Ready or Not (The Ready Series Book 4)(30)

After we finished, we said good-bye to the other volunteers and thanked the coordinators for letting us participate. Then, we hobbled back to the truck.

I drove us to a quaint little diner not too far from where we lived. We found a booth toward the back where we could rest our feet and not distract others with our awful appearance and funky food odor.

Liv looked over the menu and groaned. “I want all of it, all the food.”

I laughed. “Order whatever you want. I think I’m getting double of everything. I’m starving.”

Our waitress came by and didn’t falter or even raise an eyebrow as I ordered two hamburgers and a double order of fries. Liv stuck with a veggie burger and sweet potato fries, but she added an Oreo milkshake on as a treat.

“You’re sharing that,” I said as the waitress walked away.

“Because your two meals aren’t enough?” she quipped.

“I’m a growing boy.”

“No, you’re not.” She laughed. “But I’ll still share because this has to be the most original and best date I’ve ever been on. Kudos to you, Jackson.”

I mimicked the motions of tipping a hat in her direction. “I wanted to prove to you that I was different.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I know you have…how shall I put this?”

“Been around the block?” she guessed.

I smirked and shook my head. “I was going to say dated a lot, but whatever floats your boat, sweetheart. I’m sure those other men took you out to fancy restaurants and moonlit picnics—believe me, I want to do that, too—but I wanted to show you that I understand you.”

“No one has ever done anything like that for me. It was exhilarating.”

“I knew it would be, because I know you, Liv.”

“How? We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, and we’ve spent the majority of that time fighting like cats and dogs.”

I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. “Tell me something about myself, something you’ve learned about me in the last few weeks.”

“Besides the fact that you like pink flamingos?”

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Yeah, besides that.”

“You’re an incredibly good father. Everything you do revolves around Noah.”

My chest ached, hearing her say those words. I knew it in my own heart, but hearing someone else confirm it meant a lot.

“See? How do you know that after only a few weeks, Liv?”

“Because I know you,” she said softly.

“Exactly. Look, I don’t know what we’re doing. We don’t have to put a label on it. Call it whatever you want, but all I know is, I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stick around until there’s nothing new I could possibly learn about you, and even then, I’ll probably still stick around just to annoy you.”

A laugh escaped her throat as the waitress returned with her milkshake. She unwrapped the straw, dropped it in, and stirred it briefly before leaning forward to close her lips around it.

She finished and then pushed it forward. She watched as I took a long sip through the straw.

“This scares me, Jackson,” she said, raw honesty written all over her face.

“Not as much as it scares me.”

“So, what do we do to make sure we both don’t run away in fear?”

“Take each day as it comes and hope that they’re all like this,” I said, pushing the milkshake back to her.

“And if they’re not?”

“Then, we come back here, order an Oreo milkshake, and remember.”





Liv

Making the final touches on my long braid, I wrapped the tiny black band around the end and slipped on my sandals before heading to the door. It was Sunday morning, and I was going through the motions of my morning ritual, preparing to make my weekly visit to Mrs. Reid.

Still in a bit of a haze from yesterday—post-date bliss I guessed—it took me a second to recognize the quiet knock coming from the front door.

I ambled down the stairs and walked to the door. I turned the handle and opened the door to find Noah standing before me. He looked nervous, his eyes downcast, and he seemed shorter, with his shoulders sinking down. It wasn’t the normal kid I was used to seeing.

“Hey there,” I greeted.

“Hey,” he answered back shyly.

“What’s up? You want to come inside?”

He nodded as I stepped aside to let him pass.

He looked around briefly before turning back to me. “My dad said you go to visit my great-grandma on Sundays?” His expression was hesitant as if he were unsure he should be asking.

I smiled warmly, trying to set his mind at ease. “I do.”

“Could I come with you maybe?”

“Of course you can. Whenever you’d like, Noah.”

He visibly relaxed.

I turned my head to the side. “I always like to eat before I go. Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you have?” I asked.

He shrugged, and his light-blue eyes that nearly matched his father’s met mine. “Lucky Charms.”

I laughed, ruffling his hair as I moved past him. “Come on. I’m going to make you a real breakfast.”