots us in the car. A little furrow forms between Colby’s eyes as he looks on. I hold a finger up in the universal sign for one more moment, watching as he returns inside.
“Okay, you can look at me,” Harper agrees with an air of giving up. “But no kissing.”
“Alright, punk. Time to go in.”
I kiss his cheek, grinning like a loon when he closes his eyes in bliss at the feel of my lips.
We walk into the warm farmhouse hand in hand despite Harper’s earlier reluctance for displays of affection in front of his family. Honey’s vest is off tonight, so she wiggles and pants when Whiskey comes into view. They huff and nuzzle at one another before disappearing into the living room to the right.
Everyone’s gathered on the back porch under the glowing fairy lights. It’s the perfect evening to be outside. The air has a slight chill, and the wind whips the cool, fresh smell of the trees behind Colby’s house toward us. Eli stands whispering with Colby at the edge of the back porch, but he grins widely upon spotting us.
“There you two are! We thought maybe you weren’t coming.”
“Sorry, Jackson had a fashion snafu. We wore the same thing, and he had to change… it was all very dramatic.” Harper drops my hand and heads towards the outdoor sofas, plopping down beside a grinning Trevor.
Everyone looks between me and Harper as if gauging the truth of the statement. But I can’t stop thinking about Harper wearing my clothes, maybe just one of my shirts, nothing else at all. Oh no. That’s not a conducive train of thought for right now at all. Harper smirks wickedly and murmurs something to Trevor, making my friend borderline cackle. I flick my gaze to Beau just in time to see him hide his grin at the sound of Trevor’s laughter. We’re all seriously lovesick.
“How’s it been going?” Eli asks softly, his gaze also trained on Harper.
“Good, when he’s not trying to push me away.”
Eli places his hand on my forearm, squeezing in reassurance. “I’m pretty sure he’s worth pushing through his sky-high barriers. I’ve never seen you so enamored with someone. I like it seeing you this way.”
“Ditto.” I dip down to kiss his cheek, earning myself a swat on the arm.
“Beer or wine?” Colby asks as he comes up behind Eli.
“Nothing for me, solidarity with Harper.”
Colby smiles an approving little smile and hands Eli the wineglass he’d been holding. Satisfied that I passed some hidden test, I make my way over to the sofa. The spot beside Beau is empty, so I plop down beside him.
“Still bored?” Beau asks, obviously trying to make conversation.
