Read All of You for Free Online Page B

why he was
here, and I knew I would have to engage in conversation with him.
Rebecca was right; he hadn’t done anything wrong, and I couldn’t
treat him as if he had. “She lets me live here for cheap, and I
help out with Tabitha. It works well for both of us,” I said,
realizing this was the first personal detail I had shared with
him.
    Lincoln smiled and nodded in return, and I
could see the tension in his body ease. “Tabitha seems like a great
kid.” Lincoln offered in what I thought was an attempt to keep me
talking.
    I nodded and took a sip of coffee. “She
really is. I hate to brag, but she’s honestly like the perfect kid.
But I guess everyone says that about their nieces and nephews,” I
said and blushed again, feeling stupid.
    Lincoln took a small step forward and shook
his head. “No. You have a way of bringing out the best in everyone,
not just your niece. I saw it last night.”
    I scoffed. We hadn’t even been together last
night for more than an hour and a half and most of that was spent
watching the parade. “Lincoln…,” I started to say.
    “Can we talk?” Lincoln asked bluntly,
interrupting my objection.
    “I thought that’s what we were doing,” I said
with a small smile.
    “Right,” Lincoln said with a chuckle. He ran
his hand over the back of his neck. “Can we go for a walk?” he
asked hopefully. “It’s not as cold out today. Oh wait. Do you have
a coat that’s not covered in chocolate?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I have a coat. Just
give me a second.” I set down my coffee and walked down the hall
out of Lincoln’s sight. I opened the closet where we kept our coats
and outdoor apparel and reached for my everyday coat. It was
nowhere near as fancy or cute as my white coat from last night, but
since Lincoln was dressed casual today, I figured it would
work.
    “No, not that one,” Rebecca whispered from
behind me. “Wear this one,” she said as she handed me a coat. It
was her red and white super adorable flannel coat that she never
let me borrow. Still casual but much better than my everyday coat.
I sighed and took the coat from my sister.
    “You must really want this to work out,” I
said cynically.
    “Just don’t let him spill anything on it,”
Rebecca said as she helped me put it on.
    Lincoln smiled brightly at me as I appeared
in the entryway where he was waiting. I grabbed my purse and
double-check that I had my cell phone, keys, and money before
shouting a good-bye to my sister and niece. I walked out the front
door and turned to make sure Lincoln was following and my breath
caught. Lincoln had put on a knit hat and sunglasses and it made
him look even more attractive. My mouth watered at the sight of
him, and I wanted to run my fingers through the slight beard scruff
on his face and press my lips against his and kiss him deeply. I
couldn’t get over how hot he looked in that moment. He came up next
to me and looked down at me. I could see my reflection in his
sunglasses, and I knew I was just standing there gawking at him,
but I couldn’t make myself move.
    “Ready to go?” Lincoln asked, furrowing his
brow in concern. I figured he was probably wondering why I was just
standing there staring at him.
    “Mmhmm.” I nodded. It was about all I could
do. Lincoln let out a small chuckle and took my arm to urge me
forward.
    “Is there somewhere to walk around here? A
park or something?” Lincoln asked.
    “Um…yeah. There’s a city park with a good
walking trail on the other side of Modesto Street. It goes around a
small pond. They usually clean the snow off the trail,” I said.
    “I’m familiar with it,” Lincoln said,
surprising me. “Maybe we should drive there though. That’s not
actually that close,” Lincoln said, leading me to his black FJ
Cruiser. The park wasn’t that far away but it was still January,
and while it was warmer than usual, it’s not like it was really
pleasant out.
    “Oh, if you don’t want to go there, we could
just walk