Page 66 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

She could do little more than stare at him as he fixed her bra and buttoned her dress, reveling in the way he took care of her.

He slid his finger under her chin, lifting her face, and kissed her. “Moonlight tag just became my favorite game.”

“Mine, too.”

He took her hand and turned on the flashlight. “Let’s go, beautiful. I’ve got a surprise in store for you.”

Chapter Eighteen

“REMEMBER THAT GIRLFRIEND I told you about?” Doc asked as he led Juliette through the trees.

Her stomach clenched. “What girlfriend?”

“My sheltered, first and only serious girlfriend.”

Relief brought a smile. “Yes.”

“Those games I taught weren’t her only firsts in these woods. She’d never even skipped stones, so I brought her up here to the lake where I grew up dicking around with my brothers and sisters and showed her how to do it. She was the cutest thing, sinking stones, and getting so frustrated she stomped her foot.”

“It was hard,” she said, loving that he remembered, and then decided to play along with his storytelling. “I mean, that’s what I heard.”

He laughed and pulled her into a kiss. “That was one of my favorite memories.”

When the lake came into view, she was shocked to see a red-and-white cooler on a blanket a few feet from the water’s edge, just like the night he’d surprised her when they were teenagers.

“Seeley.” She turned to look at him, and her breath caught in her throat. He was holding a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers, also like he had that warm summer night so long ago. His dark eyes were tender and as hopeful as her heart. But it was this whole special night, and what she realized he’d done for her, that had her getting so emotional, her voice came out barely a whisper. “You re-created our first date.”

“I was, until we dove into that extracurricular activity.”

She laughed softly. “That was my fault, wasn’t it?”

“It’s us, darlin’. As real and honest as ever.” He handed her the wildflowers and kissed her. “I know I promised you wining and dining, and you look so beautiful, I’m sure you were expecting to go to a nice restaurant. But I didn’t want to sit in a room full of strangers making small talk where you’d worry about seeing one of Lucas’s friends or their parents and word getting back to him if we’re holding hands or kissing. I told him we’re having dinner together, but still.”

“You told Lucas? I thought we were keeping this between us.”

“I know, darlin’, but he heard me say I’d see you later, and when we got in the truck, he asked about it. It didn’t feel right to lie to him. Should I have?”

“How should I know? I haven’t dealt with this before.” The Seeley she’d fallen for years ago had been painfully honest, and she appreciated that he respected their son enough to be honest with him, too, but she had no idea whether Lucas would feel the same. “What did he say?”

“I asked him if it was okay, and he told me to mind my manners, which is exactly what I told him to do with Layla. I also reiterated that he needed to be ready at eleven fifteen when you pick him up or he’d never drive my truck again.”

“I don’t know if I’m more shocked or relieved that he was okay with us having dinner. But I am pleasantly surprised that you told him to mind his manners and supported me about his curfew.”

“I will always support you.” He squeezed her hand. “And let’s go with relieved about Lucas giving us the okay. I don’t want there to be anything fake in our lives. I brought you here because I wanted to get to know the real you, not some stilted version. I wanted a chance to just be us. To talk or kiss or simply sit together without worrying about who might be watching.”

She thought about how nervous she’d been when he’d picked her up tonight and how that anxiousness had fallen away when they’d come to the ranch. She didn’t know if he was right, and she’d worried that Lucas might hear about something that could upset him, but it didn’t matter. The fact that he took it into consideration meant the world to her.

“I’m glad we’re here. It’s absolutely perfect.”

“You might not think so after you see what I brought for dinner. I was nervous about leaving hot food out here for so long, so I went with sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit, and wine.”

“I still think it’s perfect. I love that you thought to do all of this, and I love the reasons we’re here.”

He exhaled with relief and drew her into his arms. “Good. I’m hoping when the dust settles, you and Lucas will see how good we can all be together, and we’ll have years of wining and dining ahead of us.”

“We really do suck at going slow. I can’t believe I’m saying this after only a week, but I hope so, too.”

They sat by the water eating dinner, drinking wine, and talking.