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"You don't care for surprises?"
He shrugged. "Honestly, I haven't had many birthday surprises before. But I've got to say, I'm kind of scared of what you have in store for me."
Grimacing, I gave him a wobbly smile. The truth was I wasn't sure what Josh would think of this surprise. It was definitely not a guaranteed home run. And I worried that he'd hate it and possibly even get upset with me.
Oh, God, what was I thinking?
"Jess? Everything okay?" Josh asked, his eyes narrowed as he watched me.
"Yeah, yeah. Fine. All good. You ready?"
"Yup. Let's do this." He chuckled. "Whatever this is."
There was no going back now. I'd just have to hope for the best and hope that Josh would be cool with everything.
My hands were a bit shaky as I grabbed onto the steering wheel. At least I didn't have far to drive, and I was glad we'd found someplace close.
The nerves bubbled up inside me while we listened to some music, windows down, enjoying the blast of fresh air tinged with that salty sea smell that I loved. As I drove, I tried to remember why exactly I was doing this, my original thoughts about this birthday plan.
I'd wanted Josh to reconnect with a part of himself that he'd clearly buried, and I was hoping I could help him do that. After everything he'd done for me, I hoped to do something for him for a change.
But most of all, I wanted to make some kind of grand gesture to Josh, something to show him how much I cared about him, something to demonstrate that he meant the world to me.
Sneaking peeks at Josh, I pulled into the green park, the sun shining down on us through the filter of big trees. By the look of confusion on his face, I could tell he still had no clue what we were up to, and I couldn't help smiling even amid my worry.
I knew that Josh was good-natured, and even if he was upset, he'd most likely play along. Right?
God, I hoped so.
"A park?" he asked, slowly opening his door after I found a good spot.
"Yes, a park."
I came around to where he was standing in front of the car and grabbed his hand. Like blatantly grabbed his hand. A first. And he glanced down at me, his brows shooting up in surprise.
For a heartbeat, I held my breath, wondering if he'd let go or hold on. As we stared at each other, a slow smile spread across his face. And then he laced his fingers through mine, squeezing my hand back.
The world hushed around us, the park disappeared, and it felt like it was only the two of us standing there alone in the middle of this humongous city. My breathing sped up, and I saw Josh bite his lip.
Damn, that was hot. He was hot. My eyes took in everything—his gorgeous face, those eyes that rivaled the sky, lashes that any girl would envy, that strong jaw that could cut glass.
"Hey, guys," a voice said.
We both glanced at James who was heading towards a jeep. His eyes darted back and forth between us, taking in our clasped hands.
"Uh, sorry," he said. "I was just unloading some stuff."
"No worries," I assured him before looking at Josh. "You ready?"
"Yeah. I'm dying to know already."
James and I both laughed. Swinging Josh's hand in mine, I started off into the large park, my heart doing dances against my rib cage. This was the big moment, the moment of truth.
Tall trees in our path blocked the view, and the sound of kids at a nearby playground filled the air. The grass beneath our feet had been freshly mowed, the smell tickling my nose, making me nostalgic.
Each step flooded me with nerves as I wondered at Josh's reaction. And soon enough, we rounded the corner, and there it was.
A baseball field.
