“Oh, don’t you dare. This was not mentioned before the decision was made. In fact, I believe the words you used were ‘I’ll tell you what it is, no matter what.’ Cough it up, All-star.”
I laugh, pulling her tightly against me. I lean in for a kiss, but she immediately pulls back. The look on her face clues me in that I’m pushing the line.
“We’re going on a picnic…of sorts. We’ll be outside, but it’ll be sort of an upgraded version of a picnic.”
“Oookay.” Her eyebrows pull together.
I knew the phrasing would be a little risky, but I think she’s at least intrigued. If I flat out told her where this “picnic” would be, then she’d have zero hesitations…but the thing is, Mia likes surprises to an extent. She likes them controlled and doesn’t want to be completely in the dark, and she definitely doesn’t want to wait on them to happen either. But she likes the thrill of knowing she has the information she needs, and she can hold onto that excitement of not knowing the full thing.
“So you Mia-fied it?”
I fucking adore her.
“Yes, I Mia-fied it.”
“So, I can still wear a dress and heels?”
“You can wear whatever you want, honey. It’ll be just us there.”
Her smile has me halfway wishing she’d pick option three and I could get her naked right here in her kitchen, but the pure joy in her eyes makes it worth it.
That, and the fact that this picnic really did require a decent amount of planning. I would’ve had it be the only option, but I wasn’t entirely sure how this day would go. Her parents would likely kill me for not doing it, but Mia’s happiness holds the priority every time.
After about an hour, I’ve already changed into my dress pants and button-up, then Mia walks downstairs. Her gold dress looks like it was poured onto her body.
“What do you think?” She holds her arms out, showing off her dress. “Is it too much? I wanted to wear it one more time before the bump interferes.”
Stalking toward her, I run my hands against the soft silk on her hips. “Never too much, honey. You look amazing.”
“Thank you.” Her cheeks turn a pale pink, and her hands rest on my chest. “You look pretty incredible yourself. You smell absolutely amazing.”
I kiss her forehead. “You ready to go?”
“Yes, my anticipation is starting to get a little too high, and I very well may start an interrogation of the complete setup of this picnic if we don’t leave soon.”
I laugh as I force myself to let her go so we can walk out the door. “Go ahead, honey. I can handle it. You won’t get anything out of me until I want you to.”
“You say that now…”
“And I’ll keep saying it.” I turn back before we head out her door. “Should I break it to you now that I have an eye mask in the car?”
Her eyebrows pull closed and her smile drops. “Absolutely not.”
“Oh yes.” I take her hand in mine as we head down the hallway.
“Adam…my hair and makeup are not about to get ruined with an eye mask.”
I’m totally kidding, but now that we’re married, I’m pretty sure the threshold of teasing goes up.
She argues the whole way down and into my car. It doesn’t annoy me one bit; I love hearing her voice, no matter the context. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something in the way that she articulates her words. They’re always so sure and confident, even when she’s being silly.
Her arguments always come with merit and other angles of the situation. I suppose that’s her captain of the debate team coming through, but fuck, I just love it.
When we settle in the car, I hold her glare before backing out of my spot.
Her face softens. “Please don’t make me. I’ll close my eyes, I swear.”
I don’t let the chuckle slip out. “I was kidding, Mia. I won’t ruin your hair or makeup until after dinner.”
