I groaned and shoved him away, but only lightly so I’d bounce back. “You’re such an ass. But a kind ass.” I beamed up at him. “Thanks for coming. I really needed you.”
“So that’s your ex, huh?” Matt said, looking over my shoulder. I didn’t turn around, but stayed where I was with his arm around my middle, his hand at the small of my back. I liked it here. Maybe I could set up permanent residence here.
“Yes, that’s him. Jeremy’s trying to get us back together.” I shuddered and gave him a hopeful smile. “I hate to ask, but do you think you can lay on the PDA? This will be the last time I ever force you to be my fake boyfriend.” I drew a cross over my heart with my finger. “I swear.”
He gave me a lopsided smile and I went all mushy inside. “I don’t mind. Anything to send that guy packing.” He tightened his hold around my waist and steered me through the tables.
It was hard not to notice Brent’s hard gaze; he stared at Matt like he were an omen to an apocalyptic plague as we sat down. “So how long have you two been dating?”
Exchanging a glance with Matt, at the same time, I said, “Two months,” and Matt said, “A few months.”
Crap, why hadn’t I thought to say a couple months? Brent’s suspicious gaze went back and forth between me and Matt.
“Well, I think it’s great you two found each other. You’re the perfect couple,” Catherine said, her comment clearly for Brent’s ears alone.
“At least she’s not pining for Brent.” Lexie’s grin resembled that of a Cheshire cat.
Brent flashed a stiff, mannequin-like smile. “I’m just happy that Gen is happy.”
Matt’s arm tightened around my shoulders, drawing me closer into his side. “She’s very happy.”
Was I a jerk for being thrilled at the protective tone to his voice? I kept cool, because the awkward booty dance I wanted to perform wasn’t appropriate for a cupcake boutique or daylight. And the happy dance would have been a bit over the top. I settled for an adoring smile at the man who had stolen my heart without even trying.
“Hey, we’re having an open bar at the party, right?” Jeremy asked, changing the subject.
Lexie glared at her fiancé. “Yes, but if your friends get rowdy, I’m holding you responsible.”
“That’s not fair.” Jeremy frowned. “They’re not rowdy.”
Lexie tilted her head and raised her brows. “Oh, really. So they’re all grown up. No overindulgence in whiskey and lewd jokes like last week at the country club?”
“It wasn’t as bad as you make it sound, Lex.”
“So sexually harassing a waitress with a vulgar joke isn’t bad?” she asked and he fidgeted in his seat. She turned her gaze on Brent. “And if I recall, it was your cousin who started it all.” She addressed Jeremy again. “We almost lost the hall for our engagement party. Your mother would have strangled every single one of you.”
Jeremy blushed, staring at the table, thoroughly reprimanded.
“Doubt it. That club knows how much money our families spend there,” Brent said, and he and Jeremy bumped fists over the table. I rolled my eyes.
“Classy,” I muttered and slid the cupcake plate over to Matt; I’d had enough of cupcakes and my past. Matt smiled at me, but shook his head at taking a cupcake.
“It’s an engagement party, not a bachelor party, so when I say you all better be on your best behavior, I mean it. And all of your dad’s friends will be there,” Lexie warned.
“So we have permission to be rowdy at the bachelor party. All right. We’re going to Vegas, you know,” Brent said, and held out his fist to Jeremy again.
And Lexie lost it, blaming Brent for his bad influence on Jeremy, for being a bad human being, and for his existence in general. I watched, amused, because I agreed with everything Lexie said. Brent went on the defensive, looking to me for help—as if I would, and as if it were still my place.
I jumped to my feet and Matt’s arm fell from my shoulders. “All right then. I think Matt and I are going to head out. We’ve got…shopping to do for our date tonight. Matt likes to cook me dinner.”
Matt didn’t blink; he took my hand and said, “I have to cook because Gen burns everything.” When I scrunched my nose at him, he laughed. “This was really fun, Lex. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Thanks for coming,” she said, her face softening into a smile despite her evident irritation with Jeremy and Brent.
“Nice to meet you, Brent,” Matt said, sounding as if he really didn’t mean it, and Brent didn’t reciprocate.
We left the table of crazy behind. Once we were out of earshot, I whispered, “I swear to you, one of these days you’re going to have a normal date with me.” I realized my blunder and corrected myself quickly. “I mean, a normal time with me.”
Matt stopped, forcing me to stop with him. Standing in front of the door, he put his arms around me. There were no words to describe the depths of his hazel eyes. “That guy is an idiot for letting you go. Don’t look, but he’s watching us.”
Because he’d mentioned it, I felt like Brent’s gaze was burning a hole in the back of my head. “That’s kind of creepy,” I joked. “And awkward.”
“Creepy, yes, but we might as well be creepier and give him a show.” Before I could protest, he leaned down and covered my lips with his, putting a stop to any words I might have said, and stopping any thought at all. His arms tightened around me, drawing me into the warmth and comfort of his embrace, and all I knew was how perfect his lips were, how weak my body felt, and how lost I was.
His kiss was gentle, caressing my lips until they fell apart and his tongue slipped inside. A shiver wracked my body, so intense I forgot to breathe and my fingers found their way into the dark black hair at the nape of his neck.
Would every kiss with him be this way?
I would have stayed in his arms forever, kissing him, my breasts crushed to his body, my heart hammering clear into my throat, but he pulled away just enough to drop a soft kiss to the tip of my nose. I settled back onto my heels and blinked my eyes open. Dazed, I touched my fingers to my lips.
The clapping snapped me out of my reverie. I looked over my shoulder at my grinning sisters. It would have been impossible to miss Brent’s narrowed gaze pinpointed at Matt.
I felt my cheeks burning—embarrassed a little, maybe; mostly I was certain they were warm with pleasure. Wasn’t this exactly what I’d wanted, another reason to kiss Matt, to be in his arms? The giddiness threatened to bubble over and I sucked in my cheeks to keep a foolish grin from exploding over my face.
“Well,” Matt said, and I turned back to look up into his smiling eyes. “I think that should take care of your ex. Now, let’s go shopping for that dinner I’m cooking for you.”
And then he took my hand and led me out of the bakery.
Chapter Nineteen
“Do you come up here often?” Matt asked.
The view out over Lover’s Leap was breathtaking, the air fresh and crisp as the breeze rustled through the trees above. The sky was a baby blue over the river valley and, as far as I knew, we were alone up on this cliff. There’d been no cars below in the graveled parking lot.
“I used to come here a lot when I was in high school.” I handed him an old blanket, busy with patterns and colors, to lay out under the tree. He straightened out the edges and I placed the picnic basket in the center.
“Have you heard from your ex since yesterday?” he asked, sounding casual about it, but holding my eye as he waited for my answer.
I shook my head.
“Good,” he said. “You deserve better.”
“I think everyone would be in agreement with that,” I laughed. Even my dad had called to remind me of that fact. “Lex said he and Jeremy are heading out this afternoon, so he’ll be gone soon.”
“Good,” Matt said and handed me a bottle of tea.
“Good?” I asked, and a thrill of excitement over the jealous tone to his voice coursed up and down my spine. Jealousy meant he cared. I plopped down on to the blanket with my legs out and kicked off my shoes, wiggling my toes in the soft breeze. It was an unusually cool day for a Nebraska summer; I wanted to enjoy it before we were back to sweating our butts off. Today was the perfect day to sit beneath a tree, its leaves rustling in the breeze with a gorgeous man beside me.
Across the valley another ridge covered with cedar trees rose above the flat Nebraska countryside; it was a beautiful sight from up here. I inhaled a deep breath and smiled blissfully. “I love this place. Being here reminds me of my grandparents. They lived in that small town just north of here.” I sifted through the items in the picnic basket. “Hope we didn’t forget anything.”
He reached inside and his fingers brushed alongside mine before he pulled out a wrapped sandwich. “Me too. It’s a long walk down those stairs.”
The wooden steps had been built into the earth with only an old wood rail for stability. Juggling a picnic basket and a blanket had been a chore up the steep incline. Matt had refused to let me carry anything in case I tripped under the weight of the basket stuffed full of more food than we’d ever eat. He’d definitely thought of everything—cold salads, potato chips, sandwiches, and chocolate cake for dessert.
“Have you ever been here?” I asked as I unwrapped my sandwich. Taking a bite, my eyes followed a bald eagle swooping out of view toward the river below.
“I’ve been here a couple of times.” Matt winked. “Only in the dark, though.”
I laughed and threw the paper towel roll at him. “I’m sure every visit was innocent.”
“It started out that way,” he said, catching the roll, and kicking off his shoes as I’d done.
I wiggled my purple-painted toes. “You need to take off your socks or it’s not a picnic.”
“It’s really beautiful up here,” he said and pulled off a sock.
“It’s really the best view in the county.” A comfortable silence settled over us as we admired the view. The puffy white clouds moved in a slow sweep across the sky. The sun, hidden by the trees directly above us, made its way at a snail’s pace to the horizon. I wanted to spend the rest of the day up here with him. Up here I felt free and happy, a hundred pounds lighter. Up here, I could pretend there was no such thing as a five year plan and I didn’t have to worry that I still hadn’t figured mine out.
“That painting on your living room wall, the one of the river—is that yours?” Matt asked.
“Yes, I painted it.” I pulled out a plastic salad container from the basket. “Do you want some of this?”
“Sure. There should be plates in the bottom of the basket.” He rolled the ends of his jeans up, then put his legs out and wiggled his toes. “Hope you like crab salad.”
“Love it.” I scooped a large serving onto the little cake plate and handed it to him.
“My mom was friends with the owner of the deli that makes it. She does everything homemade with fresh produce and meat. I’ll take you to eat there sometime.” He took a bite of the salad. “This one’s my favorite.”
I took a bite and rolled my eyes skyward. “Oh, my gosh, it’s made with real crab meat, not the imitation stuff.” I moaned and took another bite. “So good.”
“The river painting, it’s really good,” he said and I looked up from my plate.
“Thank you. I actually got the idea for it when I was up here one afternoon. By that time I’d painted a lot of landscapes, but never of the river.” I set the plate down before I licked it clean. “I spent a few weeks during summer vacations with my grandparents before they retired to Arizona. After they left and after I graduated high school, I never got out this way. I haven’t been here in years.” I placed a hand over his for a quick moment and then picked up my sandwich. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
“Thanks for coming with me.”
We locked gazes and I wished I knew what he was thinking to put that thoughtful look in his eyes. He looked away, down at the plate in his hands. “You should do something with your art. The ones you have hanging in your living room are stunning; they should be in a gallery.”
“I thought about asking the owner of the gallery I worked at if she’d be interested in displaying some of my paintings, but I never got around to it.” I looked up and smiled at him. “The owner was friends with Brent’s family, so I’m glad that didn’t happen. She ended up firing me when Brent and I broke up.”
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet.” He took a drink of his tea. “But you shouldn’t be shy about them. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting art galleries, strolling the plazas in Florence and Rome; you’re very talented.”
“Matt,” I protested, but he shook his head.
“I mean it,” he insisted and I felt my cheeks warm. “I can go with you to meet with a gallery if you’d like.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”
“Of course,” he said. “Your art should be seen.”
I smiled. “I might take you up on that.”
I looked out toward the ridge of trees across the valley. “I used to come up here alone, right to this spot.” A gravel road could be seen winding around the hills and curves on the other side of the river. “Sometimes I’d fall asleep after lying with my eyes closed too long, my mind swimming with scenes I wanted to paint.”
The birds chirped in the trees around us and, though faint, I could hear the water gurgling from the canal feeding the river below. It was a sound that had always brought me comfort. I sighed in contentment.