Page 27 of Waiting for Acceptance (Nashville Nights #5)

FITZ

She said yes. I can’t believe she actually said yes.

I had an entire presentation in my head ready to try and convince her, but she surprised me and agreed.

I felt like I was two feet taller when I left her house.

Though I’m not sure why, it is fake after all.

For now, at least. I pick up my phone to call my father after finishing my workout, and for the first time in my life, I’m happy to be the one to call him.

Mostly because I know what I have to tell him will piss him off.

“Fitz, what’s the matter?”

“Hello to you too, Father. Nothing is wrong, why do you ask?” He clears his throat and changes his tone.

“Oh, well, good then. How are you?” I can’t remember the last time my father asked me how I was doing.

“Um, I’m fine. I was actually calling to inform you I will be bringing someone with me to the event this weekend so there’s no need to involve Jessica again.” I hear him scoff and have to fight off the urge to hang up on him. Seeing as I’m the one who called him in the first place.

“Jessica has already been invited to the event. You will take her as planned. It’ll look bad if you cancel on her at the last minute.”

“It’s not last minute, the event isn’t for four days, and isn’t it also a bad look to take someone who isn’t my girlfriend to all of these events just for the sake of public image?”

“You don’t have a girlfriend.” I can feel the deviousness in the smirk on my face.

“Well, I’ll let you try that theory out when you meet her on Friday. I gotta go.”

“We’re not done, Fitz?—”

Click .

Yes, I believe we are.

I booked our first-class tickets to New York the minute I left her house Sunday morning, ensuring I didn’t pick the first flight out since my little troublemaker doesn’t seem to be a morning person.

It’s quarter to eight when I pull in front of her house to pick her up, shocked to see she is sitting on her front porch with a cup of coffee in her hand, and a rolling suitcase next to her.

Her carry-on is attached to the handle of the rolling bag and she’s wearing a small fanny pack across her chest. She’s wearing a ribbed lounge set, biker shorts with an oversized hoodie, and sneakers that look like they’d slide off and on pretty easily.

Someone is an experienced traveler.

“Morning, Sweetheart. Ready to go?” She rolls her eyes at the nickname and stands up to face me.

“I’ve been ready for hours. I get anxious on travel days.”

Well, fuck my nice gesture to let her sleep in. I guess she is a morning person.

“Noted. I’ll book earlier flights from now on. This all?” Her cheeks redden and she offers me a small smile when I grab the handle of her suitcase to carry it to the car.

“Yeah, thanks.” After everything is loaded I open the door and much to my surprise she quietly gets in, only speaking to say thank you when I go to close the door behind her.

“So, what’s the itinerary this weekend?” she asks, tucking her foot beneath her ass as she turns to face me.

“Well, Friday is a convention I am speaking at. It should be pretty low-key, but you’ll be there with me.

Just simple girlfriend stuff, sit front row during my time slot speaking on media marketing and how to use today's technology to help real estate careers, have lunch with me, basically just be with me.” I glance over to see her face is a beautiful shade of red and she shifts in her seat to face forward.

“Yeah, okay. Sounds simple enough.” I take a deep breath and the scent of coconut and something a little more…I don’t know, minty maybe, hits my nose. God, she smells like— “What about Saturday?” I clear my throat, getting my mind back on track and growing a little more nervous now.

“Saturday is…my dad’s birthday.” I can see her head whip around, her short black hair flying around her face.

“You’re launching our relationship to your father, who wants you with someone else, mind you, on his birthday?! Are you insane?” I start to smile and earn a slap on the arm from her, making me laugh.

“Ow,” I say sarcastically.

“Fitz! This is a horrible idea!” she laughs the words out. A mix of fear and humor in her tone.

I shrug. “He’ll be fine. I already told him about you.”

“What?” I look over to see her perfectly shaped brows pulled together.

“I just mean, I told him I had a girlfriend I would be bringing with me this weekend. He doesn’t think you actually exist , but I assume it’ll be pretty hard to deny when you’re standing right in front of him.”

“He might not be able to deny it but he can ignore it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the other girl is there waiting for you when we show up.” She snorts and the thought makes my skin feel like sandpaper.

“You won’t be ignored. Not if I have anything to say about it.

” He would do it too, wouldn’t he? He’d invite Jessica and try to make me look bad if I ignored her after all the times we’ve been seen together in the last few months.

Suddenly the sandpaper feeling is gone and it feels as if a silk blanket is covering my arm.

“You okay?” I look down and see her tiny fingers curled around my forearm, and when my eyes meet hers a fire spreads throughout my entire body.

I want her to touch me more. To feel this sense of calm everywhere.

She looks so concerned about me and that makes me want to do something completely irrational.

“All good,” I assure her, forcing a small smile.

When she goes to move her hand I quickly reach for her fingers, bring them to my lips, and kiss them, then I place her hand back on my arm and we remain silent the rest of the way to the airport.

I expect her to try and move her hand at some point, but she never does.

When we finally get our bags checked and get through security my phone alerts me that our flight is already boarding.

“See, this is why I get to the airport at least two hours early,” she says, anxiously chewing on the inside of her lip. I squeeze her cheeks together with one hand, forcing her teeth to release the skin.

“You’re going to start bleeding if you keep doing that.” She rolls her eyes and my dick stirs. Yeah, I know. I think she’s doing it on purpose at this point too. “And two hours is way too fucking long to be at an airport. What the fuck do you do while you wait?”

“Read. Watch a show on my phone. Listen to music. Nap—” I look down at her and frown.

“You nap ? Alone. In an airport?” She glares at me and I can’t quite tell what she’s thinking.

“No. I only nap if I’m traveling with someone. I do actually care about my safety, you know?” I give a look of disbelief and she swats my arm again.

“Could have fooled me, Sweetheart.” She turns to face forward as we move further up the line to board.

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that anymore.” She shrugs.

“What do you mean?” She looks up at me and bats her eyelashes and fuck me for falling for it.

“Didn’t you hear? I have a very protective boyfriend to look out for me now.

” She wraps herself around my arm, making that same feeling from the car spread through me again.

“Now I can nap anytime, anywhere.” I huff out a laugh but pause when she doesn’t remove herself from my side.

I’m not used to this side of her. She’s actually playing into this role pretty damn well and we aren’t even in New York yet.

She better be careful. I might enjoy her calling me her boyfriend a little too much and never let her stop.