Falling Fast

“No.”

“How do you feel about eloping with me to Vegas?” he asks, pointing at his chest.

“I would, but I kinda gotta work,” she replies, scrunching up her nose and making her already adorable face look even more endearing.

“Bummer.” He tries wrapping his bulky arm around her shoulders, but she ducks before he can.

Jesus, she won over Tide. Then again, I’m not the slightest bit surprised by this. She’s sweet, and obviously funny, and fucking cute. No, actually, she’s gorgeous. God, is she gorgeous. Especially when she’s looking at me the way she is right now.

Pulling her eyes from me, she looks at Dad. “Thanks for having a look at it.”

“Anytime, girl, and I have no doubt Colt will make sure it’s safe for you to drive,” he says, and she peers up at me.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“I should get inside and help Rose.” She gives us all a smile before turning on her boots and heading for the door. Watching her go, I know I’m fucked, because I have never in all of my life wanted anything the way I want Gia Caro.

“I approve,” Dad mutters, and my eyes go to him. “I get why you were with Lisa when you were young, but she wasn’t the woman for you. She wasn’t the kind of woman you build a life with. She wasn’t back then, and she isn’t now. That girl there…” He lifts his chin at Gia’s back as she disappears into the bar. “That’s the kind of woman you lay all your hopes and dreams on, the kind who will make the struggles you’ve been through worth it.”

“You just met her,” I remind him while trying to remind myself of the same thing.

“No,” he denies, shaking his head. “I’ve been married to a woman just like her for the last thirty years, and for those thirty years, she’s made me happy, given me a family, and made it possible for me to live a dream every day.”

With that, he claps me on the back before heading toward the bar.

“She’s cute,” Tide says, breaking into the millions of thoughts swirling through my head. “And funny.”

“Yeah,” I agree, running a hand through my hair.

“Lucky fuck,” he mutters, starting to the bar then spinning around to look at me. “Come on, I need a beer.”

Pulling in a breath, I turn to Gia’s Jeep, shut the door—or try to, since the shit just pops back open—and after three more tries, I finally get it closed. Heading inside, I find Tide at the bar with his ass planted on a stool, my dad behind the bar, and Gia nowhere to be found.

“She’s helping your mom in the back,” Dad says as I pass him on the way to the office. Ignoring his comment, I drop Gia’s keys to the top of the desk and pick up the ones for the storage room. I don’t know how I feel about my dad or anyone knowing how I feel, when I haven’t even come to terms with it. This attraction came out of nowhere. I wasn’t expecting it or looking for it. That doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to let it pass me by. I would be pissed off at myself if I didn’t try to get in there, and let some other guy see what I see. Then again, I don’t want to scare her off, since my feelings are so intense. I don’t know what could happen if I’m not careful.

“Earth to Colton.” My mom’s voice snaps me back to reality, and I tip my head down to look at her. “You okay?”

“I’m good.”

“You sure? I called your name three times, and three times you ignored me and stared at the desk like it had all the answers in the universe.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” I mumble.

“You sure?” she questions, getting close, or closer than she was just a second ago.

“I’m sure, Ma.”

“All right, honey,” she coos, but I can see she wants to ask at least a dozen more questions. “I’m going to take Gia over to the storage locker and show her around.”

“I’ll do it,” I say without thinking, and her head jerks back in surprise.

“Uh….”

“I’m sure you have other stuff to do,” I interject.

“Okay, sure. Well then, since she’s already in my car waiting for me, why don’t you just drive my Charger?” She hands me her keys.

Giving her a smile, I leave, shoving them in my pocket as I go. “I’ll be back,” I tell Dad as I pass him, and Tide frowns.

“Where are you going? We just got here,” Tide questions after taking a pull from the beer in front of him.

“Gonna take Gia to the storage locker.”

“Is that what we’re calling it nowadays?” he asks with a lopsided grin that turns into a wince when Mom pops him upside his head with her open palm.