Free Sacred Surrender by Ava Riley Page B

needed time off to study and always made sure this struggling student was fed.” 
     
    “He reminds me of my dad.  He was that kind of man too.” 
     
    “Was?”  Rowan asked with caution in his voice. 
     
    “Yeah, he passed away a few years ago.”  Madison hoped that he hadn’t heard the tremble in her voice.  Talking about her dad without getting emotional had always been hard for her. 
     
    Rowan reached over, grabbing her fingers from her hair and resting their hands on the center of the table.  Gently stroking the skin between her thumb and index finger, his gaze bore into hers.  “I’m sorry for your loss.  It’s never easy losing someone you love.” 
     
    Madison was taken aback by the compassion that filled his words and voice.  Something deep inside told her he had himself experienced such a loss.  She sat and waited for him to elaborate, but it never happened.  A million things ran through her mind as to what kind of loss he experienced.  Was it a lover, a wife?  God, she realized how much she didn’t know about him and how much she wanted to know. 
     
    A waitress, who looked to be in her mid forties, leisurely strolled over to them with two glasses of water placing them down haphazardly, spilling a few drops on the countertop table.  Her name tag read Flo and Madison couldn’t stop the smile that was now plastered on her face.  It reminded her of the times she would sit watching old re-runs of Mel’s Dinner with her dad as a kid.  Hell, most of her friends had never heard of the show, but she loved watching with him, enjoying his laughter at all the shenanigans the wait staff got into.  After Flo took their order, hurrying off a lot faster than she came over, Madison realized her fingers were still intertwined with Rowan’s.  She began to pull away when his grip gently tightened. 
     
    “So, you must have been pretty close to your dad,” he said more as a statement than a question. 
     
    “I was.  He was more than my dad.  He was my world; my best friend, my biggest fan.  What about your parents?  Do they live here?” 
     
    “My dad does, though, I don’t see him much.  My mom passed away a long time ago.” 
     
    “I’m sorry.” 
     
    He gave her a smile that made her heart melt.  She wanted to go deeper to find out truly who Rowan was, but in the middle of a restaurant was not the place for it.  Besides, he didn’t seem as though he wanted to offer her too much more. 
     
    Their food came much quicker than Madison anticipated and she was glad for the distraction. Sitting across from this man, trying to figure out what to say was more than nerve wracking.  There was so much she wanted to ask him; wanted to find out about him.  But not talking to him was more for the benefit of him not realizing what an idiot she could be.  She didn’t want to scare him off. 
     
    The smell of the shrimp and crab cakes platter sitting before Madison engulfed her senses.  Food as delicious as this was not something she’d ever get in Kansas. Although she felt out of her element, she was glad Rowan had invited her; not only because the food smelled amazing, but because of the company that sat across from her.  She stabbed her fork into the crab bringing it to her mouth.  The flavor burst on her tongue, putting her mouth in a state of euphoria.  She’d never tasted something so wonderful; it was so unexpected from a dive like this.  As she devoured her food without thought, she peeked up to find Rowan watching her as he ate.  Suddenly, she felt self-conscious of the way she was eating.  God, what must he think of her?  She felt her face flush, wanting nothing more than to hide under the table or run for the nearest exit.  She set her fork down picking up her water glass to take a refreshing sip.  Her mother had always told her to eat like a lady.  She’d said men don’t like women who eat as if there were no tomorrow.  Maybe she should have ordered a