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“Lance?” her sweet voice asked from behind me and I turned to face her. “Are you okay?”
I wrapped my arms around her right there in the front yard and held her to me, the scent of spicy pumpkin filling my head. She always smelled so good. “I’m better than okay,” I promised.
She leaned into me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I was watching you from the window. Did you change your mind about going tonight?”
“Absolutely not,” I assured her, squeezing her tighter. “I’m going to be there to support you.”
“Do you think my speech is good enough? I don’t want to sound dumb up there.”
I released her and took her face in my hands. “Bruce is the reason you’re so afraid of sounding dumb, isn’t he? Bruce and Brenda?”
Instead of meeting my gaze, hers darted away, which told me everything I needed to know.
“As I said, the first three years of my life I wasn’t sure if my name was Indigo or stupid,” she answered, still looking at the creche instead of me.
“Well, they’re not going to be there, and I think the speech is perfect, and so does Ivy. I know it’s hard, but you have to stop listening to those voices in your head and really hear what those of us around you are saying. You’re going to rock it tonight, okay?”
She let out a deep breath and finally, her gaze met mine. “Okay. I’ll try to relax. It’s getting late, I suppose we should head over to the park.”
“We should, but I want to do one more thing first.”
“What’s that?” she asked, her gaze still holding mine.
“This,” I answered, right before I laid my lips on hers.
Just like in the car yesterday, I didn’t hold back. I kissed her in a way that said I was one hundred percent in on being together. All I needed was her to do the same. She was resisting and finally tore her lips from mine to glance up and down the street.
“Lance,” she hissed. “We’re in your front yard. Someone could see us!”
“Is that a problem, Gumdrop?” I asked, my shoulders drooping at her tone. I guess I thought she was more in than she was, but better to find out sooner rather than later.
She paused and chewed on her lip, which I had to admit, was sexy as hell. It was unfortunate that I’d never have her in my life or my bed because she could rock my world in both.
“I thought you didn’t want anyone to think we were, you know,” she motioned at the house. “Shacking up,” she whispered, as though the street was filled with people rather than deserted.
“No, that was your hang up, Gumdrop. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks about the choices I make in my life. I’m the one living it, not them.”
She chewed her lip a little bit more and strangely, it gave me hope. Hope that maybe her resistance to the idea of dating me wasn’t about me but rather about the impression it gave the community. That was a legitimate concern, but I didn’t care if all of Bells Pass thought we were sharing a bed. I could only dream to get so lucky.
“I suppose they probably already think that anyway, right?” she asked, a slight bit of hope in the question.
“Maybe they do, maybe they don’t, Indie, but either way, the only two people that matter are standing right here. Do you understand? We are grown adults and can do whatever we want to do without worrying about what anyone else thinks. Again, maybe that’s the messed-up pathways in my brain, but I like to think it’s more about what my mother taught me about life. She had a child out of wedlock and never named a father, but she held her head high and never bothered with what anyone else thought about her choices.”
“My mother always worried about what everyone else thought, which now that I think about it, is ironic considering their lifestyle. Then again, maybe that’s why she did it. If she made sure everything on the surface was perfect, no one would dig deeper?”
I cocked my head in agreement. “Could be. That would make sense. This is a small-town after all. If everything is shiny on the surface, people are less likely to assume anything else.”
Her nod was immediate and she sighed. “Unfortunately, it made it hard to be a kid and live up to it.”
I kissed her lips once quickly. “I’m sure it did, and I hate that you had to live that way. I don’t think you should have to live that way anymore, do you?”
Her gaze locked with mine and I felt her head shake in my hands, so without waiting for words, I just laid my lips on hers again and let my kiss say everything I wanted her to know.
Why did I agree to do this again? I’d asked myself that question for the last three hours and still didn’t have an answer other than because I had to. I was nervous and now that the time was drawing near, and the mayor was about to speak, I was terrified.
I lifted my face to the sky and let the snow fall on my cheeks. It had been snowing for hours and it wasn’t going to stop soon. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had half a foot by morning. I was glad I’d worn my boots and my warm coat, but I was still cold. We’d been outside for hours, but thankfully, the fire pits were roaring to add warmth to the area. When we arrived, Lance had taken off to help Mason with the fires for the marshmallow roasting. Those were a big hit with the kids every year, but with the snow this year, everyone was gathered around them trying to stay warm. The snow didn’t make keeping the fires going easy, either.
Once the tree was lit and the Bells Pass Madrigals sang their final song, the party would be over. I expected a quick and mass exodus out of the park as people came from all around the area to see the tree lighting. It would be dangerous if people didn’t get on the road and home soon. I was happy my speech was short and I prayed the mayor kept his brief too.
