Marriage Material

“Hey, Robin. I was hoping it would be you that answered.”

I step outside and close the door behind me in case my dad comes downstairs. I don’t need him seeing Franky. He can be as bad as my brothers when it comes to dating.

“What are you doing here?” I ask in a whisper. He looks at me like I’m crazy and holds up a box.

“Oh.” I realize he’s just delivering a package. Duh. “Thanks,” I say, and as I go to take it from him the box slips out of my fingers and hits the ground. I hear something break inside and he groans.

“That was fragile.”

I look down at the box and see the large red sticker on it that proclaims handle with care. Great. I lean down to pick it up at the same time Franky does and we hit heads. I yelp in pain when the top of my head hits his chin, making him stumble back.

“Crap. I’m so sorry!” I squeak as he grabs his chin.

“It’s fine,” he says, but his face doesn’t look fine. His brown eyes spark with irritation as he clenches his jaw. He takes a deep breath then runs a hand through his dirty-blond hair.

“I’m really sorry,” I say again, feeling bad.

“It’s cool. Are we still on for tonight?”

I nod, hoping this smooths things over. I planned to call and see about moving it because of the family dinner, but after whacking him with my head I think I should go. I’ll duck out early and maybe no one will notice.

“Can I meet you there?”

“I guess, sure.” He doesn’t look like he’s into the idea, but if he knew about my brothers then he’d be more than okay with it. It’s better this way for everyone.

“Just text me where to meet you and I’ll be there.” I open the door. I want to get back inside so he can leave before someone sees us out here talking. I don’t care if he has a legitimate reason to be here, I just don’t want to get hassled. “Bye,” I say as I shut the door, and I hear him say “bye” from the other side.

I let out a breath and thank God that’s over. I take the box into the kitchen and set it down on the counter.

“Delivery?” Ma asks, looking over her shoulder.

‘Yeah.” I point to the box before washing my hands.

She looks at it and then at the front door. “Was it him?” she whispers, and I nod.

“We have a date tonight,” I tell her.

“Okay. I’ll make a reason you have to leave or something. I’ve got you,” she reassures me and winks. I don’t think it will be so easy, but who knows. “But before that can I get you to run out to the store for me?” She hands me a small list of things she needs.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say and grab my purse.

The drive to the small town general store is only a few short minutes. If you want a big grocery store, you have to make the thirty-minute drive towards one of the larger cities surrounding us, but we make do with what we’ve got here. When I get there I park my car and get out, but I pause when I see a dark-haired man I don’t recognize. He’s carrying a small baby in a car seat.

I follow in after him and grab a basket. I keep a little distance, but not too far as I try to get a better look. I can only see his back, but out of the corner of my eye I watch as he leans down and kisses the baby’s chubby cheeks. He’s so massive from behind, so it’s ridiculous to see him be so sweet. This giant man has this little tiny baby bundled up in a pink blanket and I don’t know if my ovaries can handle all that sweetness. Whoever his wife is is one lucky lady. He’s not only precious with his baby girl, but this guy has sex written all over him. He’s got dark hair and from what I can see, some nice dark stubble. His shoulders are broad and his T-shirt clings to his muscled back and trim waist. When my eyes get to his ass I can’t help but stare at how snug his jeans are and how they mold to his thick thighs. Damn, this guy looks like a linebacker.

He turns, and I want to crawl in a hole and die because I was clearly checking him out. But when our eyes meet he stills for a moment and stares right back at me. He’s even hotter from the front, and I can feel myself wanting to drool. He’s got full lips, and the V on his shirt shows off some of his chest. There’s a little bit of hair there, and for half a second I wonder what it would be like to cuddle against it.