Page 101 of You Can Make Me

He laughed, and it was so unlike the jaded, crotchety old man laugh I was used to.

“Maybe? Hmm, I must not be doing this right then.”

He leaned in to kiss me again, but I put a hand on his chest.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Denny?”

His face lit up. “Yeah, baby, it’s me.”

“Do you know whoIam?”

He dropped his head back and laughed. “Of course I do. Cooper, it’sme. Aren’t you happy to see me?” His smile slipped the tiniest bit, and I wasn’t having that.

I cupped his jaw and kissed him with all of the hope I’d bottled up, letting it go into him, letting it fill him with the same joy that was awakening inside me.

“I’dsay you were happy,” he said, reaching down to cup my ass. “Did you miss me?”

“With every breath,” I murmured. “Like a severed limb. What happened?”

He wrinkled his nose and scratched at his hair.”I’m not really sure? I got off work on my last day and the big guy said it was time.” He shrugged. “Wouldn’t say time for what, just led me to the gate, slung this bag over my shoulder, and said, ‘Go find your truth.’ That car pulled up, and he took off so damned fast I couldn’t even get my seat belt on. All I knew was that there was somewhere I needed to be, someone I needed to find—and when I got here, I found you. God, I’ve missed you. I thought about you every day, dreamed about you, though I wasn’t totally sure you were real or if I’d made you up. The perfect man for me.”

That confused look was back, and with it, a little bit of fear.

I remembered Kal and Dane telling me that when they left the carnival, they had very little memory of where they’d been or what happened to them, but as they made connections with people who cared about them, it started as a trickle, and then everything came hurling back to them, and they remembered.

I needed to distract Denny before he grew more anxious.

“Now that you’re here, we better get a move on if we want to catch the guys’ opening set.”

That excited spark inside him fueled his smile, and he took my hand. “Rad. Let’s do this.”

I snorted and shook my head as I pulled the Mustang keys out of my pocket.Rad.What was next? Bitchin’? “Want to drive?”

He licked his lips and reached for the keys, but then he hesitated. “How ’bout you drive?” He frowned a second, and then he laughed. “You still owe me that tour, so it’s better if you drive.”

Oh, yes. He would remember. I just had to make nice with my frenemy, Patience.

“Then let’s get out of here.”

I walked him to the Mustang and opened his door. Instead of climbing in, he held my face once more, his expression serious.

“I want you to know, I came foryou. You’re all I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember. I’m so grateful I found you.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll figure out the rest, okay? I promise. As long as you’re with me, everything is as it’s meant to be.”

I sighed with relief and kissed him once more. He tasted like my Denny, but more. And I wanted to find out all about this more.

“Everything is as it’s meant to be. Let’s go.”

I hopped into the car and closed the door. I put on my seat belt, pushed the pedals in, and started the car. The roar of the GT made Denny give a playful growl. He was looking all around the interior of the car like a horny teenaged boy in his dream car.

“You ready?”

He gave me a full-bodied once-over and groaned.“Hell yeah, I’m ready. Ready for anything…as long as I can get you alone real soon.”

I revved the car, and he adjusted himself.

“Anything you want, baby. It’s yours.”