“You should bring him here,” Kaleo said after a moment of peaceful silence. I looked over at him, and his gaze was fixed along the water. “No better place to fall in love than where the ocean meets land.”
“Poetic,” I said.
He turned, then slapped the side of my ass. “Dick.”
“Yeah, but you love me,” I said with a huge grin. I sobered after a beat and really considered what he was saying. Our first moment together—our first real moment—had been by the water. He’d traversed landscapes that could have genuinely hurt him to make sure he made amends with me.
So what better way to bring that full circle. “You know, I think I might do just that.”
Kaleo smiled, and we settled into another soft silence, letting the sound of the easy waves lull us into contentment.
Since I wasn’t about to take Creek surfing, I found a decent picnic beach close to his place and left no room for argument about me picking him up. I wanted this to feel like a real date, so I grabbed some flowers from the market, debated for way too long before deciding against chocolates, and then showed up at his door.
A few seconds after ringing the bell, I could hear a couple of guys arguing, loud laughter, and then a harried Creek appeared.
“I’d invite you in, but these guys are bein’ a bunch oftoddlers”—he shouted the last word over his shoulder—“and they can meet you when they’ve learned to behave.” He closed the door on their loud protests and shot me an apologetic look. “I really don’t want to be embarrassed today. I already ruined our first date.”
I gaped at him. “Are you saying the city’s best burritos and an evening with me was a ruined date?”
His cheeks went pink. “I…well…”
I stepped in close and threaded my arm between his hip and crutch, laying my hand on his waist. I paused to make sure he didn’t look uncomfortable with the touch in public like this, and then I leaned in close. “I thought the date was perfect.”
He hummed softly and let one crutch go so he could cup my cheek, and then he kissed me. It was chaste, but it lingered, and I lost myself in the warmth of his mouth. “I thought it was pretty great too, but I like you, and I’m not gonna let these dickheads ruin anything.”
“Trust me, when you meet my friends, you’ll stop worrying,” I told him. I traced a touch over his jaw before stepping back so he could grab his crutch.
His gaze fell on me, and after a beat, he smiled. “You don’t have your cane.”
Ah. Yeah. I’d graduated to a cane on bad days and nothing on days I felt comfortable bearing my entire weight. I looked for any hint of resentment in his face, but there was only a gentle sort of pride in his eyes.
“How’s it feel?” he asked as we started toward my car.
I shrugged. “Double-edged sword. It feels great until I need the cane, and then it feels a little like I’m failing. Which I know is silly.” I paused, opening the passenger door and grabbing theflowers. I hesitated for a moment because he was new at all this, and what if these were a bridge too far. But his gaze caught on what I held, and his eyes went wide.
“For me?”
I shuffled my foot. “Um…”
“No one’s ever gotten me flowers before.” I couldn’t read the tone in his voice.
Biting my lip, I handed them over, and he took them with one hand, using his other to pin me to the car. His crutches hit the ground with a loud clatter, but the sound was lost against the kiss he gave me.
We only stopped when we heard wolf whistling coming from the front door. He broke away but didn’t let me move, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught his hand behind his back, flipping the bird.
“Toddlers,” he said again.
I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose before pulling away and bending to get his crutches. He took them with a grateful smile and stored them in the back before buckling up. I glanced at the three faces in the crack of the door and offered a wave before getting behind the wheel, and though I could still feel Creek’s tension, I pulled out and headed for the water.
We were on the road a few minutes before he reached for me, dragging a touch along the side of my neck. “Thank you for this. I love the flowers, and I don’t know where we’re going, but the idea that I get to spend tonight with you means everything.”
I wanted to ask him if his last two days had been hard, but I also wanted the moment to stay like this. So I just leaned against him as best I could and let him explore me with soft touches until we were finally at the beach.
When he saw where we were, he burst into laughter and shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”
“Just be grateful I didn’t bring boards for us,” I said with a sniff.
He grinned before stepping out, and as he got his crutches, I pulled the cooler out of the back and adjusted my weight on my leg. We started walking elbow-to-elbow down the foot-worn path, and eventually, I found a spot near a collection of rocks where we could watch the birds dive for their dinner without risking being flooded by the tide.
