Page 86 of Love Deep

The way I see it, there’s nowhere as special as Star Falls.

“Really?” Fisher says as he pulls up outside Grizzly’s. “This is where you want to go?”

“Are you saying there’s something wrong with Grizzly’s?” I ask, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Absolutely not. Best wings on earth.”

“Right,” I say. “Your favorite. You need to have the full Star Falls experience tonight. Who knows if you’ll ever experience its magic again.”

He grins at me like I’m the most thoughtful woman on the planet when all I’ve done is bring him to the local bar. “But this isn’t the final destination tonight,” I say. “So don’t get too comfortable.”

We head into the bar and Byron and Rosey are alreadyseated. “First, on your Star Falls experience: Wings, pool, and your best friend. What more could you want?”

He slides his hands around my waist and presses a kiss to my head. “You know a way to a man’s heart.”

My stomach flips when he says heart. Have I reached his heart? He’s definitely in mine. I think he has been since the moment I laid eyes on him in Grizzly’s all those months ago.

We’re not just reliving Fisher’s Star Falls experience. I’m reliving my Fisher experience.

“Did I ever tell you that I first saw you in Grizzly’s? It was just around the time of the opening of the Club.”

“You said,” he says. “I still don’t know how I didn’t see you and hit on you immediately.”

“Oh, I kept my distance. I wasn’t… this is a small town, and I wasn’t used to seeing a man I… seeing a man like you.”

“Like me?” he asks.

I shrug, and Rosey runs over and pulls us both into a hug. “Hey, guys. You ready for pool?”

“I guess so,” Fisher says. I don’t know if there’s a tinge of disappointment in his voice, but I hope not. This isn’t the only place we’re going to stop by tonight.

“We’re going to beat you,” Rosey says, pulling me along by the hand. “Boys against girls,” she calls out.

I groan. I don’t want to be in any game where I’m not on the same team as Fisher. I glance behind me to see Byron slapping Fisher on the back in commiseration, and then they follow us into the back.

“So, Fisher,” Rosey says. “When are you next back in Colorado?”

“Rosey,” I say. “Please, can we not talk about Fisher coming back to Colorado or me going to New York? Not tonight. Fisher and I have always been clear about what weare to each other. I want to just enjoy the evening. I want to have fun.”

“What she said,” Fisher says, and holds out his hand.

Byron chuckles at the frustrated expression on Rosey’s face.

“It’s just that you’re so good together. And Byron said he’s never seen Fisher so happy with a woman.”

I pull in a breath and shake my head. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to spend the evening telling Rosey all the reasons Fisher and I can’t be together. It’s too depressing. It’s too much.

Rosey starts to say something else, and Byron steps between the two of us and walks her back to the other side of the room, whispering in her ear.

Fisher raises his eyebrows. I can’t tell whether he’s exasperated with Rosey or disappointed in me. Does he want to be convinced we can work?

“For the record,” I say to him, so no one else can hear. “It’s not because I’m looking forward to you leaving. We both just know the reality of the situation.”

He pulls in a breath and pulls me into a hug. “Unfortunately, we do.”

His body envelops me. He’s so big and reassuring. It makes me feel like it’s going to be okay. But I’m not sure if it is. Fisher’s only been in my life a few weeks, but I can’t even begin to think about the hole he’ll leave when he’s gone.

“Let’s just try and stay in the moment.” He releases me from his arms.