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“Yes,” he says breathlessly.
“Me too.” I press a kiss to his cheek, eyeing him carefully in the mirror. He smiles lazily, his face full of bliss. He loved being praised for being good for me. I kiss him again before reaching for his clothes. I assist him with pulling on his pants and sweater before sliding each of his arms in the sleeves of his jacket. “Back to looking exactly how you did when I first brought you here.” I smile at the way his face is still flushed and how his eyes are glossed over. “Well, almost.” I kiss him on the back of his head and a lazy chuckle slips from his mouth.
“We should go before the woman outside calls the cops for public indecency.”
“Hey, we are in the privacy of your dressing room,” I say, pursing my lips.
“Yeah, my dressing room that I was more than likely supposed to enter alone to prevent things like this from happening.” It’s hard to miss the glint in his dark brown eyes.
“You’d be surprised what you can get away with when you bribe the sales clerk.”
His eyes round and he stands up straighter. “You did what?”
“I’ll see you at the register, pipsqueak.” I pinch his ass and exit the dressing room, leaving him with the face of someone who is ready to argue.
The associate is hanging up new inventory from an open box resting on the back counter.
“All ready to pay,” I say, catching her off guard.
She peers from behind a tall mannequin dressed in a red slip. “Did you two find everything okay?”
“We did. Going to add these two things to the pile.” I toss the garters and bustier next to the register.
“Excellent.” She walks between the two long, white marble counters and rings everything up. Reaching into my back pocket, I pluck out my wallet and pay using my bank card.
By the time Theo exits the dressing room, I have all the bags on my arms and I’m shoving my receipt in my wallet. “Ready?”
He nods and follows me toward the entrance, his legs a little wobbly. “You really did buy all of it, didn’t you?”
“Si. Lo compré.”
“Thanks for stopping by, and you two have a good rest of your day,” the lady says from behind us a little too enthusiastically.
We wave her off, smiling before exiting the shop and walking to the car. I drive to the park next, with my hand resting on Theo’s leg possessively. Instead of saying anything in response, he sags against the seat and his knees stop bouncing. I’ve gone without touching him way too many times to not take advantage of each opportunity I have now.
As soon as I park the car, we both get out and I hook my arm around his, dragging him through the park’s entrance. We pass the train station on our way to the food stand and I order Theo three scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in a waffle cone and myself a small cup of green mint ice cream. We eat our dessert while walking side by side toward the trail, kicking tiny rocks under our feet. Our arms bump together the whole time, him needing us to touch as much as I do.
“It’s so beautiful out here. I haven’t been since I was a teen.”
“When was that? One hundred years ago?” I wink.
He elbows me. “Cállate.”
I smile around my spoon and we approach a long bench in front of the creek. The water sparkles under the sun and fish create ripples as they swim too close to the surface. Theo sits down first, releasing a contented sigh, while licking ice cream from the tips of his fingers. I scoot closer until our thighs touch and he leans his head on my shoulder as I’m finishing my remnants of partly melted ice cream. This is heaven. Being anywhere with him is. I don’t ever want to leave.
Twelve
Theo
Carryingthevanillacakein both hands, I walk next door and balance the box on one arm to free the other long enough to knock. The door pulls open on the second one and Benjamin greets me with a wide smile.
“Hey, Theo. Perfect timing. Come on in.” Stepping to the side, he gestures me inside. “You can put the cake in the fridge, then join me in the back. I’m tossing some sausages and hamburgers on the grill while Lydia is still trying to find the perfect birthday dress to wear,” he says with a soft chuckle.
It’s exactly like Lydia to want to look her best on her big day. I glance around, taking in all the bright and sparkly birthday decorations, smiling at the crooked banner hanging above the large window by the back door. Finn made it when he was younger, and every birthday his mom tells the story of how he adds something new to it every year. It doesn’t take me long to spot the white flowers. “Is Finn still at work?” I ask, setting the box on the empty shelf in the fridge.
“Yeah.” Benjamin pauses at the back door. “He called and said he had to stay a little later than planned. The person who’s supposed to relieve him got a flat tire or something.”
He didn’t tell me he’d be late but he doesn’t really owe me anything. He kept whispering this morning how I was his as he scratched behind my ear and kissed my neck. It doesn’t mean he’s mine. Opening my closet while getting dressed this morning had me smiling from ear to ear when I spotted a few clothes in my closet that didn’t belong to me. Attached to the sleeve of one of the shirts was a note that saidFor my love bird’s nest at night and for me to have something to wear after I wake up from holding you in my arms.
