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“He’d get mad at you for making a fire, Jake. And you know it.”
“Nah, he’ll thank me for cleaning up the yard.” The smell of acrid smoke filled the crisp air and the burning leaves and twigs gave off a satisfying crackle. Then one of the logs caught fire, giving off enough heat that I knew I could get the s’mores going. “Here you go.” I handed over the graham cracker, smothered with melted chocolate and gooey marshmallows.
“These are disgusting.”
“Disgustingly good, you mean.”
“Yep,” she giggled, taking a bite, laughing some more when some marshmallow got stuck on her fingers.
Christ, I adored her. Absolutely fucking adored her. “You want another?”
“Maybe one more.”
I made it for her, laughing when the chocolate dripped onto her chin. “You’re a mess.”
“Yep. Maybe you should come over here and clean me up.”
I quirked a brow, my blood already humming as I crossed to her. Without warning, I scooped her into my arms, turning and falling back into the hammock with her in one smooth movement.
“Holy shit, I thought for a second you were going to drop me.”
“Never.” I crooked a finger under her chin, lifting her face to mine so I could kiss her. “You know what we should do?”
“What?”
“Move in together.”
Her beautiful blue eyes widened in surprise, then softened. “Man, I’d love that.”
“Me too.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Okay.” She shifted so she could rest her head on my shoulder, and I held her hand in mine where it lay on my chest.
“I love you, Em.”
She let out a blissful sigh. “And I love you, Jake.”
The sound of the sliding door opening brought me back to the present. Emma was crossing the deck, holding two mugs in her hands. All the feelings swirling through me, wrapped up in those memories of the past, bubbled up again. I couldn’t help myself: I smiled at her. She stopped walking, tilted her head to one side, and smiled back. It was no polite smile. No. It lit up her whole face and I felt it like a spear through my heart. Because this was exactly how she used to smile at me. Until I…
“Thought you might like a break.”
“Thanks.” I took the mug from her, carefully, so our fingers wouldn’t touch. The air was cold and crisp, hinting that winter might come early this year. Emma sat on the top step of the deck, wrapped her hands around the mug.
Imagine if things had been different.We never did move in together. The accident happened a few weeks later, and that was that.
“I’ll bring Dad out when he wakes up. He’ll be so happy to see all these beds cleaned out. You work fast.”
I shrugged, leaning against the side of the house. “It’s easy work.”
Narrowing her eyes at me, she said, “Maybe so. But I think it’s enough work for today.”
“Fuck off.”
That made her smile. “Seriously, you’re looking a little gray. You overdo it on your first day back, you’ll only make things harder for yourself. Finish your coffee and fuck off yourself.”
I had to laugh at that. “Fine, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”
