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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 29- Lincoln
“You’re sure she’s coming?” Mom asked me for the thousandth time, looking anxiously around as guests began arriving for the event she’d just decided would be called “Friday Fling.” There were people milling around outside the winery, a band set up on a low stage at the edge of the parking lot, and food trucks lining the drive. It was warm and the sun was just beginning its sweep down the western sky.I’d known Hannah only a few days, but she didn’t seem like the type who would say she’d be somewhere and then not come. “I’m sure.”Mom went back to fussing with the centerpiece on one of the long picnic tables, and just as I leaned in to help her, a sound like a shot rang out through the air. A few people nearby screamed, and without meaning to do it, I’d leapt over the table and pressed my mother to the ground, evidently planning to take a bullet for her if necessary.“Lincoln, get off!” Mom complained, pushing me off of her as we both realized it hadn’t been a gunshot, but a car backfi
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 30- Hannah
Oh, no. My brain was screaming “abort,” but my body kept swaying to the music, inching ever closer to Lincoln like a moth to Aunt Betty’s old closet. Lincoln’s mom was so sweet and even if I felt she was a little over involved in her son’s lives, I guessed being recently widowed could do that to a person. But Pam’s over involvement was not to blame for me grabbing Lincoln and dragging him on to the makeshift dance floor. Some long- buried hormones were responsible for that wrong move, and I’d be having a stern talking to with them later tonight.Conversation between us died as we swayed on the edges of the dance floor, but maybe it was because our bodies were doing all the communicating. Unlike some of our conversations, absolutely none of this dance was awkward. And for a guy who didn’t want to dance, he sure stayed out there a long time. Other than breaks for food and conversation he couldn’t get out of, Lincoln kept us out on the dance floor. The band was winding down by the time I
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 31- Lincoln
My mind does its best work when I’ve spent a couple hours pushing my body through hard labor. Whether it's hauling boxes in the warehouse or— my preference—putting in time under the sun along the endless marching rows of a vineyard, something about the physical activity helps my mind calm a bit.I’d found that same kind of mental peace in the gym or through running. I wasn’t a guy who had a calm, quiet mind naturally. I’d actually tried meditation at one point in college when I was struggling with focusing for classes, but what I’d found was that the hamsters constantly turning those mental wheels only slept if they were completely worn out.So when Mom called after I’d spent a few long sweaty hours in the vineyard working with Hannah, I’d accepted her dinner reservation as I imagined most normal guys who were interested in impressing a woman might.But as I showered and dressed back at my house, recovering both physically and mentally from the day’s exertion, the hamsters got back to
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 32- Hannah
Why, oh why did the normally awkward and frustrated with general conversation Lincoln have to look so dang good dressed up? He looked like some sort of GQ cover model who’d come to sweep me off my feet with his perfectly tousled hair, square jaw, and smoking finger. Okay, the finger was my fault. Or technically Aunt Betty’s for never fixing the doorbell, but Lincoln’s overall presentation was smoking hot, which meant I was officially screwed for tonight. How could I be expected to remember he was only my fake boyfriend when he told me I was beautiful right before nearly slamming the door in my face yet again?“Hannah?”Lincoln’s voice jolted me from my thoughts. I was trying to remember some jokes from when I used to babysit in high school for extra cash, but so far all I had was “knock-knock.” I couldn’t remember the rest, which was truly sad since there were like a million knock-knock jokes to choose from.“Sorry, what?”He twisted the side of his lips up, probably amused that it wa
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 33- Lincoln
The server gave me a very irritated look when I asked if we might take our food to go and informed me that when you make a reservation, the expectation is that you will stay and eat. It occurred to me as she walked away, her back so straight I was a little worried for her spine, that if we took our rather expensive meal to go, she wouldn’t get a tip for serving us.I mean, of course, I would tip her. But she didn’t know that. So far, our table had shown all the signs of big trouble, which every restaurant server dreads, I’m sure. The table was flooded, we’d made out like teenagers, and now one person had left the table to hide in the bathroom.Hannah returned a few minutes later, and I’d done my best to pep talk myself into the ability to vocalize actual words once again.“Hi,” I said, looking up at her. She stood beside where I sat, her hair waved over one shoulder and her eyes shining with expectation.“Ready?” she asked. “Oh, we probably need to wait for the food, right?” She grinn
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 33.1
My insides warmed and jittered around in a very distracting way, and I was forced to let go of her hand in order to try to control the physical reactions that were screaming to life within me. “Um. Well, I feel like a lot of people draw on their own eyebrows anyway,” I pointed out.At that moment, our server appeared with our meals, and her drawn-on eyebrows were pulled quite low over her eyes as she took in our new seating arrangement.“You’re both going to sit on one side of the table while you eat, then?” she asked, not waiting for an answer before saying, “How cute,” in a way that indicated she did not think this was especially cute. She picked up all of Hannah’s utensils and moved them to where Hannah now sat at my side and let out a sigh. “Anything else?”“We’re good, thanks,” I said, having a hard time looking at her now that I’d begun thinking too hard about her eyebrows. Hannah elbowed me in the ribs, and I launched into a coughing fit to stop from laughing.“Oookay, then,” t
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 34- Hannah
My head jerked off the pillow the second I woke up. Early morning sunshine came through the slats of the blinds in my bedroom. Crap. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep last night while Lincoln was still working on my back door. After that kiss in the parking lot, I thought the night would have gone completely different. When he seemed intent on playing handyman instead of attentive boyfriend, I came in here to rest until he put the tools away. I must have fallen asleep.I looked down to see my dress wrinkled, my heels kicked off beside the bed, and an old orange afghan Aunt Betty had kept in the hall closet draped over me. The thought of Lincoln coming in and covering me up at some point last night made up for some of the confusion that painted every interaction with that man.Tossing the afghan aside, I slid off the bed and tiptoed out of the room. I had no idea if Lincoln was still here or if he’d left after he found me asleep. My bedroom door swung open without a sound, thanks to the ne
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 34.1
“I love that your hair is long enough to grab a handful,” I murmured as I slid my fingers through his dark hair.He backed away just a fraction. “Do I need a haircut?”I used my grip on his hair to pull him back to my lips. I shook my head even while I kissed one side of his mouth and did the same on the other side. “Absolutely not.”When my face felt sunburned from the scrape of his beard, Lincoln pulled back again. His eyes had gone hazy, and he’d lost the frown line. I’d done that to him. An overwhelming sense of needing to take care of this man, just like he’d been taking care of me, took root. I made it my mission to erase that frown.“Can we spend the day together?” Lincoln whispered.My brain tumbled into gear as I thought about what I had planned for the day. “I have to work a four-hour shift this afternoon, but we can spend the morning together.”Lincoln grinned before kissing me quickly and pushing to stand up. He held out his hand and helped me up. “How about we make breakf
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 72- Dalton
Me: Guys, we need your help. Rae is leasing the Chest R. Cheeses next month and I’m going to need some muscles to get it into shape for her studio. Can I count on you to help?Lincoln: Dude. I’m almost finished with Hannah’s cottage. I’m practically a general contractor by now.Dillon: Well, I would, but I don’t live here. Maybe I can squeeze in a weekend?Boston: Of course we’ll help. But first, I need to get everyone together for an announcement before Dillon flies out. Can you make it to the winery at seven tonight?Everyone agreed to meet, but I was more focused on the fact that they agreed to help Rae and me. Now that we were back together and better than ever, I wanted to get her set up in her new space as soon as possible. Her business was exploding, especially after someone posted a snippet of the flash mob on TikTok yesterday. Fans were going berserk about us being together in real life.My phone rang and I picked it up, even though I didn’t recognize the number. Quite frankl
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 71- Raeanne
For two days after the flash mob, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Every time I closed my eyes, Dalton was there, dancing and singing with half of Solano Creek. It was the perfect gesture, and I’d heard there was stiff competition between the Cunningham boys when it came to romantic gestures. And every time I wondered if I’d imagined the whole thing, my hand found the little gold key around my neck.We’d gone to dinner after the flash mob, along with Dalton’s family and mine, and the little Italian place we’d chosen had given us all free appetizers when they learned we were the ones who’d been dancing and singing out on the promenade.And after dinner? I’d gone home with Dalton after picking a few things up at my place. And so far, I hadn’t exactly left. We agreed it was too early to make big decisions, so no one was giving up an apartment or anything. Not yet. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to spend every second I could with the man I knew I was meant to find.“You look ha
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 70- Dalton
I didn’t know how Rae did it. Stepping up on stage for dance performances every few months growing up. I thought for sure I’d puke just getting everything set up for my make-or-break moment at the Promenade. If I thought about actually having to dance in front of everyone at the end of this ill-thought-out shindig, I just might lose my breakfast.“Don’t jack it up now, brother,” Dillon clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a shake. “Dude, you look a little green.”I didn’t like the way he was peering at me, like I’d grown a second head. “You try throwing it all on the line for a girl with everyone you know—and people you don’t know—watching you. You’d be a little green around the gills too.”Dillon flinched back. “Yeah, no. No way would I do that for a girl. Nope. The trend stops with you three.”He had a valid reason for concern. Us Cunningham brothers were notorious for putting on quite the spectacle to get the girl. When I’d hatched the original plan with Lincoln, it had grown leg
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 69- Raeanne
The days felt like they were dragging by. Like the kind of dragging weighed down by heartbreak and disappointment, by uncertainty and a little bit of self-loathing thrown in for good measure. The glass on the front of the studio hadn’t been fixed. I’d spoken to three glass shops and the landlord of the building, and evidently there was some kind of glass shortage in Solano Creek.“All those wine bottles we make here,” the landlord surmised.“I doubt that’s it,” I told him, pacing my apartment again. I could see a faint track worn into the brown rug where I’d been pacing regularly for days. Soon I’d probably go right through the floor. I needed to dance. I needed my life back.And I didn’t know if I needed him, but I really wanted Dalton. But my pride was still up and every time I picked up the phone I ended up talking myself back into anger. He didn’t understand me. And if this had been bad, it would only get worse if we dragged this thing out.Or that’s what I’d been telling myself r
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 68- Dalton
Twinkle Toes: I think so.I shut the screen off and tossed the phone on my nightstand. I couldn’t look at it any longer. I’d stared at our last text exchange so many times over the last few days I had the whole conversation memorized. Staring at it didn’t make the pain go away, nor did it provide answers as to what had gone so epically wrong. I mean, that had to be some kind of relationship crash and burn record right there. From I love you’s to broken up in twenty-four hours. Maybe Rae was right. I should probably stick to the light and funny stuff. Leave the grown up, complicated adult things for everybody else who could clearly handle them better.I was late for work, but who would really care? Boston was still on his honeymoon and Leslie was probably organizing his tackle box for the inevitable fishing trip right after his retirement party. My phone vibrated and my heart decided to gallop out of my chest, thinking it was Rae. But it wasn’t. Probably would never be again.Dillon Th
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 67- Raeanne
Inside my apartment I sank heavily onto the little couch I’d inherited from my grandmother. The cheery floral pattern was completely at odds with my mood. I leaned back into the dusty embrace of the yellow roses, my spine releasing some of the indignant tension I’d been holding there.What had Dalton been thinking? Was my studio a complete joke to him? How could he expect me to just pick up the whole thing and drop it down into the center of a Chest R. Cheeses? The place had been a total circus. I could still hear the shrieks of kids screaming over the maniacal music they’d piped in to float above the roar of the arcade machines.I was a classically trained ballerina. And while I didn’t expect Dalton to understand all the various implications of that and what it meant to me—about me—I did think he had respect for what I did. For the fact that I was running an actual business, and doing it increasingly well.But maybe I’d been wrong. Both Dalton and my dad had decided I couldn’t contin
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 66- Dalton
The rollercoaster of emotions over the last twenty-four hours had me up at dawn, energy crackling in my veins when I should have been sleeping in and enjoying my weekend. After we got Rae’s studio cleaned up last night, she’d gone home to her place, stating she was incredibly tired and needed rest. She’d been so busy with teaching and hiring, and now the added stress of a break-in, I didn’t push her to stay at my place. Plus, her parents were standing right there and I didn’t think that would make the best first impression. But her parents were on my mind now.I’d had an epiphany somewhere around three in the morning as I lay in bed trying to sleep. I’d gotten Rae into this mess by choosing her videos to duet to win my bet. I needed to get her out of this mess. The guilt of being the impetus for all of this would eat me alive if I didn’t make things right. I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t make her suddenly less TikTok famous. The only thing I could do was protect her goi
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 65- Raeanne
I’d never been the sappy type, not really. Sure, I could get a little choked up listening to music or when the corner bakery got the devil’s food exactly right. But this was different. As the Cunningham brothers proceeded down the center aisle with El’s bridesmaids on their arms, a little knot of emotion formed in my throat.Lincoln and Hannah went first, then Dillon and El’s friend Ashley. Dalton appeared next at the end of that long aisle, and my heart expanded inside my chest. He walked El’s friend Gigi down the aisle, but his eyes found mine in the crowd, and held fast nearly the entire time. When he took his place at the front, near the arch of white flowers, I realized I’d been holding my breath, and I let it go just in time to turn back to see El stepping out from the back and to the head of the aisle, her mother Robin at her side. El looked gorgeous—glowing and bright, her hair curled and shiny, and her dress was a satin sheath clearly made just for her. She gazed around, but
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 64 - Dalton
I adjusted the fancy tie around my neck for maybe the hundredth time that morning, unsure if my nerves were for Boston and El, the best man’s speech I’d need to give at the reception, or because I intended to man up and tell Rae exactly how I felt about her today. So many times over the last week, it had been right there on the tip of my tongue. The three little words that seemed so inadequate for what was going on inside my chest whenever I was around her, or thought of her, or caught a sweet jasmine scent that reminded me of her body lotion I was obsessed with. I hadn’t been looking for her, but she’d danced her way into my heart nonetheless.Was it too early to tell her I loved her? I mean, we’d only been dating for just shy of a month, but it wasn’t so much the time, it was the depth of what we’d shared. We were working on a shared goal, each of us supporting the other. To her, I wasn’t just the funny guy. Everything about us together was just plain nice. Maybe the word nice wasn’
