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She tilted her head and looked at him noticing that he had also gone somewhere else. She broke the silence and him out of his daze. “Why don’t you believe it?”

Brooks sighed, leaning back. “I don’t know. I just ain’t talked to Him in a long time. Figured He stopped listening.”

Taylor shook her head, her grip on his hand tightening.

“That’s not how it works. He doesn’t stop listening just because you stop talking. He’s still there, Brooks. Even when you don’t feel it.”

The waiter approached putting the moment on pause. Taylor agreed to let him order and surprise her. She was going with whatever he was going with. She was trusting him. He’d been spot on so far.

As they settled in, she felt his eyes on her, steady and warm, while she pretended to be fascinated by the city lights below. His gaze felt like a physical touch, it was so heavy.

“You really believe that?” He asked again, easing back into their conversation and needing to hear her say it one more time.

“With everything in me,” she answered without having to think about it. “Why wouldn’t I? God is smitten with the lost. We serve a God who meets people where they are, the corner store, the wilderness, the temple, wherever.”

He nodded slowly, tucking her words away for later. A moment of silence stretched between them before he smirked, shaking his head.

“I didn’t know I was about to get a whole sermon tonight.”

Taylor laughed softly, letting the moment lighten. “See, you should’ve just stuck to wine talk. I never miss an opportunity to talk about God.”

“A blessing,” Brooks said, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a slow kiss to her knuckles. “I needed that.”

Her throat went dry, heat pooling low as his gaze held hers, unshaken, unreadable.

“Well,” she murmured, reaching for her glass to steady herself. “You’re welcome, Brooksie.”

Brooks chuckled, reaching for his own drink. “Don’t start with that bestie shit again.”

Taylor smirked, sipping her wine. “I didn’t say bestie.”

“Nah,” he murmured, watching her over the rim of his glass. “But you thinking it.”

Brooks just watched her steady, unblinking. Taylor swallowed, suddenly hyperaware of the way his gaze roamed over her. If she didn’t know any better she’d say that he was enamored, under a spell.

“What?” She asked, her voice softer than she intended.

“Nothing,” he said, but his smile said everything. “Just like seeing you in my world while staying completely yourself. You’re still just Taylor, church girl and all.”

“I don’t wanna show up as anyone else other than myself anymore. Done enough of that.”

Brooks studied her, noting the way she kept shifting, still figuring out where she belonged. In this moment. In this space. With him.

“Do I make you nervous?” His voice was low, even, genuinely curious. He’d watched her loosen up, start to let go, only to retreat again. He knew he could be a lot, his presence, his energy. If he had to dial it back, he would.

“Not nervous. Just… processing. This is all a lot. The dress, the shoes, this place…” She gestured subtly around them. There was a live jazz band in the background, the lights were dim, candles lit on the table. By far the fanciest place she'd ever been. Then, just as easily, her gaze slid back to him. “And you. Looking at me like that. Smelling good.”

Brooks leaned forward, intrigued. “Looking at you like what?”

She held his gaze, fingers tracing the stem of her wine glass. “Like you already know things about me that I haven’t even told you yet.” She took a slow sip, letting the richness of the wine settle on her tongue before adding, “Which maybe you do, considering you knew exactly what size dress to send.”

“I almost asked Blake, but I didn’t. I described you to the lady, and she hit it right on the head. That shit fittin’ just right too,” he acknowledged licking his lips and winking at her.

She was going to be blushing all night if he kept it up with the compliments and the eye contact.

“This place is beautiful,” Taylor said finally, popping an olive in her mouth. “You bring all your women here?”

Brooks leaned forward, his dark eyes holdinghers. “Nice try, but there aren’t any other women in my life.”