AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let me guess, boy scout?” she teases.
I throw my head back and laugh. “Just like to be prepared.” The place we’re going to is about twenty minutes outside of town.
“Where are you taking me, Monroe?” she asks.
“Take a guess?”
“By the looks of things, a picnic?”
“Yep. You good with that?”
“No complaints.” Her mouth tilts into a warm smile as she settles back in her seat. We make idle chitchat. She teases me about my planning, and I take every bit of it. I love seeing her carefree and smiling. “Who lives here?” she asks when I pull into the driveway.
“A good friend of the family.”
“Do they care that we’re here? Going to jail is not on my to-do list,” she says with a hint of a smile in her voice.
“No jail, at least not today,” I say, causing her mouth to drop open. I throw my head back and laugh. “Relax, Ris. I’m trying to get you to want to spend time with me, that’s a sure-fire way to make sure that never happens.”
“As long as we’re on the same page.” She winks and climbs out of the truck. “What can I carry?” she asks.
“Grab that bag,” I say, pointing to the backpack I brought with the gloves, balls, and Frisbee. I gather the basket, throw the small cooler strap over my shoulder, and grab both blankets. “This way, madam.” I bow my head to her, causing her laughter to flow freely once again. That’s a sound I would love to hear every day. I lead us behind the house and to the garage. Tank gave me the security code so we could use the golf cart to get back to the pond and gazebo.
“Seriously, Easton. You do know these people, right?” she asks, worrying her bottom lip.
Leaning in, I press a kiss to her che
ek then whisper in her ear, “Yes, I know these people. No way would I risk losing you when I finally have your attention.” Pulling away, I load the blankets, basket, cooler, and bag of supplies onto the golf cart. “Hop on,” I tell her. She doesn’t hesitate, and the smile on her face tells me she’s excited for what’s to come.
I drive us down to the pond and stop just at the edge of the dock. Quickly, we unload, and I begin to make a spot for us. Once I have the blankets spread out, the basket and the cooler all set up, we settle in for lunch.
“This is really nice,” she says, popping a grape in her mouth.
“It’s quiet here, and I wasn’t sure if Paisley was coming. I thought she could run and play. I also brought two blankets in case she wanted to nap.”
“She’s opposed to those these days. Even when she does take them, they’re short.” A blush touches her cheeks. “Sorry.”
“For what?” I ask, reaching out and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m sure you don’t want to hear me babble on about my daughter’s napping habits.”
“Is she a part of you?”
She looks over at me, her expression confused. “She’s the best part of me.”
“Then I want to hear you talk about her. She’s your life, Larissa. I get that. All I’m asking is a chance to be a part of that as well.”
She’s quiet for several long minutes staring off in the distance. “You don’t make it easy on a girl, do you?”
“Nothing worth having comes easy,” I say.
“What’s in the bag?” she asks, changing the subject.
“This is me trying to be prepared.” Reaching for the bag, I unzip it and pull out the Frisbee. “You can’t come to a place like this with wide-open spaces without a Frisbee.”
“I think it’s a law,” she teases.
Delving into the bag once more, I pull out the small pink glove. “Found this,” I say, handing it to her.
