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I put my head against Tori’s chest and listened to her heart beat. It was so nice, I honestly could have stayed like this all night. “I’m sure Emery and Bella will want to be in the same tent.”
“That’s kind of what I was banking on,” Tori said with a laugh. She smiled the same mischievous smile as earlier. “This is a date after all.”
My body heated up even more at the implications of what she was saying. “In that case, what are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here.”
It took an hour of driving, one dinner break, two bathroom breaks, and a lot of whining from the girls to get to the campsite, but it was worth it for the breathtaking view. The campsite was up on a mountain and overlooked the cutest little town. We set up our tents as the sun was setting, and between that and the warm breeze blowing over my skin, I swore I could feel Willow there with us.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Tori asked as she wrapped an arm around my waist and watched the sunset with me.
“It’s gorgeous. You said you came here as a kid?”
Tori nodded, but kept her gaze in front of us. “A few times. I think the handful of times we came here are the only good memories I have with my mom, which is probably why it’s always held such a special place in my heart.”
My heart hurt thinking about all the pain Tori had to deal with growing up only to have the one person who got her through it all leave this world way too early. “Tori, I’m so sorry.”
Tori pulled me even tighter up against her and I leaned into her embrace. “It’s not your fault. You’re not my mom.”
“No, but I’m sorry I made a big deal about coming here. I would have never said anything if I knew it was such an important place for you.”
Tori laughed. “I get it. Camping isn’t everyone’s thing. I’m honestly not even sure if it’s my thing, or if I’m just convinced I liked it because my mom actually didn’t get drunk when we came here. Anything that kept my mom sober was like heaven to me. Well, except Rick and the church, which is pretty ironic.”
“I hate how much she hurt you.”
“It’s my own fault. I let it go on for way too long.”
I put my hand on Tori’s chin to force her to look at me. “She’s your mom. You didn’t do anything wrong. And finally cutting her off, because of your daughter just proves what a good mom you are. You are nothing like her and you did nothing wrong, so please stop thinking Iike that.”
“Thank you. That means so much to me, especially coming from you.” Tori leaned even closer to me so her lips were just inches from mine.
My body hummed at the thought of everything we had done together just hours earlier, and I longed to be connected to her in any way I could. Unfortunately, our daughters had other ideas.
“Mama!” Emery screamed, causing me and Tori to jump apart.
When I turned around, both Emery and Bella had their hands on their hips and were giving us sassy looks. My mind immediately started running through what to say to explain my change in relationship with Tori, but it turned out I didn’t have to say anything.
“Can you two puh-lease start the fire already?” Bella asked. “We are ready for s’mores.”
Tori looked over at me and we both burst into laughter, then Tori ran over to Bella and scooped her into her arms, holding her upside down while Bella giggled uncontrollably. “Some more of what? Some more tickles? Some more shakes?”
When Tori put Bella back onto the ground, Bella rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the big smile on her face. “That’s such a lame joke.”
Tori looked at me and stuck out her bottom lip in the cutest pout. “Do you think my jokes are lame?”
“Eh.” I squinted my eyes and moved my hand in a so-so motion.
Tori crossed her arms in front of her chest, and she looked just like Bella whenever she pouted. “You all need to be nice to me. Need I remind you that I am the only one here who knows how to build a fire?” She looked over at me and smirked. “Amongst other things.”
Is she really threatening what I think she is? I put my hands in the air as if I was surrendering. “I take back what I said. Your jokes are very funny.”
“Mama, you must love s’mores, too.” The innocent smile on my daughter’s face made my heart swell with love not just for her but for everyone I was here with.
I shared a secret smile with Tori then smiled back at Emery. “I do. I’m head over heels for s’mores.”
That became even more true as I watched Tori start the fire. Who knew it could be so sexy? I certainly didn’t. Maybe camping wasn’t so bad after all.
Once the fire was burning bright, we all sat close together and roasted marshmallows. I helped Emery put together her s’more then made one for myself as well. I tried to eat it as carefully as possible, but it was no use. There was no way to eat a s’more without looking like a complete mess.
After I took a particularly big, messy bite, Tori smiled at me and motioned toward the side of my mouth. “You got a little something right there.”
