Mom leaned on her forearms on the bar. “That was nice of him to offer to set the table.” That was Mom—looking on the bright side.
“He’s good like that.”
“Good.” Mom went to check the lemon chicken.
Owen finished arranging the table and went to stand at the edge of the deck, his arms folded. Bree wished she’d waited to introduce her mom and Owen. But hindsight was always 20/20. She just hoped the two of them could recover from tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alittle over a week later, Bree was finishing up with the new arrivals for the children’s section when her phone rang. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart. I haven’t seen you for a while. How about a movie night tomorrow night?”
Bree cringed. She had plans with Owen. Nothing big—dinner and breaking in his new pool table. She’d read every book the library had on billiards and was looking forward to beating him soundly at a competition. He’d crushed her at basketball, soccer, tennis, bowling and tetherball. Billiards was all about angles and geometry and trajectory. If there was a sport she could beat him at, this was it.
But her mom was right: she hadn’t been around much. “Can I bring Owen?” That way, she’d get to see himandher mom. The introductory dinner was strained at best. The two of them needed more time—time to relax. Owen was like that; it’d taken several weeks for him to warm up to her. A movie night was the perfect solution. Not a lot of talking combined with a lot of being around each other.
Her request was answered with silence. Silence that amplified the words her mom was not saying. Bree’s heart sank.
Finally, Mom said, “I don’t think he likes me very much.”
Although Bree could understand how her mom came to that impression, she also knew that Owen needed people in his life. She was happy being his one and only, but there was something missing inside of him. He probably missed his family. A person didn’t grow up with brothers and sisters and then write them off that easily. If he couldn’t have his family, she’d be happy to share hers. “That’s not true.” She thought back to the night he told her he liked her more than he should, his gruff words and grumbling, and smiled. “Owen has a hard candy shell. It takes time for it to melt away, but inside he’s sweet.”
Silence—again.
“He’s important to me.”
“Bring him.” No more silence. No more hesitation. If Owen was important to Bree, then he was included.
“Thanks, Mom.”
* * *
Owen rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he waited outside the library for Bree to finish work. He’d packed a picnic dinner and a blanket in the motorcycle’s storage compartment and couldn’t wait to take her to the gazebo he’d found in the vineyard on the outskirts of town. It had taken him two days to track down the owner and get permission to use the spot. A set of tickets to the Titans’ opening game greased the wheels of agreement with the man. Totally worth it.
Bree burst out of the doors, pulling her hair free from the knot at her neck and allowing it to fall in big waves over her shoulder. The sight was something to behold and Owen soaked in the way she moved, the happiness radiating from her smile, and her hips swaying. He couldn’t remember if her hips swayed like that when they first met, but they sure as shooting did now.
“Hey, beautiful.”
She grinned and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him hello as he sat on the bike. “Hey there.”
He held her close, drinking in the smell of perfume and aged paper that was unique to her. He buried his nose in her neck, and she giggled. “I have news.” He was practically bursting with it, and there was no way he’d be able to hold back until they got to the gazebo. “I talked to my agent, and I am free to do the reading incentive program.”
When Doris had first suggested he be the grand prize, he’d bristled more out of feeling unworthy of being called a grand prize than anything. His reaction came across as stuck-up. He hoped his explanation over contracts had made a difference. They hadn’t spent much time with Bree’s mom since, so he doubted it. Maybe he’d scared Doris off. If so, and she wasn’t the overbearing mother he’d pegged her to be, then he felt bad. But if she was the type to control her daughter, then he was happy he’d made an early stand.
The only reason he’d pursued the idea was the light of hope that twinkled in Bree’s eyes.
Her mouth dropped open and she let out a squeal. “Truly?”
He laughed, happy that he could make her happy. “Yep.”
She kissed him soundly before climbing on behind him and holding tight. She didn’t have to hold on to him that securely; she had enough experience on the bike that she could have let her arms hang loose. He reveled in the feeling of rightness that came with her wrapped tightly around him. Bree, as small as she was, fit just right into his world.
“Oh, uh, before I forget, Mom invited us over for a movie night tomorrow night.”
Owen’s body tightened. He and Tammy used to hang out at her place, in the basement, with her brother and sometimes her parents. Her mom would make sure they were only close enough to hold hands—going so far as to sit between them if she thought they needed to “cool off.” She used those moments to convince Tammy that all Owen wanted was to take her to bed. Like he’d ever pushed that line with Tammy. Idealist that he was, he wanted their wedding night to be their first. None of his chivalry or self-control mattered. Tammy believed her mom more than she believed Owen.
There was no hiding his physical reaction from Bree. “Do you want to go?” he asked.