Billy

To say I'm nervous is an understatment. A Wednesday night isn't a usual date night for me, but hanging out with single mom means a certain amount of flexibility is required. And I'm more than happy to make adjustments for Ainsley. I pull up in front of her house and take a few deep breaths. The small bungalow is cute, the red door is a nice touch with the tan siding and white trim. The porch light is on and the whole house looks more homey than my apartment ever will. I walk up the few stairs and knock on the door before wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. A man with dark hair, dark eyes and a scowl on his face answers the door.

"You Billy?" He asks curtly and I nod.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you." I say holding out my hand. He grunts and shakes my hand, squeezing much harder than necessary. He looks around me at my car, then back at me.

"I have your license plate number now. Don't do anything stupid with my sister." He says firmly and I can't help but smile.

"Would you like some pee for a drug screen?" I ask and he shrugs.

"If you're offering." He says and I can't help but chuckle.

"Rory! Knock it off." Ainsley's sweet voice reaches me before she does. Rory takes a step back and I catch sight of her, my mouth seems to go dry instantly. Her jeans hug her in all the right places, her shirt dips just low enough to give a glimpse of her cleavage and the leather jacket she's wearing is just the right touch of bad ass to get my blood pumping.

"Just making sure your new buddy here knows there's someone around watching out for you." Rory says, crossing his arms over his chest. Ainsley scoffs and smacks his arm before walking towards me.

"Is there a last name to go with Billy?" Rory asks.

"Burns. William Burns actually. Everyone just calls me Billy." I say and he nods.

"And if I were to do a background check would I find anything concerning?" I raise my brow at him and Ainsley's face flushes pink.

"Rory!" She yells but I put my arm around her shoulder to calm her, beaming a smile at her brother. The whole interaction is amusing me more than offending me.

"Not at all, sir. Haven't had so much as a parking ticket." I say honestly, because it's true. He eyes me for a moment before nodding. Ainsley pulls me from the house, shutting the door behind her and huffing out a breath.

"I'm sorry about him." She says, eyeing me nervously but I just chuckle, rubbing my hand up and down her arm in a soothing motion.

"Don't be. I'm glad you have someone watching your back like that." I say and she smiles a little as I open the door for her.

We chat on the way to the pizza place, it was easy to decide where to go since it's both of our favorite food. They sit us down and we order before she starts delving into her questions.

"I feel like you know so much more about me than I do about you. Tell me about your family." She says, taking a sip from her straw. She has some kind of gloss on her lips and the small candle on the table makes them glisten. I try to think of an answer to her question as the thought of those lips on mine distracts me.

"You've met my family." I say and she rolls her eyes.

"Your parents? Siblings?" She asks and I groan inwardly. This is one of my least favorite topics.

"No siblings. My parents don't approve of my choice of occupation. We don't talk much. I usually go to one holiday a year, either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Otherwise we don't really see each other." I say and her brows furrow in confusion.

"Really? All because you're a tattoo artist?" She asks and I nod, fiddling with my straw wrapper trying to ignore the knot in stomach from this conversation.

"Yeah. My dad was a doctor. So was his dad and his dad's dad. It was expected of me. But I had no interest in it. In fact, blood makes me queasy." I admit quietly making her melodious laughter flit across the table. The sound somehow manages to soothe some of my nerves. "What about you? Any siblings other than your overprotective brother?" I ask and she rolls her eyes.

"No. Not that I know of." She says a little sadly and I quirk a brow at her.

"My parents are alcoholics. My dad didn't stick around long after I was born. My mom managed to stay functional until I was old enough to leave the house. I didn't know about Rory until I was twenty one. He's a few years older than me and he picked up our dad for a drunk and disorderly one night while he was on shift. Dad started crying in the back of his patrol car and told Rory about me. We have different mothers and neither of them knew either. Rory did some research and found me. He said he understood if I didn't want to meet him, get to know him, but he had always wanted a sibling. I was nervous at first, but it turned out he was pretty normal. When Sarah died he was a huge help, he stayed with me for awhile to help me with Willow. He loves her almost as much as me." She says and I feel affection for her grow even more, my defenses crumbling under her warm smile. She went through a difficult childhood but still grow up to be loving and compassionate.

She's incredible.

I reach my hand across the table to hold hers and she smiles shyly at me. My skin tingles at the contact, my heart rate kicking up.

"You look beautiful tonight, if I didn't already tell you." I murmur quietly and she huffs out a laugh.

"Thank you. It's been so long since I've been out like this I had no idea what to wear." She says, shifting in her seat and I feel a wave of possession go through me. She chose me, she trusted me. I can't fuck this up.

"What are your dreams, Ains?" I ask and her eyes widen at me.

"What do you mean?" She asks and I shrug, rubbing my thumb along the back of her hand.

"Before life handed you that sweet little girl to take care of, what did you always want to do?" I ask and she looks away, thinking about her answer before her eyes meet mine again and I'm instantly pulled into their depths. I like how she thinks about things before she speaks. It tells me she really cares about her answers.

"I wanted to travel. See England, Scotland, maybe Italy. Learn the languages, the food. See new things and experience new people." She says with a shrug and I smile.

"Your dreams are much larger than mine." I say pulling my hand back when our food is set on the table. She takes a big bite and groans at the taste and I suddenly need to shift in my chair. I don't think she notices my discomfort as she continues our conversation.

She's oblivious to how gorgeous she is and I decide to make it my mission to remind her every chance I get.

"What are your dreams then?" She asks curiously and I grin at her, the thought always makes me happy. Her eyes go to my dimples and I can tell she's a sucker for them. Most girls are, but I won't use them to my advantage on Ainsley. I want her to like me for who I am. She is more important than just one night, I can feel it.

"When I was a kid, every summer my grandpa would take me to lake Manitowac for two weeks in the summer. Have you ever heard of it?" I ask and she nods, chewing a mouthful of food before she answers.

"Yeah. It's a couple of hours from here, right?" She asks and I nod, reaching out with my napkin to wipe some sauce off of her face. She blushes and laughs.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry. Having a kid around you get used to eating fast." She says and I chuckle with her.

"Don't ever apologize for eating. I love it when a girl isn't ashamed to have an appetite. Anyway, that lake became my happy place. My escape from my parents' over bearing expectations. So, when I was twelve, I decided someday I would own my own cabin on that lake. Ever since I started working I've been saving. It won't be too much longer before I'm ready to start looking." I say and her eyes widen.

"Wow. That's impressive. You're what? Twenty seven?" She asks and I nod.

"Please tell me you're close to that. I don't want to give your brother another reason to hate me." I say and she snorts on her drink. She laughs, wiping her chin with a napkin and I chuckle along with her, enjoying the sight of her relaxed and enjoying herself. The golden flecks in her eyes twinkle in the candlelight and I feel warmth spread through me, my body relaxing just from being near her.

"I'm twenty six. He has no reason to complain." She says and I slam my hand over my heart in a dramatic sign of relief that earns me another giggle from her.

We finish our dinner and she lets me hold her hand as we walk to the car. We have an easy conversation on the way to her house and I open the door for her, walking her to the porch.

"Please tell me you had as good a time as I did." I murmur quietly when we get in front of her door. She nods with a wide smile, her eyes bright and inviting in the glow of her porch light.

"Enough to do it again?" I ask and she nods again as I reach out to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Definitely." She says and I smile down at her.

"Would it be alright if I kiss you?" I ask and my heart begins to pump painfully fast in my chest. The only reason my hands aren't shaking is because Ainsley is holding onto them.

"Yes, please." She whispers and I let out the breath I've been holding before closing the distance between us. I watch her for a moment, giving her the chance to pull back, but she doesn't.

I press my lips gently to hers. The small touch sets off every nerve in my body. Tingles spread through me everywhere we touch and I take a small step forward, slipping my hands gently around her waist. Her mouth opens and as if on impusle I deepen the kiss, letting my tongue slip out to trace her bottom lip before pulling it between my teeth and nibbling gently. She groans a little at the move and I pull back to break the kiss before I embarrass myself. Her eyes open to look at me, but they're a little glazed and I smile at the sight, lifting my hand up to run my knuckles down her cheek.

"Can I call you tomorrow?" I ask and she nods before she seems to break out of her stupor. I smile again and lean down to peck her cheek.

"I'm not leaving till you're safely inside." I murmur in her ear, kissing her cheek again. I feel her shudder against me and she pulls away.

"Thank you for dinner." She says shyly.

"Anytime, Ains." I answer as she closes the door behind her.

I drive the rest of the way home with a smile on my face.