Page 28 of Wicked Lies Grow Wildflowers

Bundling up for the cold and grabbing my purse, I thank Sage for helping me get ready while she grabs her things.

“Absolutely, and please have fun tonight, and be safe! Call me if you need anything! A rescue, a ride home, the police, anything.” She grabs me for a hug. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

We head down the stairs and outside, parting ways as Xander takes my hand and leads me to the car, the cold bite of the October wind on my bare legs.

As we drive across town, Xander breaks the silence, “She seems like a really great friend, I mean it.”

“Oh she is. We’re practically sisters, she’s been there for me since we met in college. She’s basically family and I’m incredibly thankful for her and lucky to have her in my life.” I don’t know if I’d still be alive without her.

“I’m glad you have her. I’m sure being without a good family is hard.”

“Yeah, it can be. But anyways, I’d rather talk about happier things before I bring doom and gloom into tonight’s date. Where are you taking me?” I ask, and he looks over at me.

“It’s a surprise,” he smiles, turning his eyes from me and back to the road.

“What if I hate surprises?”

“I know you better than you think, and you’ll love this one.” He places his right hand on my thigh and rubs circles with his thumb. I relax into his touch as we make small talk the rest of the way.

Xander pulls up to the valet at a very fancy looking establishment.

“Wow. This is really nice.” I bet my eyes look like saucers as I take in the ornate building standing tall in the downtown area of Clarksville, a neighboring city known for their night scene.

The large stone building has beautiful carvings along the outside, statues of angels standing tall and on guard on either corner out front.

Xander gets out, tosses the keys to the valet, and opens my door, holding his hand out for me.

I smile up at him as I accept his offer, and he leads me inside.

If I thought the outside was impressive, this is even better.

There are oil and acrylic paintings in gilded frames everywhere.

The entire place looks like a giant art gallery.

Scenes of the English countryside, beautiful houses on cliffs overlooking oceans, sprawling hillsides, and jagged mountains capture my attention. I feel like I’m in a museum.

This is a property you see in movies or fancy real estate catalogs millionaires keep on their coffee tables, not in real life.

After I’m done gawking, the host greets us and leads us to a table set for two in the back corner of the dining area.

All of the tables are covered in white linen, the soft glow of candles illuminating each one, the chairs a polished wood.

This is, without a doubt, the most upscale place I’ve ever been to.

I couldn’t have dreamed of eating in a place like this.

“Do you like it?” Xander’s voice snaps me out of my inner musings.

“Like it? I love it. It’s beautiful Xander. But you didn’t need to take me somewhere so fancy. Seriously.” It’s almost too much.

“No, but I wanted to. Seeing your enjoyment is worth it.”

I open my menu and gawk at the prices. “Um… this is like… this meal is going to be like one whole paycheck for me. Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, it’s my treat. Just let me take care of you.”

“Well, it’s just that—” I’m cut off before I can continue.

“ Trust me . My business is very successful, I can swing it. Plus, I wanted to take you out on a formal date, it’s past due.”

Though I try to hide it, the guilt of eating somewhere this expensive eats away at me regardless of his assurance. I’m just not used to this type of treatment—like I’m someone worth spoiling.

We scan the menu for a few minutes and then place our orders. Xander gets us a bottle of wine to split, and it’s the best I’ve ever tasted. I usually go for a ten dollar bottle myself, and I know I’d be sick if I knew how much this one was.

We laugh, eat, and drink, and by the time the check comes, my head feels like it’s in the clouds. I could blame the wine, or I could blame my growing feelings.

Once Xander pays the tab, he’s grabbing my hand and pulling me up.

“Come on, I have one more surprise for you.” I’m so giddy I feel like a teenager on their first date, although my teenage dates never went well.

Not even kind of well, and remembering them makes me that much more grateful to have met Xander, a man who puts so much care into ‘us’.

Even though we haven’t discussed what ‘us’ really means.

He told me I’m his, but am I really?

I swallow my worries and follow him back outside to the car, not missing the brutal chill in the air after being warmed by the great wine and his even better conversation.

“Thank you for dinner, really, it was very sweet of you.” I really am so grateful, tonight’s been amazing so far.

“My pleasure, Wildflower. I just wanted to treat you.” He places his right hand on my upper thigh and lightly squeezes. I smile and place a hand over his, not wanting to sever the contact.

“Soooo… Where are you taking me now?” I ask as I watch a light flurry of snow coast across the road. It’s still a bit early for real snow, but sometimes we get a little here and there before Halloween.

He turns to me and smiles. “You’ll see soon enough. Just enjoy the ride.”

“Oh, I’ve enjoyed the ride plenty.” My face drops, I cannot believe I just let that slip. Oh God. But Xander just busts out in a laugh, the happiest one I think I’ve heard from him. “I, um, I just—I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t even apologize, I like that you have a bit of a filthy mouth on you,” he says through the last of his chuckling.

Now it’s my turn to smile at him, but I look away as soon as I meet his eyes because who am I kidding?

I’m still a little embarrassed by my brazenness.

But maybe this side of me can come out here and there, especially since he likes it.

We sit in comfortable silence and soon pull into an overlook, gazing down at the lights of the city below. Snow is coming down steadily now, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

“We’re here,” he says, leaning over the console to look at me.

I turn to meet his hooded gaze, eyes dipping to his mouth.

Maybe I should continue my streak of speaking and doing exactly what I want.

I lean forward and capture his lips in mine, gripping the collar of his jacket and holding on to what feels like life.

Maybe he really could be the rest of my life; I know it’s too early to tell, but there’s a nagging feeling in the back of my mind telling me he could be it for me.

We sit there kissing to the patter of snow falling all around us until I pull away for a breath. I give Xander one more quick kiss before turning forward in my seat to watch the snow fall. “It’s beautiful up here, I didn’t even know this place existed.”

“I come up here often to think, especially if I can’t sleep late at night,” he tells me.

“I can see why. It’s very peaceful being up above all the noise. I’m so happy it’s snowing right now, winter is actually my favorite season.”

“Really? You don’t mind the cold?” he asks me, sounding surprised.

“No, not anymore at least. Fresh snow reminds me of new beginnings.”

Xander makes a low humming noise and grabs my hand, rubbing his thumb along my pointer finger.

Right now I feel like a girl in one of those cheesy rom-coms and I can’t wipe the smile off my face.

We sit there for a while, just comfortably talking, before he drives me home.

Then, ever the gentleman, he walks me to my door.

“Goodnight, Wildflower.”

“Goodnight, Xander,” I say, biting my lower lip before rocking onto my toes and giving him a kiss.

I like the side of me that he brings out; I can articulate what I need and initiate what I want, and he likes me for it.

I’ve spent so long trying to be less, to be quiet, to worry about what other people want that this is all so foreign to me, but I like it .

He palms the back of my head and kisses me back, and when I walk inside and shut the door, all I can think about is how my life finally feels like it’s on the right track.