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Unzipping the tent, she saw Jax standing a little ways off, his back to the tent. She quickly took a picture of his frame, outlined by the moonlight, wanting to remember every second of this, as he turned towards her.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
He walked towards the tent, and she felt her heart hammer in her chest, realizing that he was going to climb in with her – alone. He leaned in, grabbed one of the bedrolls, and uncurled it for a pad to rest on, before climbing fully inside and laying on his back, knees bent, and barely fitting.
She couldn’t help it – she laughed.
“What?” he chuckled, laying there looking at her. “It was the only tent I could find at the store – and it was cheap.”
“You are going to be miserable,” she smiled at him, unrolling her own sleeping bag and following suit as he sat up to zip the doorway shut. “And thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.”
“Thank you for spending the day with me,” he said simply, smiling at her.
She turned off the light on her phone and saw the battery was at forty percent. As she clicked the button on the side, turning off the screen, it plunged the interior of the tent into darkness, except for the moonlight streaming in a little window made of netting along the top about a foot wide.
Flipping her phone over, facedown so any notification didn’t disturb them, she lay down on the sleeping bag, curling on her side so she fit easier in the small tent.
The silence was palpable.
She could hear his soft breathing and the faint roar of the ocean in the distance… and that was it.
After a few moments, she heard him fidget, and held her breath. He was trying to turn over – and failing miserably. He was taller than her, and she could only imagine how snug the little tent felt to him. She was a side-sleeper and always slept curled in a ball on the couch… but this probably was terrible for him.
“Jax?”
“I’m sorry,” he immediately apologized in the darkness. “Am I keeping you up? Give me a second to get comfy and I’ll be quiet…”
Mary scooted a little way up and over, before reaching behind her to make contact with his chest – and then grasping his arm.
“Uh… hi?” he said quizzically. “Do you need me to move?”
“Yes,” she replied immediately, smiling to herself in the darkness. “Scoot upwards and angle yourself in this direction. You’ll have more room.”
“I’m already brushing up against the wall of the tent…”
“Jax, spoon me and curl onto your side. You’ll have a lot more room and…”
“Are you sure?” he interrupted hoarsely – and she fought back a smile.
He was so sweet, so concerned, and so surprised by her offer, that it made her feel good to know he wasn’t expecting to do anything in lieu of the roses, solidifying her comprehension of who he was deep inside.
… A truly good man.
“Yes,” she smiled. “Come spoon me and we can both get some sleep.”
Mary heard him moving around, patting the tent floor as he scooted into place beside her, and curled around her. He slipped an arm around her waist, felt warm at her back, and she could feel his breath against her hair… shivering at the sensation.
“Is this okay?” he murmured.
“Perfect,” she admitted. “Are you comfortable?”
“I’m in heaven.”
Those softly spoken words said so much – and she sighed in understanding. This was wonderful and she felt so safe enclosed in his warm arms. Despite the sand, the grit, and her tangled mass of hair, she felt like there was nothing better than lying here in this moment with him.
She felt him press a kiss to her shoulder, realizing that must be a favorite thing to him, because he’d done it several times in the last day… and smiled.
