“It couldn’t have anything to do with you just showing up here with me without giving them a heads-up, huh?”I teased.
“It could,” he admitted.
He grabbed the pizzas again, and we headed outside to the backyard.Griffin’s pizza oven was huge.There were tables set up outside too.
“All right, our two new lovebirds have finally joined us,” Griffin said.“Just put the pizzas on the table.As soon as one comes out of the oven, we’ll slice it, and then whoever is the hungriest can grab a slice.”
I laughed.“Very straightforward deal.”
“So, Amy, tell us,” Wyatt started, “how did this one convince you to give him the time of day after so many years?”
I pondered my reply.
“It’s the first time he asked,” I admitted.
Everyone had a good laugh, except Knox.He looked at me with a strange expression.
Did I say something wrong?
I rewound my answer.I didn’t think so.It was tongue-in-cheek, but it was also true.
I didn’t have time to overthink it, though, because the first pizza came out, and I was starving, so I reached for a slice.
“This is delicious,” I said.
It was scalding hot, too, but that just made it even more delicious.Before long, everyone had had at least one slice.
* * *
The afternoon was trulyamazing.The more time I spent with the Sterlings, the more at ease I felt around them.It was well past dinnertime as we left, but we’d all had so much pizza that no one had been hungry for anything else.
As we went to the rental car, I said, “We need to return this, don’t we?”
“Yep.It’s actually rented until tomorrow morning, though, so no rush.”
I sighed.“I can’t wait to curl up on my couch with a book tonight and relax a bit.”
Knox laughed as he opened the door.“Well, that’s going to be my couch you curl up on—with a Kindle.I don’t actually have any books.”
I blinked.“Meaning?”
“I’m taking you to my house.I want to keep an eye on you all night long.”
“Oh, is that what they’re calling it these days?Or do you mean to actually keep your hands on me?”
He tilted closer and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.“I just want to make sure you’re all right.And spend as much time with you as possible this weekend.”
“Well, then, Mr.Sterling, whisk me away.I can’t wait for you to seduce me in that sexy house of yours.”
