Page 46 of Falling for You
“I want you to know that Ronnie has led a sheltered life. She hasn’t really dated and that’s my fault. It’s hard raising a girl, especially when you work in the high school system with teenagers all the time. I know the dangers of moving too fast when you’re young. Saying all that, I want you to understand that you need to take it slow with her. You’re twenty years old and she’s only eighteen. That may be only two years, but in life experiences that’s a lot.”
I take a deep breath. “I promise you sir, I will treat Ronnie with the utmost respect. She is someone I see myself with for a long time, if she’ll have me. I honestly feel like she deserves better.” I smile and he smiles back. “But if she’ll give me the chance, then I’ll go as slow as possible so she knows how precious she is.”
He takes a long look at me, as if gauging how honest I’m being with him. Then he grins. “Okay, I think we can reach an understanding.”
I hear a feminine voice clearing her throat and look at the doorway. Immediately, my hormones stand at attention. Slow, remember you’re going slow.
Chapter Forty-Four
You can tell a lot about a guy from where he takes you on the first date. I once dated a guy who took me to Taco Bell on our first date. Let’s just say… there was no second date.- Sam
Ronnie
“You ready, Sawyer?” I grab my clutch from the counter and see both Sawyer and my dad watching me with wide eyes. What the heck is wrong with them?
“Everything ok in here?”
My dad recovers first. “Yeah, everything’s fine baby girl.” He gets up and grabs both of my hands. “You look so beautiful. Just like your mom.”
I blush. “Thanks, Dad.” I look over expectantly at Sawyer, but he’s still sitting there, mouth agape.
“Sawyer?”
He stands up slowly and walks over. “You look nice, Ronnie. Really nice.”
“Thanks,” I say meekly. Nice, I look nice? I spent all afternoon getting ready. I’m wearing a green silk blouse that shows enough of my cleavage to be noticed, but not enough to make me feel conspicuous. My black skirt tucks in at my waist and flows out, making the most of my curves. The green shirt is supposed to match my eyes, according to Sam. We spent over an hour face timing each other to make sure I picked out the best outfit. I spent an hour trying to get my makeup perfect and I curled my hair, which I never do. Now, I guess I look…nice.
Sawyer offers me his arm and turns to my dad. “I’ll have her home by eleven, sir. I know that’s her curfew.”
“Thanks, son. I appreciate that.”
Son? Since when did my dad start calling Sawyer son? I guess this is a good development, but I can’t help but feel extremely disappointed by Sawyer’s reaction.
Sawyer helps me into his truck and I glance over at him once he’s settled. “You look nice too.” I hope my voice sounds normal, but I think it comes out a little pouty.
Sawyer laughs. “Thanks. I’m so sorry for the lame response in there.” He scoots closer to me and grips my chin. “You are absolutely beautiful. In fact, more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”
He places a gentle kiss on my lips and I sigh in contentment.
“Now, let’s get out of here before your dad thinks we’re making out in my truck before we even get out of the driveway.”
“I wouldn’t mind if we did.” I lean close to him and send him my best seductive pose.
“Don’t tempt me.” He grins and starts the car. He grabs my hand and holds it in the middle of us. Feeling him rub his thumb over the back of my hand makes me shiver. It’s amazing what this guy does to me.
La Maison is everything I thought it would be. The opulence is a bit too much for me. I’m more of a milkshake and burger kind of a girl. I can’t help but look around in awe as we’re seated. The grand chandelier in the dining room twinkles above us, but there is a soft, intimate light at our table. A fireplace roars nearby. We’re seated at a window table, and I can see the river down below us.
“What do you think?” Sawyer sounds so excited that I know I have to say something positive. The restaurant really is nice. It just doesn’t feel like me. It feels pretentious and stiff.
“It’s lovely Sawyer. Thank you so much. You didn’t have to go to this much trouble. We could have gone to Harry’s Diner and I would have been okay with it.” I smile brightly at him, and he frowns a little.
“I wanted to make sure my girl had something special. Maybe we can get a milkshake after, though.” He puts his hand over mine at the table and lifts it to his lips. I shiver in response.
“Thanks Sawyer. I’m really looking forward to trying the food here. I’ve always heard about how amazing it is.”
The restaurant is romantic and elegant. It’s everything I could have ever dreamed of for a date. The food is, well, the food is…it’s good, what there is of it. I’m not used to such small portions. There are several courses, but they’re all so small. I do get to try new food though. I try the escargot, which turns out to be snails. At first I gag at the thought of snails in my mouth, but in the end I try it. Snails are tasty, who knew?
The more Sawyer and I talk the more I realize we have a lot in common. I stayed awake all last night, worrying that we wouldn’t be able find anything to talk about. Turns out Sawyer is a closet geek. He loves the same comedy shows I do and has read a lot of the same books. Obviously he doesn’t read romance novels, but at least where John Grisham is concerned, we’re on the same wavelength.