"Tomorrow's fine," Eli says.
"You need a ride back? I can call Frank, see if he's around."
"I've got it covered," I say before Eli can respond. "I can drive him."
Both men look at me. Casey with amusement, Eli with something that might be surprise.
"You sure?" Eli asks.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Just making sure."
Casey's grin widens. "Oh, you two are going to be fun to watch."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.
"Nothing. Just small town. We don't get a lot of new romances around here. It's entertaining."
I feel my face heat. "We're not… I mean, we are, but—"
"We're figuring it out," Eli says, cutting me off.
And then, to my complete shock, he reaches over and takes my hand. Just like that. In public. In front of Casey and anyone else who might be watching.
Casey notices, of course, because he's clearly perceptive as hell. But he just smiles and says, "Well, good for you both. Lord knows this guy needs someone to drag him into town more often."
"I come to town," Eli protests.
"Twice a month if we're lucky." Casey waves us off. "Go on, get out of here. I'll call you when the truck's ready."
We head to my car. My tiny sedan that Eli has to fold himself into, and I can't stop smiling.
"What?" he asks as I start the engine.
"You held my hand."
"So?"
"So, you did it in front of Casey. In public."
"And?"
"And that means you're not hiding this. Hiding us."
He's quiet for a moment, looking out the window at the trees passing by. Then he says, "I'm done hiding."
My smile gets even wider. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."
"You've mentioned that."
"I'm going to keep mentioning it until you believe it."
"I'm starting to," he says.
I reach over and take his hand, lacing our fingers together. He squeezes back, and we drive like that all the way to his cabin: hands linked, the future uncertain but somehow less scary than it was before.
Because I've got him. And he's got me. And Ridge, of course.
