Page 187 of Love Unwritten
“You’re going to make me blush.”
His smile grows wider. “You’re joking too? Damn. What was in those Hawaiian Suns?”
“High-fructose corn syrup.”
Julian pulls me into a side hug and rubs the top of my head like he used to when we were younger. “Happiness looks good on you.”
I shove him off. “Falling in love with Dahlia really has changed you.”
“Just wait until it happens to you.”
I have a feeling it may happen sooner than I thought.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Ellie
I’ve been on plenty of dates before, but I don’t remember ever being this nervous, standing in my parents’ living room while my mom fusses over me and Burt stands in a corner with a smile on his face.
“You wore the dress I bought you!”
“Is it too much?” I tug at the hem, but it doesn’t stretch past my midthigh.
“Of course not! You look gorgeous,” Mom says.
She was beyond excited to go shopping with me today in search of a new outfit for my date. With the way she cried when I stepped out of the fitting room in this short dress, someone could think I was trying on wedding gowns.
“Should I get my ax and give him a speech on the porch?” Burt asks.
I shake my head. “I must insist you don’t.”
“It could be fun.”
“It could also get you arrested, so there’s that.”
My stepdad laughs as he pulls me in for a hug. “He’s lucky you gave him a second chance.”
My lips curl at the corners. “I’m happy I did.”
The wrinkles beside his eyes soften. “You like him a lot, don’t you?”
“Just a teensy bit.”
Mom squeals like she is in grade school again. “Are you joking? You’re glowing.”
“Okay, fine. I like him a lot.” As if I conjured him up by just talking about him, Rafael rings the doorbell.
My mom grabs Burt and drags him out of the room, but he still shouts, “Treat her well or else I’ll introduce you to my ax,” when I open the door.
Rafael holds out a baby pink hibiscus that looks like he plucked it straight from one of the bushes we saw in Hawaii.
I stare at it. “Where did you find that?”
“I have my sources.”
My cheeks flush as he curls my hair behind my ear before adding the flower. “A pretty flower for a stunning woman.”
I can hear Mom and Burt whispering about it, so I grab my purse and shut the front door behind me.