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Last night, sometime between almost kissing her at the water slide, watching her scarf down a burger at Billy’s, and dropping her off at her door while not wanting to let her go, I made a decision. Val and I belong together. Val is who I want for my future, the person I want to grow old with and sit on a porch with and build a house for… like that idiot who swung from a ferris wheel in The Notebook.
This “last chance road trip,” as I’ve coined it, is my opportunity to show her that I want to be with her. That I’ll fight for her, no matter where our lives take us. And today, I’m going to make an extra effort to “court her,” as her books call it.
Ugh. Getting sappy again.
Val and I head to the truck and it’s all I can do not to take her hand. We drive to the nearby Triple Peak Park, chatting easily the whole time. The park is, conveniently, a spot on Pops’s list as well as being a sun-soaked, tree-covered, beautiful patch of land that’s perfect for a date. When we were younger, Val loved to feed the ducks and geese that swam in the ponds, and we’d rent those little paddleboats and go for races down the rivers.
Today, I’ve got all that planned, and more.
Val and I spend the morning walking through the park, following the twisting trails over small hills and through the trees. We talk about nothing and everything, having aimless conversations about favorite TV shows or which 1D member we like best (not my style of music, but a guy’s gotta respect Harry Styles).
When the sun gets too hot and our stomachs start growling, Val claims a spot near the lake while I grab the picnic basket. I spread out a blanket for us, and Val crosses her legs in front of her, dipping her head back to soak up the sun.
I watch her for a minute before unpacking the cooler within the basket, laying out hams, cheeses, breads, veggies, and fruits. The icing on the cake (excuse the pun) are the brownies I baked in the hotel kitchen this morning (the owner was kind enough to let me use it).
“I’m so stuffed, I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Val says as she lolls back on her elbows after enjoying our makeshift charcuterie. “You’ve done it. You’ve satisfied the beast.”
“You sure about that?” I grab the last container from the cooler. “I can’t even tempt you with brownies?”
At this, Val sits straight up. “You brought brownies, too?”
“Of course I did. I wouldn’t take you out without bringing brownies. That would be lunacy.”
She smiles at the container. “I could probably make room for one brownie. But only if you promise that we won’t walk around anymore and will instead be lazy on this blanket for awhile.”
I hand her the container and she pops it open. She does a little shimmy as she picks up one brownie and licks her lips.
All of a sudden, I’m nervous. I watch her reaction carefully.
She frowns as she stares at the treat. “You’ve never made these for me before. What kind of brownie is it?”
“Guess.”
She gives the brownie a hesitant sniff. “Peanut butter? You made me peanut butter brownies?”
“I did.”
She stares at the brownie with one brow raised, the picture of skepticism. “You know I—”
“Don’t like peanut butter brownies? I know, but I wanted to try baking them, and I thought they tasted pretty good, so I brought these for you.”
Val stares at the brownie, back to me, back at the brownie. I think she might say no.
“Give it a try. If you hate it, you can spit it out and throw me in the lake.”
Val’s eyes brighten. “I’m holding you to that.”
She takes a tiny bite of brownie. Chews slowly. Takes a slightly bigger bite.
She seems pensive, chewing with this adorable frown. I watch her closely as she finishes the square. “Well?” I ask.
“It was… okay.”
“Just okay?”
“Just fine.” But she reaches for the container again. “I should have one more, just to check—”
“Ah-ha! So you did like it.” I laugh, wrenching the container out of her grasp. “Hang on, Teeny. I’m grabbing one, then you can have another.”
