I pat his shoulder. “That’s right, my man. We dudes are taking to the high seas tomorrow.”
Lauren rolls her eyes. “Go get that fishy smell off you, Marco.”
“Aye, aye, Captain Lo.”
“You didn’t let one questioning look at your outfit get to you all night,” Lauren notes as I open the car door for her.
No, I suppose I didn’t. That’s likely due to the fact that I couldn’t take my eyes off her the entire evening though. It never ceases to amaze me how much my heart continues to swell whenever I’m around her, even after all this time. After everything we’ve been through. After all she’s given me… a chance to be a father, to raise a family, to be my best friend first and my lover forever. To reintroduce me to the other person who fills my cup up, and to bring his family into our household.
“Well, I reckon that’s because what any of them thought doesn’t matter. What matters is who I was with tonight, and whatshethinks of me.”
She presses her hands to my chest and leans in. “I think that he’s the best damn man in the world. It doesn’t matterwhathe wears becausethe thing she loves most about him is what’s right here.” She points to my heart.
“You have been my forever friend, from the moment you first moved to Harrisburg, Marco. I should have known I loved you way back then, but I was just a dumb preteen—what did I know about love then anyway?”
I grin and wrap my arms around her, shielding her from the chill in the night air. “You knew. We both knew. What we had was so much more than friendship. We were just too scared to say anything and potentially ruin what we had going on.”
She rests her chin on my chest and peers up at me, smiling. “Brody did away with all of that for us, wouldn’t you say?”
I nod, smirking. “Yep. Best damn thing to ever come into this world, screaming his little lungs out because he couldn’t hear a damn thing.”
She hums contentedly. “Marco never lost his Polo, did he?”
“Not at all,” I note, shaking my head, pulling her tighter to me.
“Hey, Marco?”
“What’s up, Polo?”
“What are your thoughts on backseat lovemaking?”
I scoff. “Lauren,hello… have you seen the size of me? Fitting me in the back of your car would be like cramming a bowling ball down a drinking straw. Hell no.”
“What about me stroking you off out here in the parking lot?”
I tap my chin, feigning that I’m giving that some serious consideration. “Besides the fact that it’s colder than Frosty’s nutsack out here? No. This dress is dry clean only.”
“Road head while you drive?” She arches a brow up.
My own brows pinch. “The hell has gotten into you? Horny little thing…”
She bites her lip. “I just worry that, like, Aaronhearsus back at the house. That, and I kind of just want it to be you and me tonight. You know, like, justus.”
“You’re worried about hurting Caleb’s feelings; is that what you’re trying to say?”
She nods, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. I tug it free with my thumb, kissing her. I let my mouth melt into hers, our tongues doing a slow dance that’s as practiced as you’d see in any fancy ballet recital.
When we finally break apart, after many long minutes of simply making out, I reach up and cup her cheeks. “You know C usually hangs out with Aaron for a bit, recapping his day and doing his nightly routine with him anyway. Why don’t I just text him and ask him if you and I can have a little extra private time? He’ll understand, Lo. Wanting individual time once in a while won’t break us. The three of us are way too solid for that. After all we’ve been through in such a short amount of time, we better be.”
She sighs. “You’re right.”
I chuckle. “As usual. You forgot that part.”
She gives me a playful thwap on the chest, but then she rears back a bit, flicking her hand. “Your damn barbellbitme. I don’t know how I forgot that you were wearing the ones with the spiky tips, they’ve been poking out through the fabric of your dress since we got out here.”
I gesture around. “There’s still snow on the ground. It’sfrigidout here, Lo. Of course the nips are hard.”
“Is that why the dick is too?” she hums.
