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He had a point. Plus, I knew what boulder he was talking about. It was huge and right in the middle of the river. He and Carter used to stand on it while they fished.
“Let’s go,” I said, excitement building. I was looking forward to seeing the meteors. “But first, I want to get the binoculars inside the house.”
Braden stood and helped me up before grabbing the blanket and our snacks. I rushed inside the house and fetched the binoculars while also turning off the lights. I’d read it was important to get your eyes adjusted to complete darkness so it’d be easier to see the meteors.
Taking my hand, Braden led me through the yard and down the hill to the river. It was dark and I really wanted to use the flashlight on my phone, but I prayed no animals jumped out at us. I grabbed Braden’s hand and squeezed it the second we stepped into the river.
Braden laughed and glanced back at me. “Why are you gripping me so hard?”
The water was cold and it felt nice, but that wasn’t what made me shudder. “Sorry. I’m not a big fan of being in water I can’t see through.” During the day, the water was clear, but it was eerie walking through the darkness.
“So, you’re scared?” Braden teased. “I never thought you’d be afraid of water.”
I squeezed his hand harder. “Correction, dark water I can’t see through.”
“Don’t worry, sunshine. I’ll protect you if a little fishy nibbles at your toes.”
“Ha-ha, asshole.”
Braden gripped my hand just as we got to the boulder. He climbed up first, then pulled me onto it and into his arms. “See. I got you here safely. Nothing at your toes.”
“Gee, lucky me,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Laughing, Braden spread the blanket out on the massive rock. We laid down, and I rested my hands behind my head while Braden did the same beside me.
“Do you ever regret pursuing a fighting career instead of doing something else?” he asked.
“No,” I answered, not even thinking twice. “I like being at Fightanium. It’s my home.” I looked over at him. “What about you? Your dad has many talents besides fighting. For example, he used to race cars and fix them up. You could’ve easily done something like that.”
Braden faced me. “And I still could. But fighting is in my blood. I’m hoping one day my kids will follow in my footsteps.” Hearing that warmed my heart.
“Kids, huh? How many do you want?”
His gaze shifted to my lips and then back to my eyes. “As many as my wife wants.”
“Well, hopefully, she gives you that.”
Braden smiled. “We’ll see.”
Marriage and kids were something I hadn’t thought about until just recently. I’d been with men over the years, but nothing was ever serious. Braden made me think of so many things, and kids were one of them. I could see myself having at least two. Knowing my luck, I’d have twins since there were several sets in my family.
Braden held out his arm and I snuggled into him, my gaze on the sky above. The rushing river babbled all around us, and it almost lulled me to sleep until I saw my first meteor. It soared across the sky in a long streak of light.
“Oh my God,” I squealed. “Did you see it?”
Chuckling, he kept his voice low. “I did. It was awesome.”
Several more flashed from one end of the sky to another, and I watched in awe. “This is amazing,” I breathed.
Braden clutched me tight. “Yes, it is.”
We watched in silence for about two more hours, pointing up at the sky every time we saw a meteor. I didn’t even need the binoculars to see them.
It soon closed in on two in the morning, and I was exhausted. Climbing on top of Braden, I smiled down at him. “You about ready to go to bed?”
He grabbed my hips. “Wanna sleep out here?”
I was about to say “hell no”when a set of headlights appeared further on down the road. My chest instantly tightened, and I sucked in a breath. “Someone’s coming,” I whispered.
