It Takes Two by Erin Nicholas Read Free Book Online Page B

this is important somehow,” he said, more as a statement than a question.
    She stared at him. “Well…yeah.”
    He shrugged. “I don’t think I get it.”
    “I also bake. From scratch. And I decoupage and scrapbook and I’m in love with the show Firefly and I…knit.” She ended with a shrug. That was a pretty good list to start with.
    He blinked at her.
    “Did you hear me?” she asked.
    “Yeah. I’m thinking about how much I like brownies from scratch.”
    “No you’re not.”
    “Okay, I’m thinking I have no idea what decofage is.”
    “Decoupage.”
    “Still have no idea.”
    “It’s taking pictures and applying them to—” She shook her head. “Never mind. That’s not the point.”
    “Okay,” Shane said, relaxing his stance. “You have some hobbies.”
    “Yeah. Boring hobbies. Really boring.”
    “Hey, I love brownies.”
    She took a step toward him, needing him to honestly hear her. In her mind, she’d planned to have a few relaxing days at the cabin away from Shane and his influence over her, to learn what she needed to know and put a plan into place about the changes she was going to make. She was going to be strong and sure and fully knowledgeable by the time she came back and sat down to have a mature, serious conversation about what they both wanted and needed from life and this relationship.
    But if he was going to freak out about the knitting—the actual knitting—right now, then she could use the time at the cabin to nurse her broken heart. And drink a boatload of wine.
    Maybe scaring him off now was the easiest thing.
    “My hobbies are solitary hobbies, Shane. And quiet. Really quiet hobbies.” She watched him carefully. He hadn’t flinched. Yet.
    “Okay.”
    “Hobbies where I actually sit still for long periods of time.”
    He swallowed hard.
    “Without talking. I don’t even turn on music a lot of the time. I often like to sit with no noise at all.”
    She could tell he was biting the inside of his cheek.
    Sitting still and quietly was not Shane’s style.
    “And I like to be alone.”
    And there was the flinch she’d been waiting for.
    She spun away and started for the door. “It’s not going to work with us, Shane. And it’s time you knew that. I’m sorry I’ve been leading you on—”
    Her words were interrupted by him grabbing her arm and spinning her back to face him. “Just wait a fucking minute,” he said, clearly annoyed. “Give me a fucking minute to process stuff, Iz.”
    She pulled her arm from his grasp. “You’re not exactly the decoupage kind of guy.”
    He rubbed his hand over his face. “Yeah. Not even knowing what it is, I’m guessing you’re right.”
    “You’re not the peaceful, quiet, still type at all.”
    He nodded. “Right. But if you want to do something new together, we could go to the shooting range or to that new bar with the dueling pianos or…” His eyes lit up and he reached for her again. “Let’s take a trip. How about Disney World? I’d love to go to Disney World.”
    She stared up at him torn between laughing at his clear excitement over the idea and growling in frustration. “I know you would.” She shrugged away from his touch again. “That’s the point.”
    “You wouldn’t like Disney?” he asked. “Seriously? Who wouldn’t want to go to Disney World?”
    Disney World was exactly the kind of place Shane would love. Constant noise and action and people everywhere.
    “I would like it because I would be with youand you would like it,” she said. “But I think maybe we need to find something you’ll love to do with me that I like.”
    He opened his mouth to reply and she said quickly, “Besides sex.”
    His mouth closed and he frowned. “With you? Like you’re on the couch doing…whatever…and I’m…”
    “On the couch beside me,” she filled in for him, working on not smiling. This was not funny. But watching him try not to squirm kind of was. “Maybe model airplanes would be fun.”
    He