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I parked the truck, but instead of getting out, we unbuckled and I shifted toward her, resting my back against the door. She mirrored me in her seat.

“Can we talk?” I started

“Uh, yeah.” Her brows met.

“You remember earlier, when you told that girl from high school that you were my date?” I grinned because I loved that she had been feisty.

She nodded and bit her lip. I seriously wished she wouldn’t do that.

“What if we did date?” I asked, simply watching her face to take in her reaction.

Hazel met blue. Her hand reached for her dog tags.

“You want to date me?” she asked with a hitch in her breath.

“Yes, but only if you want to.” Please want to.

“What if you decide you don’t like me?” she whispered.

There was not a planet in the galaxy where I could be that I would not like Sawyer Brannan. There wasn’t a possibility under the heavens that I didn’t want every piece of her with me, always, where I could hold her soft hand in mine. I wanted to shield her, protect her, beat my chest, and declare like a proverbial caveman that Sawyer was mine.

“I will always like you.” She needed to wipe that concern completely from her mind.

“But how can you know that?” she continued.

“Some things you just know.” Her eyes searched mine, doubtful.

“I like having you as a friend, and I’m not sure I want to lose that. Soren, I’m different from the other women you’ve dated. I have all these gaps of life experiences. I entered the system at two years old after my parents died in a boating accident, and then I aged out at eighteen years old. I know about the darkest parts of life, but I’m twenty-six years old and this was my first time going to a concert. You need a sweet, small-town woman who doesn’t have all these broken pieces.” She laughed but there was no humor in it as she stared out the front windshield and continued.

“I’m not even broken pieces . . . it’s as if my life has been shattered to dust and there are particles of me floating around out there. No matter how hard I try to piece them all together, I can’t remember exactly where they belong. I’ve lived so much of my life in survival mode, it’s like I was sleepwalking for so much of it . . . and the things I remember . . . I don’t want to.” Her voice broke off at that, and I knew I’d have to spar with the heavy bag before bed.

My heart broke at her words. This was her first concert? I knew her childhood was a thing of horror movies, but maybe I didn’t account for how much she had missed out on. I wanted to wipe the memories from her mind. I wanted to shelter her in a way that wasn’t humanly possible. This was going to be harder than I thought, but one thing I didn’t lack was the self-confidence to go after what I wanted. I wanted to never be without the warmth of Sawyer Brannan’s light. I was not letting her slip through my fingers. I wanted to give Sawyer the life she’d never dreamed of, a life with me, and that thought scared the hell out of me.

“What if I don’t want a sweet, small-town woman? What if I want you?” She shook her head as though it was the craziest notion she’d ever heard, and I leaned across the cab and caught her face in my hands. She stilled, her lips parting.

“Pretty Girl, don’t tell me what I want.” Her eyes widened.

I go on. “If you don’t want me, tell me to stop, but if it’s because you think I don’t want you, you’re dead wrong.” She bit her lip, and I used my thumb to tug on her chin so it popped out.

“Okay,” she rasped. “I’m scared to lose our friendship. Soren, I’ve had so many people walk in and out of my life, and I can’t lose this, too. Can we just go slow?”

“Yes, ma’am!” She needed a break from this weighty conversation.

I dropped my hands from her face before I could kiss her and saluted. Knowing it’d make her laugh. She didn’t understand how slow I’ve been going. She didn’t understand that I’ve been under her spell since the moment I met her. She was it. She was the one I was willing to risk my fears of loss and ruin for.

“You said tonight was your first concert?” I settled back against the door, an idea coming to mind.

“Yes.”

“Was it what you thought it’d be?” I asked.

“It was wonderful. Thank you again for the ear plugs. I didn’t realize it would be so loud,” she said with a small smile.

“You’re welcome. What do you think of us making a list of things you haven’t done, and we’ll do those things on dates?” I tossed out my idea.

“Like a bucket list?”

“Yes, but hopefully without kicking the bucket,” I teased.