AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s a few months away and no, I don’t make plans for that. “Jadon watches the ball thing with my dad and is out by ten.” I’m usually relaxing from the break between classes and trying out new recipes that go into my menu journal for my business.
Lucas nods and purses his lips while the road gets bumpy. We haven’t passed houses for a few miles and I’m pretty sure this is a side of the lake I’ve never been to. At least, I think that’s what I’m seeing beyond the trees to my right.
At least he knows where he’s going.
“What would you think if the three of us went away somewhere special? Where would you want to go?”
That’s easy. “In winter? Somewhere I can keep warm.”
“What about a secluded cabin with snow and a fireplace? I’d keep you warm, Allie.”
And now I can imagine him taking me beside a fire and ringing in the New Year together, tangled between blankets with some sort of picturesque background with mountains and snow just outside.
“I’d like that with you.”
Lucas turns down another narrow road and I clearly see the lake.
“Few people come to this side. It’s an older spot and too far out for most people that just want to get in the water. My dad used to take me here when I was a kid. He tossed me off that dock.” Lucas points to an old wooden dock off the side. “That’s how I learned to swim.”
“He threw you into the water?”
Lucas snorts. “It’s only four feet deep. I was fine.”
Hmm. “Don’t you dare do that with my son, Lucas Kennedy,” I warn him.
“Ourson,” he winks. He parks and shuts off the engine. Lucas pulls me out through his side and helps me to my feet before he skips to the trunk.
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll see,” he says. Again. He grabs a small speaker and slams the trunk closed. His face turns pale, but maybe it’s the moonlight. I think the moon is full and I won’t admit it, but I’m pretty sure that’s when werewolves and whatnot come out to eat people. I would rather just not, to be honest. He better keep me safe.
Clearly, I am as nervous as Lucas and am looking for ways to sabotage myself. I need to stop overthinking. Maybe his hand isn’t shaking, and mine is. That’s more reasonable to assume, although it feels like it’s coming from him.
I avoid tripping on rocks while he leads us toward this dock and we hit the end, overlooking this part of the lake. The still water sits beautifully, with the night sky reflecting off the top like a mirror. The occasional sound of tiny waves hit the posts under this old wooden dock. Lucas turns on his speaker and plays a slow song for us.
He can be sweet, but it always comes attached to some sort of ulterior sexual motive, so I feel like I have to be on guard sometimes. Not in a bad way, I just am always prepared for him to lift a skirt or lower my pants at random for the sake of this fun relationship he’s created with me.
A quiet dock beside a lake at night with no one else around for miles seems like the perfect place he would take me to just to get me naked.
“Umm.” He clears his throat and holds a hand out for me. “Allie, will you...?”
Oh, my god.
“Dance with me?”
Oh. That half of a second I thought something—no. I’m just crazy. It’s the dress I’m wearing and his suit.
Smiling, I take his hand and delight in the sparks between us. “Yes.” He breathes out a sigh with a smile on his face, as if he thought I would say no to that.
Lucas holds me tight against him as he leads us around the dock while some slow song serenades us in our tiny bubble of Lucas and Allie. I feel like a teenager right now, out with the sweet football player. At the same time, he doesn’t look like a boy, and I’ve seen him interact with our son with the maturity of a father. The way he holds me tight introduces the possibilities of having these moments I’ve missed out on these past few years. Lucas will give me every experience I wanted but never got to have because I didn’t want to be a terrible mom. He’s changing the way I see things—especially how I see myself.
I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.
My heart squeezes in my chest when Lucas gently kisses my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine.
“You’re absolutely beautiful, Allie, and I knew that the first minute I saw you at that party all those years ago. And getting to know you, you’re so much more than that. You make me laugh and before, I was just going through the days, but now I look forward to every day with you.”
I want to say something smart back, but I can’t form words right now with these emotions building up with every realization. My cheeks get hot and my eyes burn with tears threatening to spill over.
