(Slade’s POV)
I walked across the yard toward the guest house just after eight, coffee in one hand, phone in the other, already smirking to myself.
Aspen Hart still hadn’t realized it.
We were a couple.
Not officially. Not out loud. But in every way that mattered.
The way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t watching. The way she softened around me and then immediately tried to pull back like she’d crossed an invisible line. The way I touched her now without thinking twice and she didn’t flinch anymore.
I was wooing her.
And this week, I was taking her on our first real date whether she admitted it or not.
The door to the guest house was open. I could hear voices inside, the clatter of plates, Holly laughing too loudly about something that didn’t need that much enthusiasm.
I
