Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“Yes.” I was already going to agree to do it, but the prospect of having a reason to spend more time with her had me jumping the gun.
Annalise paused and blinked a few times, almost as if she’d forgotten I was there. Which struck me funny since she’d been talking to me the whole time.
“Yes?”
“Yeah. I’d love to learn from you and having the company of a dog at home while I finish up my medical leave would be great. And you’ve inspired me,” I told her honestly.
Her deep green eyes were bright, and she threw herself at me, giving me a tight hug. I gently returned the embrace but didn’t take it any further. If her body pressed against mine, I would lose my shit and fuck her in the restaurant bathroom.
“Why don’t you tell me more about Tucker while we finish eating?” I suggested.
She glowed with happiness as she returned to her spot on the bench seat, then she turned to her other side and dug through her purse until she unearthed her phone. After tapping a few times, she handed it to me. “Here are some pictures of Tucker.”
I looked through them while she told me a little more about the dog. Then while we ate, we talked about the process and how we would work things out with our schedules. I was thrilled when she requested that we meet four times a week. Hopefully, I’d quickly be able to talk her into spending all of her free time with me as well.
Even after our dinner and dessert plates were clean, we sat there and talked for a couple more hours. We didn’t leave the restaurant until Dove kicked us out, and I walked my girl out to her car.
I kissed her thoroughly, then helped her into her car and watched her drive away.
I’d tried to think of a way that I could convince her to come home with me, but I knew it was likely too soon for Annalise. Even if I was ready to jump into this thing between us, she might need a little more coaxing. Not that I intended to wait very long.
As I ambled toward my own vehicle, I was shocked to realize what I truly meant by that. The next time I shipped out, I intended to have Annalise bound to me so I knew she’d be there when I got home.
If that meant putting a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly…well, that sounded perfect to me.
5
Annalise
Ihad been on cloud nine since my dinner with Kade last night. A meal that had felt more like a getting-to-know-you date than a meeting to talk about fostering, even though that was the reason he’d given when he asked. And the perfect excuse for me to agree when I would have probably hesitated if he’d outright said it was a date that he wanted.
But our dinner had definitely turned into a date, which I just now realized I’d actually called it when I’d teased him about not wanting to end our night because my family was Air Force and he was Navy.
“Are you going to stand in the middle of the room all night? If so, I’ll leave the lights on for you.”
My head jerked to the side as I finally noticed that I wasn’t alone. “Huh?”
“I’m getting ready to lock up, unless you’re not ready to go?” My boss lifted her hand to jiggle her keys.
Glancing through the glass door, I realized it was already dark outside. “Whoa, I didn’t realize it was this late already. Time really flew today.”
“You’re in an unusual mood.” She tilted her head to the side as she scanned my face. “Anything going on that you want to talk about?”
I pressed my lips together, trying to stop smiling so big, but it didn’t work. I was too darn happy. “I, um, met a guy yesterday.”
“Aah, that explains the distractedness and mushy look in your eyes. Men can throw even the most dedicated women off their stride.” She grinned at me. “I’ve never understood why someone hadn’t snapped you up already. A girl like you deserves to be wooed.”
“Thanks,” I whispered, touched by the sentiment since her opinion meant a lot to me.
She wagged her finger at me. “This guy better see how beautiful you are on the inside, or he won’t just have your dad and brother to deal with.”
“I don’t know him that well yet, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” With how he’d accompanied Simon to his appointment with me and the way he’d teased back and forth with his teammate’s sister, I didn’t have any doubt that Kade was a good guy. Plus, something about him told me I could trust him. That he’d never do anything to hurt me.