"Thank you," I choke on the lump in my throat.
We're quiet for the remaining few miles to St. Charles. We decide on dinner first and pull into a large parking lot behind a slew of restaurants and shops. Nate throws the car into park and walks around to help me out.
"I mean it," he says as he pulls me against his body and places a soft kiss against my lips. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to, but I'm right here. For you." Nate adds another kiss to punctuate his sentence. I could get lost in his kisses and his embrace for the rest of my life.
I nod in reply, not able to get the words out. Thank you just doesn't seem like enough. Maybe because what I really want to say is I love you.
"Come on," Nate says while linking our hands together. "The Fisherman's Wharf is up this way. Avery says that's the place she always goes to with Maddox."
I follow Nate to the big red wooden door and we step inside. My taste buds are alive and my mouth starts to water as the scent of fresh seafood hits me in the face as we breach the threshold. I walk up, with Nate, to the hostess stand where a petite, pretty woman stands. She openly checks Nate out, letting her eyes linger a little too long on his chest.
"Good evening," she coos sweetly. "How many in your party?"
"Two," Nate replies as he tugs me into his arms. The movement pulls the sleeve of his t-shirt upward, revealing just a peak of his beautiful tattoo.
The hostess notices and smiles appreciatively at my man's arm. Now, don't get me wrong. I can find myself staring at his arms, handsome face, chest, ass, and well, pretty much every part of his body myself. But … ogling while he's with a date?
Back off bitch!
"Follow me," she says with so much sugar, I have a toothache.
Nate keeps our fingers linked, but pushes me in front of him. "Save me from the piranha," Nate whispers in my ear. "I feel violated all of a sudden."
"Oh, you were definitely eye-fucked," I whisper back with a smile. That crazy, jealous feeling that washed over me moments before eases a little with Nate's teasing. At least he noticed it and wasn't impressed.
"If there's any fucking – eye or otherwise – I only want it to be with you," he whispers as we approach a table overlooking the river.
"Here you go," the hostess says as she bats her eyelashes.
"Uh, thanks," Nate says as he tries his best to ignore her. We both sit down, but the hostess remains standing next to Nate. We both stare up at her with confusion written on our faces.
"Your server will be with you shortly," she says with another smile at Nate. Yep, she pretty much has no clue that there's a second person at this table.
"Kay, thanks," Nate mumbles and stares across the table at me. The look on his face is priceless. Its part fear, part confusion, and completely comical, all rolled into one.
After a few silent moments that scream of awkwardness, the hostess finally turns and heads back to her stand.
"Did you see that?" Nate asks, shaking his head. "She has turned around and looked back twice."
"Some women have no couth," I retort with a smile.
"She's still staring. I'm starting to get scared," he replies, dropping his head down to hide behind mine.
"You've never been stared at before?" I ask. "I find that completely impossible. You're gorgeous and I imagine you have phone numbers dropped in your lap everywhere you go."
"You think I'm gorgeous?" Nate asks with a cocky smile.
"You know you are," I reply with a blushing smile. "Women everywhere agree."
"I don't care about women everywhere. I only care about one particular woman," he says with another of those drop dead gorgeous, panty-melting smiles. Seriously, it's practically an art the way he does that.
"Like I was saying, this can't be the first time someone paid a little extra attention to you."
Nate sighs and sits up straight. "No, it's not. But, I guess, when I'm here or anywhere with you, I want to be with just you. I don't want someone trying to grab my attention. Especially because I know they won't get it, and they're wasting their time. I only have eyes for you."
This is where I melt into a puddle of mush on the floor. Nate Stevens is the perfect combination of man: big, strong, alpha male, yet so sweet, supportive, and caring. Someday, some woman is going to win the husband lottery when they marry Nate, and that thought depresses me greatly. I wish it would be me.
The waitress arrives and keeps her eyes where they're supposed to be – on Nate's face. "Hey, guys. I'm Kim. Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"I'll take a mango margarita, please," I say.
"Budweiser bottle, please," Nate adds.
"Coming right up, guys," she says as she turns to get our drinks.
"So, tell me about the gala," I say.
"Well, it's the first one we've had so, I'm not sure what to expect. Erin and Joss have been working hard on it the past several months. Erin wants to upgrade the shelves and furniture in the children's section of the library. Joss is actually the one who came up with the idea of the gala. She's from Chicago and apparently her parents made her go to several big events while she was growing up," Nate says.
The waitress returns with our drinks, and Nate fills me in on the rest of the plans for the gala. Mayor Thorsten is planning on speaking, as well as half the politicians in the Midwest. Erin and Joss did a great job of organizing such a big event including inviting half the dignitaries and well-to-do in the area.
As soon as we place our orders with the waitress, Nate's phone rings.
"It's Ave," he says as he takes the call.
"What's up?" he asks and locks those intense blue-gray eyes on mine. "She's right here. Hold on," he adds and extends his hand across the table to hand me the phone. "Avery wants to talk to you."
"Hello?"
"I'm so sorry to bother you guys, but you weren't answering your phone," Avery says.
"Sorry, I probably left it on vibrate since work. I always forget to turn it back on," I reply.
"Well, the girls and I are all going to get manicures and pedicures on Friday afternoon for the gala on Saturday. Sandra is coming in to finish my shift and close up the bakery. Want to come with us for some girly spa treatments?"
"I can do that," I say. Nate looks at me and nods towards the restrooms. I give him a smile as he slides out of his chair and heads towards the men's room.
"Great. As your boss, I was going to order you to do it anyway," she adds with a laugh.
"Well, I don't want to upset my boss," I say, smiling back at her through the phone.
"Oh, and we're making a stop at the mall, too. It's sort of a tradition for us girls to go buy sexy new underwear anytime we can," Avery says in a hushed tone.
"I'm in," I say with a smile, finding it hard to conceal my excitement at Nate discovering a little surprise later on Saturday night.
"Okay, well, we are meeting at the bakery at two. Everyone is going to park in the back and hop into the new Tahoe," Avery says. Maddox bought Avery a new Tahoe last week. Between her constant moving around big boxes of baked goods and their growing brood of children, they needed more room. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't find out about a pending arrival of a new Jackson in the near future.
If I'm still around for that announcement, that is.
"Sounds great," I reply.
"How's the restaurant? Nate took you to The Fisherman's Wharf, right?
"Yep, and so far so good. Although, I want to throat punch the hostess for hitting on Nate," I say with a chuckle.
"Oh my gosh, is that girl still there? The same thing happened to Maddox and me on our first date! She was openly flirting with him like I wasn't even there."
"Well, I'm guessing it's the same girl," I reply.
"Don't take her crap, Lia. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Avery says.
After quick goodbyes, I hang up the phone and set it on the table. Just as I release my hand, though, it starts ringing again. I don't even glance down at the screen as I answer.
"What did you forget?" I say with a chuckle.
"Excuse me?" I hear on the other end of the line. Nope, definitely not Avery. While still a woman, this voice is deeper and huskier in that I-just-woke-up kind of way.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," I respond.
"Is Nate there?" the woman asks.