“Midas?” I lift my head, tears pricking my eyes as I look into his. “What did you do?”
“What I should have done all along.” He reaches up and tugs at the dressing.
I move my hand as the bandages come free and sob when I see what’s underneath. There’s a small dandelion in bloom. Its bright yellow petals stand out starkly on Midas’s chest. A seeded dandelion is bent over just above it, in a protective stance, and next to that is another one, slightly taller, leaning protectively over both of them. It looks like a family. A mother and father who never met their full potential, sheltering the flower between them so it can bloom. Tiny wish seeds skate over his shoulder and up his neck, but the script underneath sayingI wished for youhas me pressing my forehead to his chest and bawling like a baby.
He presses his hand to the back of my head and holds me, swaying us gently until I calm down. His chest is damp with my tears, and lord only knows what my face looks like as I tip my head up again to look at him.
“Why?”
“Because I’m yours.”
“We don’t even know if this will work out. What happens if I decide to leave, huh?” I hit his chest, careful not to smack the tattoo.
“Even if you decide you don’t want me anymore, I’ll still be yours. I’ll always be yours, Legs, even if you marry another manand pop out a dozen kids. There will never be anyone else for me.”
“How am I supposed to stay strong when you say shit like that to me?”
He smiles softly, using his thumbs to dry my tears. “Go wash your face, and we’ll go eat, okay?”
I huff but nod, my emotions all over the place. I wash my face and redo my makeup before returning to Midas, who has gotten dressed since I’ve been gone, minus the cut which is over his arm.
I take the hand he offers me and let him lead me out to the truck. He lays his cut in the back before he helps me up and buckles me. I wait for him to climb in beside me before I start questioning him. “So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I’m not sure if I should be excited or terrified.”
“Definitely excited. You have nothing to fear with me beside you.” He takes my hand and kisses it before starting the truck. I watch my surroundings, trying to figure out where we are going, but I give up after thirty minutes. It looks like we’re going to the middle of nowhere. Ten minutes later, I realize I was right, but we’re not alone.
It’s a huge open space surrounded by trees. Dozens of people are spread out on picnic blankets. A large projector has been set up, and I can see movie trailers playing before the show starts as we park and climb out. I walk around to the back of the truck as Midas rolls up the weatherproof covering, and gasp when I see he’s put a mattress in the back with pillows and blankets, and there’s a large picnic basket of our own.
“This is awesome, Midas,” I tell him truthfully. I slip my shoes off and let him lift me into the back of the truck. I stack some pillows behind me and get comfortable as Midas climbs in and lies beside me.
“You hungry?”
“Not yet.” I lay my head on his chest and snuggle in closer when he tucks his arm around me. When the movie starts, I let out a happy squeal when I see it’sGrease, one of my favorites.
I tip my head back and press my lips to his jaw. “Thank you, Midas.”
“Don’t you know, Legs, I’ll do anything for you?”
We watch the movie, and Midas never once complains, even though I’ve made him sit through it a million times before. I sing along as he feeds me strawberries and pieces of chocolate and feel something settle in me. He’s making the effort. It’s not just words. He really is working on us. Even if it all blows up in our faces, I’ll always remember that he cared enough to try.
By the time we make it home, I’m ready for a soak in the tub, but Midas stops me and leads me to the sofa. “I need to talk to you about something.”
I sit down and tuck my legs under myself, his tone making me nervous. “What’s wrong?”
He pulls out my cell phone and hands it to me.
“Let me guess, you found it at the clubhouse?” I tease, but he shakes his head, making my smile drop. “This has something to do with where you went last night?”
He nods, his hands skimming up my thighs. “What you said about poison being a woman’s method of killing someone stuck with me.”
“Okay…what does that have to do with anything?”
“It made me rethink everything that’s happened in the last few months with fresh eyes. I took your phone and gave it to G to check for trackers and spyware.”
I swallow hard, feeling sick that I wasn’t far off the mark. He wasn’t looking to track me himself, he thought someone else had bugged me.
