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I tilted my head, considering.
“And if I say pretty please with a cherry on top?”
That had me chuckling. “Okay, okay, you convinced me.”
He pumped a fist in the air. “Victory!”
I rolled my eyes, laughing at him, and we went into the diner together. I loved sitting and eating dinner with him, chatting about our days and getting to hear about Chopper’s first day at the shop. He said all the customers adored seeing the puppy in the waiting room, and Chopper lapped up the attention.
I smiled, saying, “Maybe I can swing by on my lunch break tomorrow to give him some pets.”
Hayes pouted out his lip. “Can I have pets too?”
I laughed. “I think we can manage that.”
After we finished eating, Hayes paid for our meal, and we walked out to the parking lot, seeing the setting sun was starting to cast orange and pink rays over the sky. I eyed his bike again, thinking I should be more worried than I was. But last time on his bike had been fine. Better than fine, considering it was an excuse to wrap my arms around him and feel his warmth against me.
He passed me the helmet, and I pushed it over my head. He reached out, tenderly helping me clip the strap under my chin. When it was in place, he brushed his finger over my chin like he relished the chance to touch me. And yet again, I felt precious in his presence.
We both got onto the motorcycle, and then he kicked the bike to life. It purred underneath me, and the mix of its vibrations and Hayes’s closeness was a painfully erotic reminder that we hadn’t had sex yet.
I was starting to get desperate to experience it with Hayes, to get closer to him. But then he edged the bike forward and I held on, focusing more on staying upright and off the pavement flying beneath us.
He steered us down Main Street first, and then we continued heading down a dirt road out of town. The more comfortable I got on the bike, the more I could enjoy it and see why he loved it so much.
There was something about having the sun on your skin, feeling the air rushing past, and seeing the beautiful countryside that surrounded Cottonwood Falls.
Hayes kept his promise, not driving too fast. And then he turned the bike off the dirt road, taking us into a pasture and down a country trail that was rutted down from years of vehicles driving over the same spot, leaving their marks in the ground.
I saw something up ahead and realized there was a blanket laid out on the hilltop with a cooler beside it. When he stopped the bike and got off, I realized we had the most incredible view from here—miles and miles of farmland and pastures containing the black, red, and white dots of cattle.
“Wow,” I breathed, tugging off my helmet. I took it in a moment longer before turning to Hayes, seeing him set his helmet on the bike seat. “This is quite the surprise,” I said.
He grinned at me. “I thought you might like wine and a sunset better than closing out the diner.” He walked to the blanket and opened the cooler.
I smiled at him, thinking that any way I spent the evening with him was fine with me. “Thank you for doing this. It was so thoughtful of you.”
He smiled gently before coming to me and pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “It was worth it, seeing you smile like that.”
My heart thudded with love for this man. For his thoughtfulness. For how he continued to put himself out there and try new things to make me happy. The words tugged at my lips, begging to come out. But how could I say such powerful words when there was still so much to decide? When my decision could tear us apart?
Hayes gripped my hand and said, “Let’s sit.”
I swallowed down my emotions, going to join him on the quilt spread out on the grassy ground. He poured us both a glass of Cupcake wine and then offered me a piece of chocolate to go with it.
With a smile, I took the square, biting off a piece. Sweetness flooded my mouth, matching the beauty of the landscape before me and the actions of the man sitting beside me.
For a moment, we were quiet, watching the display of hues painted before us.
“Sometimes, when I’ve had a long day at work, I come out here to clear my head,” he said quietly. “Something about this sight, seeing the sun set, reminds me that there will always be another day, no matter what happened today.”
I turned to look at him, seeing that the sunset was casting a beautiful orange glow over his skin.
He smiled at me, brushing curls away from my face and tucking them behind my ear. “I think the sunset’s even prettier in your eyes.”
My lips twisted in a small smile. The words were on the tip of my tongue.
I love you.