Page 73 of The Key Holder

He wiggled his butt back and forth. "What do you think?"

Oh no. "Is that why you acted up?"

"I mean, the spanking definitely wasn’t a deterrent."

"I told your mother it wasn’t working. That made me so uncomfortable."

"And she made you do it anyway?"

"I don’t think we should keep talking about this."

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re definitely spanking me later.”

Oh sweet Jesus.

18

Dylan

"Was this our first fight?" I asked, as I led the way back to our cabin. The sand was still warm on my bare feet, even though the last sliver of sun had already dipped below the treeline. The sky was already ablaze with hues of orange and purple.

"I wouldn't technically call it a fight," Ford said.

"I mean, I yelled at you," I pointed out, a slight flush warming my face as I recalled my words. I’d never really done that with any boyfriend before now.

He’s different.

"You were expressing yourself." He sounded unbothered, as if my earlier outburst was just a minor inconvenience, like a passing summer shower. He was either really forgiving, or maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

"Well, if all our fights go like this, I'll be pretty happy," I admitted, unable to help the genuine smile.

But it was true.

Even through the tears and reliving a few pains of my adolescence, there had been a weird kind of relief in finally laying it all out with him. And then that whole spanking part. A shiver of warmth crept through me despite the cooling air. I paused for a second to catch my balance and his hand was on my arm immediately, steadying me.

He chuckled, squeezing my bicep playfully. "Careful where you step there. Wouldn't want you to roll that ankle again." I rolled my eyes, bumping his shoulder. "Are you expecting us to have a lot of fights?" he teased, his eyebrows raised.

“I'm expecting us to be together for a long time,” I said, my voice softer than I intended as I continued forward. “Fights are a natural part of any relationship.” The thought of a lifetime with him, of more summers and conversations, felt so right. More than right. It felt like love.

“We’ll figure it out. If we don’t make any promises we can’t keep, and we’re honest with each other, it should all work out. Sound good?”

“Sounds great.” I nodded, as the cabin came into view ahead. “I just hope the squirrels didn’t somehow find a way back in. They might want revenge.”

“You’re the one that yanked the thing out of the house.”

I stopped, turned around, and poked him in the chest with my finger. “And saved your nuts.”

“My nuts will be forever grateful.”

“Speaking of nuts, care to sit on my face tonight?”

“I can do that,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the cabin.

After we showered together, Ford’s phone chimed with a text. He glanced at it, then at me, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Your mattress and the new bed frame are arriving tomorrow.”

I hadn’t even thought about that in weeks. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I remembered Ford even ordering it. Plus, his bed was our bed now.

“Should we tell them to cancel it?” I asked, arching a brow. The idea of another bed felt unnecessary.