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He stares at me in open-mouthed shock. “What is a bacon streak? Oh. Oh, wait. Yes, I think I know. Ugh. Wow.”
“You know what I’ve been thinking since I saw you on the front lawn a few minutes ago?”
“What’s that?”
“Bugs. Bugs should be added to the list of death and taxes life guarantees.”
“Really? That’s what you were thinking?”
I take a step closer, and Alden mirrors it, stepping closer to me too. The shed is so hot that we are both stepping closer to the door just for a breath of air that isn’t stale and trapped. There are still beads of sweat rolling down my temples, and my shirt is clinging damply to my body. As it is, I’m wearing a tank top and cut-off jean shorts, so I can’t imagine how Alden is faring in that suit.
One day I’m going to talk him down to jeans. I swear it.
“Life is pretty close to perfect here. Except for the bugs. And it’s hot. It’s pretty and everything, but it’s not Florida. Not that I’m partial to Florida. I just think, after all this, I’m not partial to anywhere in the world. Wait, that came out wrong. I feel like I could be happy anywhere, and my parents are still so shell-shocked about all this that they’d be happy going somewhere else too. The condo is just rented. Month to month.”
Alden’s lips now part a few more inches. He better be careful, or he’s going to inhale one of the many said bugs that are out there. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m saying that if you’re here to ask me to go somewhere with you, then I’d say yes. If you’re here to sweep me off my feet, I’m not that kind of girl. I’m too practical for that. If you want to crack jokes and be you, and if you want us to get to know each other, I’m good. Maybe I’ll even share a list of my top one hundred favorite books. It was hard to narrow it down, even to that number, but I did it on the flight over here, and I’d really like to share it with you. Maybe a few other things too. Maybe even a chunk of my life. I mean, it’s our destiny, isn’t it?”
Alden’s smile warms up the shed another thousand or so degrees, and I’m now sweating from my hair follicles all the way down to my toenails. Eww, toenail sweat. But I’m sure it’s real. Regardless, I could get used to basking in the glory of his smile. I could get real used to it.
“I don’t know about that,” Alden says. “A shit promise made by two shitty men doesn’t mean much. I’ve learned that, and now I truly believe it. But what I do think is that we can make our own choices, and my choice is you.”
I don’t walk or step. Instead, I launch myself at Alden. I wrap my arms around his neck and cling to him, one drenched, sweaty body to another. You know what? That’s damn sexy too. All those things about life, all the real things, the gross things, and the things people don’t write into books? That’s what makes or breaks you. The little things, the little moments, the whole big gross things, and the sad, ugly, messy moments? I think they’re all part of living, and I never met anyone I could imagine doing that with, side by side, until Alden. No other man was right for me. I needed someone real. Not just for those few moments in bed or when I’m looking but for all the times I’m not. I know Alden will always have my back. Always.
I don’t settle for one kiss because I have to give him at least a thousand. And while that will take a while, I know we have to get out of the shed before we both melt. Literally. So I settle for four hundred and eight-two kisses, then take his hand and lead him out into the scorching sunlight.
“Swim,” I pant, pointing to the beach. “Right away. As soon as you meet my mom and dad.”
“Are they the ones who taught you how to give a good bagging?”
“Good lord, no. That was the self-defense class they enrolled me in. They’re the sweetest, kindest people you’d ever meet. My mom especially, and even my dad. There are no wooden spoons, fly swatters, sharpened knives, or shotguns waiting inside.”
“Thank goodness for that.”
My heart is swelling, my heart is leaping, and my heart is doing a thousand cartwheels. Also? My heart is melting inside my body. I need to get inside. Back to the central air conditioning. And I need to convince Alden to shed a few layers.
“Where’s your bag?” I ask, confused.
“I left it back at the hotel room. Locked up in the safe.”
