Hooked (TKO 2)

“I’d do anything for you, don’t you see that?” He gives me another kiss.

“I do. Hey, Lance, I think I want to go tell my parents today if that’s okay.”

“If that’s what you want to do, we can do it. Do you mind if I go take a shower first? I don’t want to go to your parents’ house all sweaty.” He chuckles. I love his laugh. It’s music to my ears.

“Oh, definitely.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Are you saying I stink?”

“You said it first!” I laugh, playfully slapping his arm. He opens the car door for me and I slide in the passenger seat.

He drives us to his house. I’m a little worried his dad may be home, but when I notice there are no other cars in the driveway, I breathe a sigh of relief. I know I’ll be meeting him soon, but I’d rather it not when Lance has to go take a shower.

He opens the front door and points to the living room. “You can sit in here if you want, or my room is down the hall. No one is home, so it’s up to you.”

To be safe, I stay in the living room. I watch as he disappears down the hallway, and I sink against the couch cushions.

Chapter 16

Lance

I walk down the hall to my bedroom to get a change of clothes. I’m proud of Hilary for deciding t

o go ahead and just tell her parents. I know she will feel better once she gets this off her chest. I’m nervous, I admit. But I will show them I can and I will take care of their daughter and grandchild.

I step into the bathroom that is connected to my room, and shut the door. Once I’m alone, the kiss we shared invades my mind. Her lips are as soft as I remembered, and I want so badly to kiss her again.

After my shower, I don’t want to keep her waiting. I run the towel over my hair before I wrap it across my body. Steam from the bathroom lingers in the air from the heat of the shower. I open the door, and step into my bedroom.

Hilary’s voice startles me. “Oh, I’m sorry. I should have knocked or something. I felt weird just sitting in your living room so I figured I’d sit in here. I’m sorry.”

It doesn’t escape me that she just apologized twice for no reason. I turn to see her standing in the doorway. Her eyes widen at the sight of me in nothing more than a towel. “No, it’s okay. Let me just grab my clothes and I’ll change in the bathroom.”

“No, I’ll go back to the living room.”

“Hil, it’s fine, sweetheart. I promise.” When I grab my clothes from where I left them, she seems to hold her breath as I walk by. The old Lance would have dropped his towel in a heartbeat and taken the woman he wants. This new Lance is being respectful. I’m so proud of him.

After I dress, I find Hilary sitting on my bed looking at my room. I’m a tidy guy. My mom taught me to be clean. I’m probably one of the only guys I know with a clean room. Not a single thing is out of place.

“Hey, sorry about that. You ready to go?” I ask.

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” She rises to her feet.

I reach for her hand as we walk to the front door. “Do you want to take your car or my truck?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“We can take my truck.” I lead the way outside. Before I open the door for her, I turn her to face me. I lean in closer, so my lips are a few inches from her ear. “Everything is going to be fine.”

She nods her head. I open her door and she climbs right in. I love looking at her sitting in my truck. I turn the radio up and listen to her softly singing along. I don’t let her know I hear her because I don’t want her to stop. Her voice is soothing. It’s like Heaven’s gates have opened and my own personal angel is singing. She can sing whatever she wants and I’ll never grow tired of it.

In a matter of minutes, we pull in at her parents’ house. Her father’s car is in the driveway, and her singing stops. I see her tense up out of the corner of my eye. Her hands are clasped tightly together and her breathing is deep and ragged. I reach over and gently pry her hands apart.

“Hil, look at me.” Slowly, she turns her head to face me. Her eyes are red and tears are beginning to well up. “You are a brave, strong woman. I’m here no matter what they say to you in there. You’ve helped me become a better man than I ever thought I could be and I can never thank you enough for that. No matter what, you have me.”

“That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” A lone tear slides down her cheek, and I gently raise my other hand to wipe it away.

“No more tears, okay?”