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Chapter Twenty-Two
Sofia
The funny thingabout surprise is that, for me, I’ve never felt that feeling. When I would land a skill, I wasn’t surprised. I knew I could do it. I know there is greatness in me. When my mom was diagnosed with MS, only pain and fear rattled my soul. When I blew out my knee for the second time, it was failure. I never had parties when I was younger. My mom never had the money to surprise me with something nice, so we didn’t do that. I had everything I needed, everything I wanted, and that was that.
But today… Today, I’m surprised.
I stand in the middle of a beautiful field of small white flowers, so many they cover the ground like a huge blanket. Ryan glances back at me as he holds my hand, an insanely gorgeous smile on his face. When we were driving here, he wouldn’t tell me anything. And then, after a ten-minute walk, we entered this field that seems to go on for miles. A pergola sits in the middle of it, and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong here. It’s covered in flowers, and on the floor are fluffy white blankets and pillows. In the middle of it is a picnic basket with candles and a setup for lunch.
It’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.
“Wow,” I breathe, and his face says it all. He succeeded. “You did this for me?”
He shrugs, lacing his fingers with mine. “My mom helped, but yeah. I thought maybe you’d like it.”
“I love it.”
He seems relieved. “Really?”
I nod eagerly. I’m completely out of breath, and my heart is pounding in my chest. “Yes, I do. It’s stunning.”
He stops, kissing my wrist. “You haven’t even tried the pasta salad my aunt made us or the cake Posey made. You’re in for a treat.”
Doesn’t he know he’s the treat? I don’t say that, though. I don’t know if it’s stupid, so I follow along as he pulls me to the middle of the pergola before dropping to his knees and crawling in. I follow suit before kicking off my shoes since I don’t want to get the blankets dirty. When he hands me another blanket, I smile.
“It’s a bit chilly this morning. In case you get cold, let me know. I have my Bullies sweatshirt for you.”
My heart soars. “I’m actually cold. Can I have it?”
He nods before getting it out of a basket that was tucked under the bench. He hands it to me and grins as I put it on quickly. It swallows me whole, but it smells just like him. All spicy and manly. I know my hair is probably a mess, but by the way he is looking at me, I don’t think he cares. He reaches over, pulling on one of my curls and watching it spring up as a grin plays on his lips. “I love your hair like this.”
Oh, he is going to be the death of me. What a way to go.
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you for being so stunning.”
“I don’t think I do it on purpose, and you’re the only one who tells me this.”
He chuckles. “Everyone notices, they just don’t know how to approach such beauty.”
I snort. “You know I’m not leaving, right? You don’t need to lay it on so thick.”
He shrugs. “Maybe I just feel every girl should know how pretty and amazing she is. I think that’s what’s wrong with our society now. Everyone feels they’re not enough, when they are, each in their own right.” He pauses, leaning back on his haunches. “It upsets me to know that my baby girl cousin, Posey, can feel anything but beautiful, even if she doesn’t dress or look like Shelli or Amelia. Or that Quinnie doesn’t feel good enough because he can’t play hockey like the twins and me. They are amazing, all of them. I listened to my dad, and my uncle tells us that plenty. Which is good. If kids were loved as individuals the way they’re supposed to be, maybe we wouldn’t have such a shitty fucking bullying epidemic.”
I part my lips when he pauses, an embarrassed grin covering his face. I think I’m feeling something real serious for this guy.
“Shit, I’m rambling, sorry.”
It is refreshing, though. “No, it’s true. Girls are judged for every little thing, and so are guys, just different stuff. It’s sad.”
“It is,” he agrees. “I know I struggle with my insecurities, and if I didn’t have the support I have, I would be so much worse.”
“I don’t believe for a second you struggle.”
He scoffs. “All the time, especially with hockey. And then with if a certain girl likes me or not… And, by the way, I didn’t give two shits who liked me or didn’t before I met her.”
My face warms as I stay locked in his gaze. “But you care now?”
“All the time,” he says, holding out a glass of OJ to me. “So yeah, get used to it, Miss Castilleja, because you need to know how gorgeous you are. And I’m pretty sure I was put on this earth to tell you so.”
Oh, be still my heart. “Well, I have no clue what to say to that.”
He leans across the picnic basket, his eyes burning into mine. “A kiss will do.”
My lips quirk, and without much thought, I lean toward him, giving him a smacking kiss on his delectable lips. But when I try to pull back, he tugs me back in, deepening the kiss. My toes curl, my heart flutters, and I know I’ve never been lost like I am when I’m with him. His face feels so soft under my hand while his fingers dance along my neck. When he pulls back, a grin covers the lips that just destroyed me before he presses them to my nose. “You drive me crazy,” I admit, and his grin doesn’t disappear.
“Good,” he says as he pours himself a glass of OJ. “So, tell me, did you have a nice workout?”
I groan, leaning back on the pillows. Man, he really went out of his way here. “Your sister is gonna kill me. She’s dead set on competing in all-around, and she can do it, but she won’t get out of her own head on beam. It’s killing me.”
“She used to be a beast on beam.”
