It's About Time (Blossom Peak #4)(117)

I roll my eyes from the front seat of my truck. “No, Dil.” I hear the parking brake engage before I hop down from the driver’s seat. “When are you gonna believe that I listen to everything you say?”

Dilynne puts her hands in the air, backing away from me slowly. “Okay. I was just checking.” She lowers her hands and motions to the jack. “Now, time to put her legs up in the air.”

I smirk over my shoulder at her. “Don’t start with t hat.”

“What?”

“You know exactly what you said,” I say before reaching down and adjusting my cock.

She feigns innocence while shrugging her shoulders. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Standing tall, I stalk over to her, pulling her into me by her waist. “I’m trying to be a good student, so I need you to be a good teacher.”

She hums. “Hmmm, but what if I want our roles to be the other way around?”

A growl travels up my throat. “We can role play all you want later. But right now, I really want you to teach me how to change a fucking tire, Dilynne.”

Her smile is soft, and as I stare down at her, I wrestle with how I never let myself see her this way before.

It’s only been a few months that we’ve been together now, but I catch myself thinking back to how our relationship has changed and it brings me so much fucking gratitude that I can’t stand it most days.

Every lesson, every argument—it was all worth it to get here with Dilynne.

She pouts and takes a step out of my grasp. “Fine. Get the jack and let’s do this.”

Dilynne demonstrates how to loosen the lug nuts to extract the old tire, line up the new one, and put the lug nuts back in place.

“That’s it?”

“Yup!”

I push a hand through my hair as I switch places with her, taking a seat on the chair in front of the tire now. “I feel like a fucking tool that I didn’t know how to do that. I mean, if I were faced with this issue, I most certainly could have figured it out, but…”

She waves me off. “Don’t worry, I’ve judged you for far worse things than this. Besides, you have a teacher now for this kind of stuff, so if you’re willing, I’ll teach you much more complicated stuff than this.”

Nodding, I pick up the torque wrench and get to work, changing the tire—and barely breaking a sweat. Once we’re done, Dilynne leads me over to the sink to clean up. “So, you have plans tonight?”

She shrugs as she wipes her hands clean on a rag, tossing another in my direction. “Just bath time, which I thought you were going to join me for.”

I let out a groan, remembering our standing date. “I still plan on it, but if you’re willing, there’s somewhere else I’d like to take you first.”

“And where is that?”

“Charlotte.”

Her eyes widen. “Why on earth would we need to go to Charlotte?”

I frame her face with my hands. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course, but…”

I cut her off with a kiss. “Then don’t ask questions and just join me for the ride.” A few hours later we pull up to City Hall as I shove my truck in park. “We’re here.”

Dilynne wakes from her nap. She passed out about an hour ago and I knew she’d be in a much better mood if I let her sleep for a little bit. “Where?”

“The community law council meeting.”

She whips her head in my direction. “You brought me here with you?”

Reaching for her hand, I bring it to my lips, pressing a soft kiss against her skin. “Yes. I want you to see what my grandfather created, why keeping this alive is so important to me. In fact, I think Tracy, Colby, and Thomas are already inside.”

Onc e we exit my truck, we walk up the steps hand in hand. “So the staff has gotten on board with this?”

I nod. “Yes. In fact, Colby is already trying to create a new branch in Asheville so there’s one closer to us. The only reason this one is in Charlotte is because that’s where my grandfather started it, and this city is much bigger to serve. But even smaller towns and their people need legal support.”

When we enter the community center, Colby smiles over at us. “Dilynne? How did Elliot drag you here?”

“He kidnapped me with the promise of a bubble bath later and then I fell asleep, so I didn’t put up much of a fight.” Laughing, I kiss Dilynne’s temple. “You know I don’t know shit about the law, but I’m willing to help where I can.”

Colby nods. “Actually, I have some paperwork that you could help us with if that tickles your fancy?”

Dilynne bounces her eyebrows at me before walking away. “Sounds great. I love my fancy tickled.”

The two hours the clinic is open go by in a blur, and by the end of the night, I’m having to force Dilynne to leave.

“I wasn’t done filing,” she whines before shoving her burger in her mouth that I grabbed us for dinner.

“It’s okay. It will be there next week.”

“Then I need to go back to finish.”

I glance over at her as the corner of my mouth lifts. “You want to go back?”

Nodding, she wipes her mouth and finishes chewing before she speaks. “I do. I actually had fun, and it was…” She licks her lips. “It was hot seeing you in lawyer mode.”