Page 22 of Alistair

“I am. I wanted to ask you too! I guess we were both on the same page.”

“Great minds.”

She hummed and smiled. He noticed the worry and tightness around her eyes was gone and her smile was sweet and genuine.

“I didn’t want you to think I wouldn’t have invited you without this situation with my ex, because itwason my mind and I really did want to ask you to escort me.”

“I’m very happy to. Is it fancy? What time do I need to pick you up?”

“I need to be there an hour early for family pictures. The wedding is at six and it’s at the country club in Almsworth, so you’d need to pick me up around four-fifteen. It’s fancy, like black tie. I don’t suppose you have a tuxedo?”

“I’ve never actually worn one.”

“Not even to prom?”

“I never went to prom.” He’d been homeschooled growing up because the memory he’d grown up in had been part of a traveling circus and they never stayed in one place too long. His sister and her family were still in the circus, and whenever they were near, he traveled to visit them.

“Oh wow, well, then I’ll get to be your first formal date and dance partner. That’s pretty cool. And I can go with you tux shopping if you’d like. There are some rental places around.”

“Now instead of the movie?”

“Sure. Then we can find something else to occupy our time.” She rose to her feet and held out her hand, her eyes glowing with promise and her scent deepening.

He rose to his feet and stared down at her, wanting to tell her about his elephant and ask her to be his mate. Maybe toss her over his shoulder and haul ass to the bedroom for some fun.

Instead, he cupped her face and lowered his head to kiss her.

Before their lips touched, he said, “You are a treasure, Maggie. I’m honored to be in your life.”

She let out a soft, happy gasp and then rose to meet his lips.

He loved kissing her.

He couldn’t believe his soulmate was such a beautiful, sweet female. Already he was falling for her and it had only been twenty-four hours.

He knew things would only get better as time went on.

His soulmate was one special female, and everything he’d ever wanted in the person he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

After they left the tuxedo rental shop, they stopped for dinner at a deli, where Maggie had the best chicken salad sandwich in her life, plus the best conversation with the sexiest guy. When they were back in his SUV after the meal, she held his hand and stared out the window. It was surreal that she’d just been doing her job and chaperoning her class on their field trip, and now she was on a second date with literally the sweetest guy she’d ever met in her life.

And hottest.

Holy crap.

Just looking at him made her heart flutter. And he smelled so good, like thunderstorms and rain.

“What would you like to do now?” he asked, his voice low as he maneuvered the SUV out of the parking lot and onto the street.

“I haven’t seen your place yet,” she said. “Or we could go back to mine, watch a movie?”

She wasn’t really a direct person, but Alistair made her feel like she could tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge her.

“I just realized,” she added, “that you never said where you lived.”

He hummed. “I live at the park. There’s an apartment complex at the back.”

“No kidding. I didn’t know there were apartments there.”