She patted her pockets for her keys and the money from the bake sale. The cookies and brownies would keep. Heck, she didn’t care if they were snatched. She’d made more than she’d anticipated, and she was going to ride off into the sunset with Owen.
She climbed on the bike, and the strict, by-the-book librarian giggled as she laced her fingers around his middle. “Where are we going?”
He turned in the seat so he could look at her. “Do we have to have a destination in mind to enjoy the ride?”
There was a hidden question there: Did they have to know where they were headed as a couple to start out on a romantic adventure? With all her heart, she answered, “Nope. I think we can follow the road and see where it takes us.”
He kissed her forehead and then started up the motorcycle. She donned her helmet, not even caring that she didn’t have an elastic to pull her hair back. She wanted Owen, and fate had smiled upon her.
The engine was loud at first. The farther they drove, the more the noise fell behind them. Bree hung on to Owen and watched the stars appear in the big sky above. There were billions of lights up there, all shining down on the two of them. Bree hugged him tighter, the sense of a new adventure tickling her skin.
Chapter Nineteen
Rain pelted the windows relentlessly and bounced off the roof. Dark clouds forced Owen to turn on the house lights at three in the afternoon. This was the first bad storm Schulenburg had had since he’d moved in, and he was anxious to see how his home held up; at the same time, he was grateful for the walls and ceiling protecting him and Bree from Mother Nature’s wrath.
His anxiousness had driven him to the stationary bike in his home gym. After the whole master shower plumbing issue, he’d dropped the pretense that a new home was a worry-free home.
Unaffected by the howling wind, Bree was curled up on the sofa he’d had delivered just for her to have a place to read while he worked out. They found, much to his satisfaction, that they preferred to be close to one another even if they were doing two different tasks. Like now: Bree was going through this month’s book club selection, taking notes and adding Post-its to her copy, while he pedaled his worry away.
The last couple of weeks were the most un-lonely weeks of his life as they became more comfortable with one another. He cooked dinner for them during the week. Bree wasn’t a picky eater and he stayed on his post-season diet. On the weekends, he took her out. A couple of times a week, they rode the bike. He’d thought about buying her one of her own, but decided against it. He liked her close to him.
Bree’s phone, perched on the arm of the sofa, trilled sharply, cutting through the storm’s noise. She checked the screen and dropped a pen in the book to hold her place. “Hi, Mom.”
Owen’s back arched like a startled cat’s. So far, he’d been able to avoid the mother. Bree talked about her now and then, but he managed to change the subject or kiss her into forgetting the topic of conversation. They were coming up on their three-week mark, and he knew, just knew, that the mom would insert herself soon.
“I’m not home. You can leave it on the counter in the kitchen.” Pause. “I’m …” She turned away from Owen. “With a friend.”
He put in a burst of speed. Sweat dripped into his eyes and stung. He swiped a towel across his forehead and pumped on.
“Okay. I’ll see you later on. Love you.” She set her phone facedown on the sofa and settled back into the cushion.
Owen was out of air. He puffed and slowed his legs back to a manageable speed. After five more minutes, he’d cooled down enough, in both muscles and mom issues, to get off the bike.
“Hey.” She smiled at him, her expression guarded.
He wiped down as best he could with a dry towel and then took the cushion next to her. She didn’t snuggle into him; how could she when his clothes were wet? Still, he always felt grounded when they were close. “That was your mom?”
She picked up her phone, absently running her fingers up and down the sides. “Yeah.”
“Bad news?”
“No. Nothing like that.” She palmed her phone.
“Something’s bothering you.”
Outside, the lightning flashed and the clouds crashed together.
She nodded, her eyes unfocused but the wheels in her head spinning faster and faster. She dug her elbow into the back of the sofa and hiked her legs up underneath her. “I’m just going to lay this out there and you’re going to think I’m a dork.”
He brushed a stray piece of hair off her cheek. “Sweetheart. We already know you’re a dork.”
She laughed and shoved his arm. “Fine. My mom and I have a rule that we introduce each other to the men we, uh, kiss.” Her cheeks dusted pink. “I know it’s silly, but it works for us.”
Warning lights flashed, blinding Owen to anything but the past he’d endured. To have love ripped away was brutal. He needed to protect what he and Bree had—even if it meant protecting them from her family. Meeting every person Bree kissed seemed overbearing. His parents didn’t even know what state he was in half the time, because he was a grown-up and could take care of himself—and because they were the epitome of out-of-sight-out-of-mind. “Can we just be us for a while longer? I kind of like the privacy.” He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm.
She melted deeper into the sofa. “I like it too.” She tipped her head to the side and her glasses lifted an eighth of an inch off her nose. “There’s not a time limit on the rule. It’s kind of loose that way.”
“So, no rush?”