“For this distraction, as you so called it earlier today. Thank you for introducing me to your family. For bringing me here. For giving us this moment.”
He stopped swaying, one of his hands remaining on the small of my back while the other came to cup my cheek. “Thank you for comin’ with me. I’ve never brought anyone home before.”
“I know,” I whispered. “Walker told me.”
He chuckled softly. “She did, did she?”
I nodded, gazing up at him. He still wore his sunglasses, and I found myself wanting to see his eyes. I wanted to see the emotion lurking in the amber depths. “Can I take your sunglasses off?”
He stilled, but nodded after a moment. I took them off gently before disentangling myself from him only long enough to put them safely on the blanket by his phone. I turned to go to him when the sun sinking low on the horizon gave me pause.
A gasp escaped me, realization settling over me as I looked around the field. The pale pinks and oranges and blues of the sky. The random splotches of green and brown—the shrubs and trees. Miles and miles of golden fields. And the pops of blue.Bluebonnets.
Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “It’s the…it’s the painting. This—” I swallowed past the lump of emotion in my throat. “This is what you painted that day.”
The smile on his handsome face was soft, appreciative, and a little surprised. “You noticed.”
I honestly don’t know how it took me this long to piece it all together. The similarities between his painting and the actual real deal were impeccable. “I remembered you’d said this place was on your parents’ property, but I didn’t think you’d actually bring me here.”
He held out a hand in the direction of my voice and I crossed the distance to him, letting him pull me into his arms. “I’ve wanted to bring you here from the moment you saw thatpainting,” he murmured as he picked up a slow pace to the music once more.
“Really?” My heart went from fluttering to full on pounding around against my ribcage now. He was so sweet and kind and thoughtful. Did he even realize how amazing he was? Probably not. Actually, I knew he didn’t. Which was such a damn shame. I’d just have to show him, I guess.
He nodded, stepping away from me and forcing me to twirl around before bringing me back into the safety of his embrace once more. “As soon as you said you’d come with me today, I got a hold of Walker and planned it all out.”
Tears welled in my eyes once more at his thoughtfulness. “Hux…” I didn’t know what to say. Thank you just didn’t feel like enough. “This is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
He tipped my chin up with his fingers and pressed a feather-soft kiss to my lips. “You deserve it, darlin’.”
“I wish I could do something for you too,” I admitted quietly.
We slowed to a halt, and Hux asked earnestly, “Can you tell me what you see?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Like, the clearing?”
He nodded. “The clearing. You. Me. All of it. I want an image in my mind that’s as close to this moment as possible.”
My throat bobbed and tears sprouted in my eyes. Emotions pummeled into me, so hard and fast it was near impossible to keep them all straight. I never realized how much I took for granted with my sight. I couldn’t even comprehend what he went through, but he did it with such ease and grace that sometimes, most of the time, it was too easy to forget he couldn’t see.
And him not being able to see this moment, well, it broke my heart. But, if I could do this for him, if I could help him envision this moment in his mind, I would do my damned best.
“The fields are golden, but not like a bright, burnt gold, more like a–a soft buttery color. Right here it’s not too tall, but off in the distance it’s long enough to sway in the breeze. There’s pops of blue all around us, just like in your painting. Dark shadows of trees fleck the horizon.”
He nodded, a soft appreciative sound rumbling in his chest. “And you, darlin’?”
“I–I’m in a blue sundress with a white paisley design and thin straps—” My breath hitched in my throat as his hands began to trail up and down my body, like he was trying to memorize every line and curve.
I looked at his outfit, taking in his tall, powerful build. “We’re matching again,” I said, laughing when he frowned. I remember he told me he thought basically everything he owned was black. “Your t-shirt’s a light sky blue, it goes well with the dark fade of your jeans. I like that I can see your tattoos today.”
“Oh yeah?” The rumble in his chest sent shivers through me. “Got a favorite?”
All of them, I almost blurted out. I reached out and traced my finger tips up and down his sleeve. My lips tugged upward as I felt him shudder under my touch. “It’s hard to choose, but the one on your heart will always be my favorite.” It encapsulated everything that represented him so beautifully.
He slowly brought a hand up to grip my chin. “And the sky?”
I only dared take my gaze from him for a moment. As beautiful as the sunset was, it had nothing on him. With his fierce jawline that could’ve been carved from stone, or his intense stare that reminded me of finely aged whiskey. He was harsh and brutal and beautiful—like a wildfire or a storm. Devastating, yet gorgeous.
