by Paris Hansen
“I’m not opposed to the concept, but could we at least wait a month before we start getting that serious? Let’s enjoy the moment. Then we can work on becoming an old married couple.”
“That works for me,” Braeden said as he smiled down at her. “So when can we head home and start practicing making one of these disgusting yet adorable creatures?”
“Considering nobody in this house is going to make it to midnight, I think it’s pretty safe for us to leave whenever we want.”
“Well then let’s return this little guy to his rightful owners and get the h e double hockey sticks out of here,” Braeden said as he cuddled the freshly changed Wyatt.
The minute he brought the little boy in close to his body he swore he could finally smell it; the intoxicating allure of a baby. Suddenly, all he wanted was one of his own. Hopefully, practice would make perfect, and once she was ready, it wouldn’t take long for Braeden to get the family he’d always dreamed of.
✽✽✽
Andi
Anticipation was the word of the day for Andi. It had been nearly impossible to focus on her work when she was wondering what Braeden had planned for their date that evening. Her life had become a whirlwind of changes since her brother decided to pull his head out and start something real with Brooklyn back in August. But those changes were nothing compared to what she was dealing with now that she’d let Braeden back into her life.
They’d only officially been a couple for two weeks, having decided to give things a chance the night her nephews were born. But from that night on, they spent nearly every evening either talking on the phone or lounging together watching TV. Between work and family obligations, they’d only had a few official dates, although Andi wasn’t sure two of them counted since they were spent with family. Most of the time they were too tired to leave the house, so she was eager to see what Braeden had planned for their second official night out.
After the way their first one ended, Andi couldn’t pretend she wasn’t a little bit nervous. It’d sucked to run into someone that Braeden had dated in the past. Sadly, she had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the last time it happened. It stung that Braeden had such a prolific past, but knowing she could be subjected to it each and every time they went out, hurt even worse. Andi knew she had no right to be upset about what he did when they weren’t together, but she couldn’t help it. Some things were easy to forget about until you were staring them right in the face.
The work day passed by in a blur. With Declan still out on paternity leave, Andi was fielding both her part of their wine distribution business while also organizing the deliveries and the new drivers they’d hired. Usually, she would have been grateful for the extra work, using it as a distraction from the craziness of her personal life, but with her mind on Braeden, having the added duties was giving her more opportunities to screw things up.
As soon as the clock struck five, Andi was the first person out of the office. She waved goodbye to a few people, then hurried to her car so she could head home to get ready for her date. Having no idea what they were doing would make getting ready a bit more difficult than usual. She knew she was supposed to dress casually, but that didn’t help as much as Braeden probably expected it to, so she decided to dress for the weather.
After a quick shower, she dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a navy blue sweater. She thought about wearing boots with her outfit but figured a pair of Chuck Taylor’s would be easier to remove if she got lucky after her date. Once that was decided, Andi tried to tame her unruly hair. After fifteen minutes of fighting with it, she opted to throw it up in a ponytail and call it good. She knew Braeden would be happy to have easy access to her neck, so it was a win-win.
Noticing she only had ten minutes before her date was supposed to arrive, she applied a couple of coats of mascara and some lip gloss. She wasn’t a big fan of make-up and had never really learned how to apply it, so she always kept it to a minimum unless someone else took the time to do it for her. Andi knew she was putting far more effort into how she looked than she probably needed to. Braeden had never cared much for the made-up look, at least not on her. Of course, the chick they’d run into at dinner a week ago had been completely glammed out, making Andi feel like a slob in comparison.
Shaking off thoughts of the other woman, Andi took one final look at herself in the mirror before grabbing her handbag from her dresser. As she walked down the hall, there was a knock on her door. Of course, he was early. He was always early, which was another reason it was a good thing it didn’t take her too long to get ready.
Andi grabbed her jacket from the back of her couch before opening her front door. The minute her eyes landed on Braeden she felt her heart skip a beat. He was the most gorgeous man she’d ever met and every time she saw him he took her breath away. It still amazed her that she was the lucky one that he’d fallen in love with and that after all of the years apart he still loved her just as fiercely as he had when they were kids.
“Hey,” she said breathlessly.
Braeden took her in from head to toe before his gaze met hers. “Hello beautiful.”
She nearly swooned at his simple greeting but was saved when he took a step forward to pull her into his arms. His mouth met hers in a kiss filled with promises. As he pulled away, Andi had to fight the urge to pull him into her apartment then down the hall into her bedroom. They’d have their chance later in the evening; she had no doubt about that.
“A girl could get used to greetings like that,” she said as she followed him through the door into the chilly evening air.
“A girl should get used to it,” Braeden answered as he waited for her to lock her door before placing a hand on the small of her back.
Since the moment they’d decided to give a relationship a try, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. No matter where they were if they were next to each other, he was touching her. His hand on her knee, on her back, holding hers. Even if they were just sitting on the couch watching TV, he would make sure there was physical contact between them. Their thighs would touch, or he’d pull her against him so he could put his arm around her while her head rested on his shoulder or chest.
Braeden had always been touchy-feely, but it seemed even more intense now that they were older. When they were together, but not near each other, he always seemed to be watching her, aware of wherever she happened to be in the room like he was afraid he’d lose her.
“So are you going to tell me now what your big surprise is?” she asked once they were in the car and pulling out of the parking spot Braeden had claimed.
“You’ll see soon enough,” was the only answer she got.
She watched out the window as he drove through the streets of West Seattle. It didn’t take long before they were pulling into the parking lot of a very familiar restaurant. Andi couldn’t help but smile as she figured out what his plan was...or at least part of it.
“So a lot has changed in the last twenty years. They moved the Taco Time we went to from Alki to up here. It’s not as cool, but parking’s a little easier.”
Andi couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face as she thought about their very first date as a couple. That night Braeden had been so nervous she thought he might pass out. Even though they spent nearly every waking moment together as friends, the moment their relationship became more, he’d turned into a nervous wreck. It was adorable and made Andi love him even more.
The fact that he was trying to recreate their first date made her giddy with excitement. It didn’t matter to her that he was going to have to switch some things up. He was right that a lot had changed in the last twenty years, but one thing that hadn’t changed was how they felt about each other.
They hurried into the quiet restaurant and ordered the exact same thing they’d had all those years ago. Some people would have laughed if they’d known that was where he’d taken her on their first date, but Andi always thought it was perfect. She loved tacos, and she wasn’t into fancy things, espec
ially not food. She never would’ve wanted him to save up all his money so he could take her to someplace like Benihana, which seemed to be a favorite of the other kids in their grade. Andi had lost count of how many conversations she’d overheard about the girls in her class and their Benihana first dates.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m stealing from my own playbook here,” Braeden said as they tossed their trash into the correct bins.
“I love that you’re trying to recreate our first date. It’s very sweet. That night was one of the best nights of my life. It’s one I’ve never forgotten.”
She swore she could see a faint blush on Braeden’s cheeks, but she couldn’t be sure it wasn’t caused by the chilly January air and not because of what she said. When he turned to look at her, she could tell he was affected by her words, even if the blush wasn’t part of that reaction. He smiled down at her, pride filling his eyes.
“I’m curious how you’re going to work out the next part though. The drive-in was demolished years ago,” Andi said once they were in the car and on their way to their next destination.
“Yeah. I was super bummed to learn about that. Did you know there are only five drive-ins left in the state? Who doesn’t love a good drive-in move during the summer? Kids these days will never know what it was like to fool around while listening to Bruce Willis fight aliens.”
“To be fair, I’m not sure Bruce Willis is doing much alien fighting lately.”
“Hey now. Don’t you diss on Bruce. That man is the best action movie star ever.”
Andi shook her head. “You’re still riding that train huh? You can’t tell me that he’s better than Jason Statham. That man could totally kick Bruce’s ass.”
“Don’t make me turn this car around and take you home, Andi. You know how I feel about Bruce.”
“Huh...well, how about we just agree to disagree on the topic of your love affair for Bruce Willis.”
Braeden didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity. She knew he still liked Bruce Willis, but she didn’t realize that the aging actor had become a dealbreaker. He had to be messing with her. There was no way he’d seriously even contemplate choosing Bruce over her. That would be completely asinine, but within Braeden’s craziness window.
“Let’s go ahead and table this conversation for now. Maybe once you’ve been reintroduced to his awesomeness, you’ll change your tune,” Braeden said optimistically.
Andi laughed, her man was certifiable, but he was hers, and she loved him, quirks and all. There was never a dull moment when Braeden was around which was the one thing she’d missed more than anything else. She laughed more than she ever thought possible whenever she was with him. It made her feel alive.
“You can try,” she said giving in for the moment even though she knew Bruce would never be as awesome as Jason. “So where are we headed?”
“You’ll see in a minute,” he answered as he made a left turn.
Looking around at their surroundings, Andi realized she already knew where they were going; she just hadn’t been paying attention. That’s what always seemed to happen whenever she and Braeden were talking about random things. He was a great distraction from the world around her.
As they pulled into his driveway, Braeden pushed the button on his garage door opener. She expected him to pull into the garage like he usually did, but instead, he put the car in park and turned it off before the door was even up. Andi stared at the garage in front of her, surprised by what she saw there. A white screen had been affixed to the back wall, covering the window and the tools that used to hang around it. In the middle of the garage was a familiar loveseat with blankets piled on top of it.
“Wow...I thought Declan got rid of that when he moved in with Brooklyn.”
“Nope. It’s been over at Brooklyn’s parent’s house in her old place above their garage. It’s still in great condition, so they were thinking about selling it. I asked if I could borrow it for the night. Your brother helped me get it over here. Brooklyn also let me borrow a couple of the space heaters she used to use in her old place.”
Getting out of the car, Andi walked into the garage, Braeden hot on her heels. He’d moved a lot of his stuff around so he could fit in the extra furniture and still have room to set up the heaters safely. On either side of the loveseat was a table for each of them, on one side was a box of Milk Duds on the other a box of Reese Pieces and Skittles. In front of the loveseat was an ottoman so they could stretch out. With the blankets and the heaters and the ottoman, this drive-in movie might be a bit more comfortable than the one they’d gone to on their first date. Plus, there wasn’t a chance it was going to rain inside Braeden’s garage.
“Okay, I’m going to get the movie set up, why don’t you go inside and make some popcorn and grab us some drinks. The bowl is on the counter with the microwave popcorn bags, and there’s a cooler to put the beer in.”
Without a word, she gave Braeden a quick kiss before heading into his house using the door inside the garage. She made quick work of her tasks in the kitchen. By the time she returned to the garage, the door was down, the heaters were on, and the movie was queued up and ready to be played. She hadn’t seen The Fifth Element in more than a decade, but she remembered how much they both ended up loving it. Of course, that was after they rented it on video when it came out since they barely saw much of the movie at the drive-in.
A jolt of arousal coursed through her as she thought about the other part of their first date. They didn’t go all the way, they hadn’t been ready for that yet, but they did have a pretty serious make-out session while the movie played on. That night was the first time they’d made their way to third base. They’d been all fumbling hands and nervous laughter until they’d each found their rhythm.
The rain that poured down that evening had given them the excuse they needed when Gabriel asked them how they liked the movie, and they couldn’t remember any of it. Andi was hoping she’d walk away from the re-creation of their first date once again not remembering a single thing about the movie. She was pretty sure Braeden would be down with that plan. She just wasn’t sure if he was going to want to keep things exactly how they were on their first date or if the ending was another thing they could change just a little.
Either way, she knew this was another night she wouldn’t forget; another perfect evening with the man she loved. Setting the cooler down next to the ottoman, she pulled out two beers, then placed the bowl of popcorn on top of it. She took a seat on the loveseat, pulling a big fleece blanket onto her lap. Once she was settled, Braeden pressed play on the movie and turned off the overhead light. As the film began to play, Braeden made himself comfortable next to her. She handed him a beer, but he didn’t even open it before setting it on the table next to his candy.
Already she liked where the evening seemed to be headed. Their gazes met as he took her beer from her hand and leaned over her so he could set it on the table on her side of the loveseat. His lust filled gaze never left hers as he brought his hand to her face and pushed an errant strand of hair off of her cheek. He tucked it behind her ear as he glanced down at her lips. She darted her tongue out to wet them, the action causing Braeden to groan.
“I’m trying to be good here, Andi. We didn’t start making out until at least a third of the way through the movie.”
“To hell with being good,” she said as she reached up to start unbuttoning his shirt. “I think we should go ahead and make a few more adjustments to the details of the evening. Instead of third base, I propose we take this baby all the way home. And I propose we get started with that now. How does that sound?”
Braeden grabbed her hand to halt its progress on his shirt. Sitting back, he moved far enough away so he was just out of her reach unless she leaned over to get him. The look on his face told her she should stay where she was, even if neither of them wanted her to.
“But I went through all the trouble to set this up. We should at least get some use out of it. I counter-pr
opose that we get at least a third of the way through the movie before we start fooling around so it’s at least a little authentic. Then I’m completely on board with amending how it ends. I would much rather be buried inside of you, then wiping jizz off of my stomach.”
“Sometimes when you say things like that, you make it hard to remember you’re an adult.”
Braeden laughed. “But I always make up for my occasional juvenile humor with very adult content.”
“You can’t say things like that if you want me to wait.”
Andi wasn’t proud to admit she was damn close to begging him to rethink her proposal. Instead, she leaned forward to grab the bowl of popcorn. If she wasn’t supposed to touch him for at least another forty minutes, she was going to have to keep herself busy. Turning toward the screen, she tried to focus on what was happening while she shoveled popcorn into her mouth. She had a feeling she was going to be subjected to the longest third of a movie ever, and she couldn’t even be mad about it.
What Braeden had put together for their date was the sweetest thing anyone had done for her since they’d broken up. It didn’t matter that her libido was extremely impatient, she was going to enjoy every second of the romantic gesture even if it killed her.
At least she’d die happy.
Chapter 10
Braeden
For the first time in years, Braeden was feeling great about how things were going. He finally had his girl again, and he was working on a case he knew he was going to win. Braeden would have been over the moon if it weren’t for the fact that he was about to tell his boss about the conversation Andi overheard weeks earlier. He’d been dreading the moment since the office had reopened. When his boss’s secretary told him the only opening available was Friday afternoon, he knew the week was going to be challenging to get through.
