FORTY-SEVEN
Ava
I’m lost in his crystal blue eyes that hold me in place. When he dips his head down to kiss me, I know I don’t want to be anywhere else. Running his lips lightly over mine, he nips my bottom lip. He always takes care of me, whether he’s kissing me, holding me, or fucking me. He makes it all about me, and I want him to feel loved, too. I’m in awe of how my body reacts to him.
Slipping his tongue into my mouth, he holds nothing back. With my hands sliding around the nape of his neck, I tug him closer, deeper into my mouth. Our tongues thrash, mouths moving together. His hands roam my body and down my ass while he squeezes it, pulling my hips closer to him. I moan into his mouth, feeling him against me.
With a deep breath, he pulls away and says breathlessly, “Okay, if we want to get to my house, we should head over now.”
“You’re right.” He takes my hand off his jaw and interlaces our fingers. When he guides me outside to his car, there’s a buzzing coming off his body mixing with my energy—a supernova building between us.
It’s less than ten minutes from my doorstep to his. We walk inside, and I wonder what he wants to show me. I glance around, trying hard not to look like I’m desperate to know, but I am.
“What did you want to show me?” I ask coyly, moving closer to him as my hand drags up his abs and then his chest.
He tugs my hand from under his shirt. “You’re a distraction. What did you ask?”
I smack him playfully on his chest.
With our hands together, we walk out the slider onto the deck. Kai takes my other hand so we’re facing each other. It’s the most perfect moment as the sun dips down in the sky. “You ready to see it?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” I bounce on the balls of my feet, and I practically scream with excitement. I don’t even know what to expect, but as with anything Kai does, I’m sure he put careful thought and planning into it.
His fingers link with mine as he leads me down toward the water. There’s something near the bank that wasn’t there the last time. As I get closer, I can see rock-style pillars…with a swing?And then it all comes into view. The bench seat looks familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve seen it before.
He guides me around to the front, and I pause, pointing at the seat. “Is that what I think it is?”
Bringing my hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it, he says, “It’s exactly what you think it is.”
My hand goes to my mouth, afraid I’ll scream so loud it will echo through the entire lake. “Oh my, it’s…our bench.” There’s no stopping the tears that pour out of my eyes as I swipe at them with the back of my hand. “How did you…” I can’t even finish my sentence as heat and love roll through my entire body.
Before I fall to the ground, he holds me, tangling his fingers in my hair as he tucks me into him. He slowly guides me to the bench seat. His arms are tight around my body, while his fingers drag along my back. Goosebumps erupt in the trail of his fingers, and I shiver. This is what I want—him.I’m never leaving.
He squeezes me harder. “This bench is where it all began for me. The minute I saw you, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. Then westarted talking, and you intrigued me; you had my attention from that first moment and never let go.” He turns to me and cradles my face as the pads of his thumbs wipe the tears from my cheeks.
“I denied it for a long time, but I’ve never felt so heard in my entire life. So utterly cared for and held. This bench—it’s not only where it started, it’s a symbol of our love. The porch swing at the house in Virginia Beach…” I snuggle up to him, not like I could get any closer to him, but sure as hell try.
Kai cuddles back up to me while using his legs to swing us, just like he did the last time we were on a swing. “You light me up, sweetheart. When you love, you love hard, and I don’t want to ever let you go, you or your love. My life would be empty without you. This was me showing you how much your love means to me. You’re my everything—everything I didn’t know I needed in my life.”
I clear my throat. “I love you. I don’t want you to let me go. Hold me tight.” And he does exactly that. He slowly became the only person I’ve thought about a future with. The image of us together here on our swing, growing old—it all feels exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“Always. I can’t wait to build our dreams together and love you deeply every single day for the rest of my life,” Kai says, kissing the top of my head and then sighing in contentment.
After a long silence, soaking in the warmth of his body, the rhythm of his breathing, and the feel of his fingers moving along my arm, I hear his stomach growl. I chuckle. “You hungry, handsome?”
He squints and holds up his fingers. “Just a little. I can make us dinner.”
Not that I want to move from this spot, but I’m getting hungry too. He kisses my forehead, prompting me to gaze up at him. I slide up to meet his kiss. His lips are on mine, passionate as he slides his hand through my hair and caresses the skin under my ear. All I can think about is never leaving here—leaving him.
“Let’s go eat,” he whispers against my lips, eyes still closed, his breath mingling with mine, and I’ll savor this.
We take a bit to finally break apart from each other. We could stay here all night, relishing the memories this bench evokes. But finally, he stands up slowly, bringing me with him.
We stroll to the house, savoring every second I’m in his arms. “Thank you for being so thoughtful. That swing. Our swing…it makes my heart ache in the best way.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart.” He kisses my head as we continue to step inside.
We have dinner on the deck, staring lazily at each other across the table. I don’t want him to ever look away. His gaze lights me up, and I’m glowing. I don’t know how I lived without this for so long. How I avoided falling in love with a full heart. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt.
