To The Single Dad in the Store by J.S. Cooper
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So we’re here,”Steele said, as he stopped his car. I looked outside, but I had no idea where we were.
“Um, where’s here?”
He unbuckled his seatbelt and started to get out of the car. “You’ll see in a little bit.”
“Should I be scared, or what?”
“Shelby knows you’re with me. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Before I knew it, he was on my side of the car opening the door. “You’re such a gentleman.”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” He chuckled as he leaned into the car and unbuckled my seatbelt.
“I’m not a baby. You don’t have to unbuckle my seatbelt, you know.”
“I know, but I’m a gentleman and you’re my date. And as such, I’ll take care of you.”
“Okay. Well, thank you.” I slid out of the car and looked around me. “Um, are we in the woods?”
“No, we’re at Pupperoni hill.”
“Pupperoni Hill? What’s that?”
“This is where everyone brings their dogs.”
“Okay. I’ve never even heard it called Pupperoni Hill before.”
“I just made it up. It’s what me and the kids call it.”
“Oh, why?”
“Because you got to bribe the dogs with Pupperoni treats to get them to go up the hill,” he laughed. “Come on.” He grabbed my hand.
“I don’t know if I can walk up a hill with these heels on,” I said. “I mean, it seems cool, but …”
“Don’t worry. We’re not going to walk up the hill. Trust me. You’ll be fine.”
“Okay, Steele. I trust you.” I heard him locking his door. We continued walking. I looked up at the sky. It was beautiful tonight. The stars were out and the moon was glowing as if just for us. “It’s a beautiful night.”
“Yeah.” He took a deep, satisfied breath. “It’s the sort of night that werewolves and vampires would love.”
“Why do you bring up werewolves and vampires?” I made a face. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“No. I’m not Jacob and I’m not Edward. Sorry.”
“Jacob and Edward?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“What? I figured you were the sort of girl that was into Twilight when you were younger. Oh, wait! You are young.”
“You’re not even that much older than me, Steele, so shut up.”
“I know, I know. But, did I get it wrong? Were you not into Twilight when you were younger?”
“Okay. I absolutely loved Twilight when I was younger,” I laughed, “but I just think it’s really funny that you’re bringing up Edward and Jacob.”
“Who was your favorite?”
“Why? Are you going to tell me that you’re a vampire or a werewolf?”
“Why do you keep asking me that? I have a feeling you want me to be one.”
“No, I don’t. You must think I’m so young and immature, huh?”
We were being silly, but I didn’t want our age to be a factor in our relationship. I knew we were at two different stages in life. He was an attorney. He was mature. He had responsibilities. And I was a senior in college who lived with her brother, who had parents who would support me for the rest of my life if I needed them to. I didn’t have any worries, no concerns. I didn’t want him to think that I was just a spoiled little girl that—
“Stop thinking, Nellie,” Steele said.
“What? I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” He stopped and he pulled me into his arms. “I can tell you are.” He kissed me gently. “You don’t need to worry, okay? I don’t mind that you’re a senior in college. You’re about to graduate, anyway. As long as you don’t mind that I’m a lawyer.”
“What, a liar?”
“Ha ha, very funny. You don’t think I’ve heard that joke a million times?”
“Well, now you’ve heard it a million and one.” I grinned and pressed my lips against his. Butterflies twirled and fluttered in my stomach. I ran my fingers through his hair. “You’re so handsome. You know that, Steele?”
“I do.” He winked at me, and I just shook my head as I attempted to pull back from him. “Oh no, you don’t. I’ve waited too long to have you in my arms.”
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll see,” he said. He pulled out his phone and flipped through it.
“Are you going to take a picture? Do you have good night vision?”
“No, I’m not going to take a picture.”
“Oh.” I felt a little stupid, thinking he’d take a picture of us.
“Actually, yes. I’m going to take a picture.” He grinned and then put the camera on and turned it towards us. “Smile!”
“We don’t have to take a picture if you don’t want to. I was—”
“No, I want to take a picture. This is our first official date. I want us to look back at this and remember it.”
I looked at him in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d be this romantic.”
“Really?” He chuckled. “You don’t think I’d be the sort of guy that at our wedding ceremony would get up and show everyone a picture of the two of us on our first date?”
“Steele!” I gasped.
“You don’t think I’m the sort of guy that would tell everyone that that was the moment that I knew I’d found the one?”
“What—what are you saying?”
“I think you know what I’m saying, Nellie. I think you’re the one. And yeah, maybe I’m crazy, but you’re crazy too, and your best friend’s crazy. So I hope you don’t judge me for being crazy.”
“You’re not crazy, and I would never judge anyone.”
“Well, yes, you would. But that’s another story,” he laughed.
“So, what were you saying?” I said, hoping to get him back to the previous conversation.
“I was saying that I think you’re beautiful and I think you’re honest and I think you’re smart. And I think you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met in my life. I think you’re the one. And I know this is crazy, because it’s technically our first date and we don’t even know each other that well, but they say when you know, you know. And I finally understand what that means.”
“Wow.” I stared at him.
“Do you have nothing to say now, Nellie?”
“I think I’m falling for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He grinned. “Falling how?”
“I think you know what I mean.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I think I know what you mean because I feel the same way.”
“You do?” I said softly.
“I do. I’m falling in love with you, Nellie. You’re amazing, and I want to scream it from the mountaintops, you know? I want to scream it to the world. I’m falling in love with you. And I cannot wait to get to know you better and to figure out what makes you tick and what you like and what you dislike and—”
“I know.” I grabbed his hands. “I know exactly what you mean, because I’m falling in love with you too, Steele.”
“I know this sounds cheesy, but you’ve just made me the happiest man in the world.”
“No, I haven’t,” I giggled.
“Yes, you have. Happier than I’d ever been in my life,” he said. He pressed something on his phone and music started playing.
“What’s this?”
“This is for us.” He placed his phone down on the ground and then grabbed my hands. “I wanted us to dance under the moonlight, under the stars. This is a song I wrote a couple of years ago.”
“Oh?”
“I’m going to sing it to you and dance, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
He started guiding me back and forth across the bottom of hill as I gazed into his eyes. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first date. And then he started singing, and it became even more perfect.
“Sometimes I look outside my window,” he sang, “sometimes I look into the sky. All I see are stars and the moon. I just want to see your eyes. I wonder if they’ll be blue or brown. Green or hazel would work, too. I don’t know how you laugh, because I’ve never met you. But one day, I know there’ll come a time when I can take you up to the hills and we’ll dance and laugh. And it will all be fine because I will know that you are mine. I think I’ve always known that I’ve loved you. I think I’ve always known that I’ll love you. I just have to meet you.” He paused then and gazed at me. “I didn’t know it when I was writing this song, but this was for you, Nellie. This was for you.”
“How are you so sweet and so sexy at the same time?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s my good genes.” He cracked a grin, and I giggled. He pulled me towards him then, his hands gliding down the side of my body until they reached my ass and pulled me into him. I moaned against him as I felt his hardness pressed against my belly. “I want to take you so badly, Nellie. I want to take you so badly.”
“And I want you too, Steele. I want to feel you inside of me.” I pressed his hands to my chest. “I’m ready if you are,” I groaned, as his lips pressed against my neck and he sucked.
“Let’s go back to my place.” His voice was hoarse. “If you don’t mind.”
“There’s nothing I want more,” I breathed.
He grabbed my hand and I laughed as we ran back to the car. The love and laughter in his face filled me with joy. This was a man I knew I would spend the rest of my life with. This was a man that I knew would make an amazing father. This was a man that I knew was already an amazing uncle and an amazing human being. I was so thankful that I had gone into the store that day.
And I was so thankful that I hadn’t minded my own business, because if I had, I never would’ve met him.
As he sped off out of the parking lot, I studied at his profile. In a few minutes, my fingers and my hands and my lips would be all over his body. I couldn’t wait. I reached over and grabbed his leg and squeezed, running my fingers up the inseam of his trousers. He groaned as I brushed my fingers against his hard cock.
“Nellie, I will pull over right now and take you if you don’t stop doing that.”
“I don’t mind,” I said seductively, meaning every word of it. “I don’t mind at all.”
He growled then, and before I knew what was happening, he’d pulled over and turned off the ignition. “Ready for me, beautiful?”