“That’s the first thing on my list,” I assure her and take her hand, link our fingers, and squeeze reassuringly. Three squeezes, to be exact.
I love you.
Our first stop is the original Starbucks where we load up on probably way too much caffeine, then I lead her through the market. It’s a little early yet, but vendors are already setting up their tables full of seafood, flowers, jewelry, just about anything you can think of. Callie is happy to slowly browse, stopping to taste some local honey, or accept a slice of apple.
A pair of earrings catch her eye. “We’ll take them,” I tell the man behind the table, who smiles and reaches for a box.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Callie shakes her head and the man pauses with the box in his hand.
“Do you like them?”
“Of course, they’re beautiful.”
“Perfect.” I nod to the man and he continues boxing her earrings. I pay him and she takes the bag with a thank you, and fifteen minutes later, when she still hasn’t said a word, I decide to break the silence. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Thank you for the earrings.”
“You’re welcome.” We walk further, tasting oils and vinegars with cut-up bread, and then finally stand and watch the guys who throw the fish put on a show. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, but she doesn’t lean into me the way she usually does. “Spill it, sweetheart,” I murmur into her ear.
“You’re just a very take-charge kind of person,” she says, her eyes pinned to the fish flying through the air. “And that’s something I have to get used to.”
“It’s not a big deal. You like the earrings, so I bought them.”
“And I like the Seahawks so you brought me to Seattle,” she says with a nod. “You just—”
“I’m sorry if I crossed a line,” I say and drop my arm. Am I coming on too strong? I don’t see it that way. I love her, so I do nice things for her. It’s really that simple.
“I’ve never been taken care of,” she says softly and finally turns to look up at me. She takes my hand in hers and holds on tightly. “This is just new for me, and I’m not complaining, I’m just—”
“You’re adjusting your sails,” I finish for her, thinking of my father.
“What?”
“My dad used to say we can’t control the wind, but we can adjust our sails.” I lead her around the corner and sigh in bliss when I smell the tiny donuts being made. “So, you’re adjusting your sails a bit, and that’s okay.”
“That’s actually a really good way to put it,” she agrees with a nod. “But nothing is wrong. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Okay. Just tell me if I do, because I probably will, and I won’t even know that I’m doing it.”
“Fair enough. Please tell me we’re getting some of these donuts.”
I grin and nod, already salivating. “This is the only reason I come to Seattle.”
“You’re kidding.” She frowns as she watches the little pastries float in the cooking oil, then flop into the three-tiered cooking rack. “They’re just donuts.”
“You wound me,” I reply, my hand over my heart. “These are not just donuts. These are Pike’s Place Market donuts, and believe me when I say after you’ve eaten these, you’ll never be the same.”
“If you say so,” she says. I order enough for two large brown paper bags full, take one out, still piping hot from the fryer, and pop it in my mouth, then offer her one. She chooses a cinnamon sugar one, takes a bite, and stops in her tracks. “Oh my God.”
“I know.”
“I mean, it’s just… so good.”
“You’re welcome.”
“More.” She takes the bag out of my hands and digs in, bites into another and sighs, moaning as if she’s having really, really good sex.
“It’s a good thing I bought two bags,” I say with a laugh and open my own bag, but she reaches in and steals one. “Hey!”
“You took one of mine,” she says primly, licking sugar off her lips. “It’s only fair.”
I lean in and lick the sugar off her lips myself, then kiss her long and hard, right here for all of Seattle to see. “You can have all the donuts you want, sweetheart.”
“Good, because we might have to make a trip back there before we leave.”
“I was already planning on it.”
“This is why I keep you around.”
“Donuts?” I laugh and shake my head, leading her back toward the hotel where I plan to get her naked and in the enormous pool-size bathtub before we explore more of the city. “And here I thought you kept me around for my good looks.”
“Well, before this it was for your oral skills, but now it’s donuts.”
I stop on the sidewalk and stare at her in surprise, then I bust up laughing and pick up the pace to the hotel.
“Are you in a hurry?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I want to hone my oral skills.”
“Oh!” She speeds up, passing me. “Good idea.”
Chapter Twelve
~Callie~
“Come on! Are you fucking kidding me? Learn to throw the damn ball, Montgomery!” I scream down to the field. “I can throw better than that!”
“Easy, tiger,” Declan says, pulling me back down in the seat.
“Did you see that?” I roar and glare down at Seattle’s quarterback. “I mean, what the hell?”