“I have a surprise, too,” I told her.
She turned to meet my gaze, a question in her eyes.
“I’m moving back to Vermont.”
Her jaw dropped, and I grinned at the reaction.
“Just for the summer for now. My parents found a place in Florida. They’re staying there until the end of July. I’m going to stay at their place while I do some wilderness training during June and July. Search and Rescue,” I finished, smiling at her still-agape face. “I’m shifting my focus from traditional firefighting to that.”
“Cade, I—but won’t you miss the beach?”
I laughed. “Sure, but change can be good. And I was thinking—we’ll be closer. Same time zone. A three-hour drive is a lot better than a flight across the country.”
“True,” she beamed at me. I couldn’t get enough of this girl’s smiles, especially pointed at me.
Brooke stood with her back to the freezer, and I had to lean past her to reach the popsicles. As my body shifted closer to her, the air crackled with tension. The mood between us had shifted from the playful hip-check from the airport, and now we were alone in an empty kitchen, eye to eye, breaths mingling.
Her pupils dilated, encouraging me forward. I tucked a loose hair behind her ear.
“I hear the birthday girl gets to make a wish,” I leaned in and whispered, reveling at the goosebumps I saw erupt across her skin. “So I was thinking... maybe if this birthday girl wishes hard enough, I can take her out a few times this summer. Maybe revisit that kiss I’ve been playing on repeat since winter.”
I grabbed a popsicle and left the kitchen with her eyes on my back.
When we rejoinedthe outdoor party, I caught the heat of Brooke’s gaze across the yard.Was she considering my offer?I sure hoped so.
All afternoon and evening, I made a point to make gentle physical contact with Brooke as much as was possible, still testing the waters. A gentle brush of my hand against her shoulder as I walked past her, sitting and talking to her mom. My hand against the small of her back as we shifted around each other, cleaning up after the party.
As I walked towards the bathroom in the narrow hallway, our chests brushed as we both turned to make space for the otherto pass. I thought I heard a slight intake of breath from her, but maybe I’d just imagined it.
Once all the party guests departed, Brooke, Whit, and I ordered pizza for an easy dinner. After she got Ivy to bed, Whit plopped down in their broken-in comfy chair in front of the TV. Brooke and I sprawled comfortably on separate ends of the couch and the three of us began watchingParks and Recreation, Whit and Brooke’s current favorite show. I wasn’t much of a sitcom guy, but even I had to admit it was really funny.
I couldn’t stop marveling at how much lighter and happier Brooke seemed. While the show played I nudged my socked foot against her thigh, and she gave me a wink.
Approximately four to ten episodes later, Whit turned the TV off and sauntered off to bed. Brooke stood up from the couch and stretched, her joints popping.
“Bedtime for me, too,” she informed me sleepily.
“Can I walk you to your door?” I asked.
She turned back to me and laughed. “The door to my bedroom? Down the hall from here?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Sure,” she said with a chuckle.
I stopped at the doorway to her bedroom and leaned against the doorframe. “Can I—give the birthday girl a kiss?”
I searched her eyes.
“You may,” she said, a small smile on her face.
I invaded her space, caging her against the door frame. I paused with my lips less than an inch from hers, then slid my mouth down to her neck, gently brushing her hair out of my way. I placed a gentle kiss on her neck, then gave a soft suck. This time IknewI heard a shuddery intake of breath, and it spurred me on.
I pulled away and met her eyes again. Grabbing the side of her face, I met her lips with mine, teasing them open for me withmy tongue. My heart battered in my chest as my lips explored hers.
I invaded her mouth, catching every groan—it was hard to tell where hers stopped and mine began. She rubbed her hands up and down my chest like she had on the couch at my parents’.
We kissed until we were panting and breathless, her shoulders heaving against the door frame, my body thrumming with need.
