“I do,” I admit with a smirk. “But it can wait til later. I really need some fresh air right now.”
“I got you, sweetheart.”
She steps back and holds her hand out to me. I take it and let her pull me to my feet. After changing my clothes and slipping on my shoes and a sweater, she grabbed her keys, and we were out the door. Once we were in the car and buckled up, she pulled out of the driveway, and we began our drive to nowhere in particular. It was a cool November morning, so we rode with the heat on. Soft music played on the radio as we cruised in silence.
I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but when I woke, I felt the sun shining on me and heard light snoring beside me. I rubbed my eyes to clear any crust and blink so that the world could come into focus. I noticed that we were parked at the edge of a wide field of flowers as the sun slowly rose just past the trees at theother side. It was so beautiful that I took a few minutes to savor the quiet before me.
Back when I was in high school, when things got too hectic, I’d come to a secluded area like this just to be one with nature. The memories flooded back, and before I knew it, I was climbing out of the car and running to the field, kicking my shoes off along the way. As soon as my feet touched the grass, an overwhelming sense of peace washed over me.
I closed my eyes as one of my favorite songs played softly in my head. I let the rhythm flow through my body as I twirled through the field, the sun shining down on me as if it were my spotlight. The air around me felt lighter as my feet moved along to the lyrics that slipped from my lips. And just as I pulled the scrunchie out of my hair to let my locs fall, the sky opened up, and it began to rain softly.
But that didn’t stop my party. I embraced every drop, even though I knew I might pay for it in the morning since it was cool out here. At that moment, I didn’t care because I felt freer than I’d felt in years. For the first time, I was letting myself go and loving every second of it. This was what life was all about.
Slowly, tears began to fall from my eyes. I bent down to pick up one of the flowers, brought it to my nose, and inhaled the floral scent. Chills ran through my body before a calmness spread. A few seconds later, I chuckled, finding joy in the silliness of my dancing in the rain in the middle of a flower field. It was the simplicity of things like this that made me realize that things would be alright.
“Oh my god!” I screamed when I felt hands on my waist. I lost my balance and slipped, but was caught just in time by Dawn, who chuckled once we lost our balance and fell to the ground together. “Hey, you. You scared me.”
“My bad, sweetheart,” she said with a smile. She moved so that she was hovering over me as I lay on my back, looking up ather. “I called you a few times, but you were lost in your own little world.”
“I’m so sorry,” I apologized as she helped me to stand. “I guess I was just enjoying the moment.”
“Never apologize for being happy,” she tells me. “I watched you for a bit before coming over because you looked so at peace. I remember you telling me that you’d come to flower fields like this when you were younger to clear your mind. So, I wanted to bring you here so you could have that Zen feeling again. You’ve been so stressed this past week, and I wanted you to know that it’s okay to take some time for yourself, whether you want to smell the roses or dance in them.”
“God, you’re so amazing,” I sigh, looking up at her with nothing but adoration. I could feel my heart rate pick up as every second passed between us. I knew that these feelings I had for her ran deep, and before I could register it, I was saying those few words that had been on the tip of my tongue for weeks. “Dawn, I think I love you.”
“You think?” She teases with a smirk, pulling me by the waist until my body is pressed up against hers. “Aw, damn, I always got the feeling youknew, because I damn sure do.”
“Dawn…”
“You heard me right, Siren,” she whispers against my lips before kissing me. I could feel everything she didn’t say through the softness of her lips. “I love you so damn much, and I want to spend the rest of my life being the best woman I can for you. While you’re with me, you never have to worry about your heart being broken, because I’ll forever treat it with the care and tenderness it deserves. Just like I promised, I’m taking responsibility for your heart and you.”
“I love you too, Dawn,” I finally admit as tears fall down my cheeks.
She chuckles again before kissing them away and then sealing the promise of forever against my lips. We stood there for a while, kissing in the rain. It was a beautiful moment, and I didn’t care that we’d probably be fighting colds in the morning. I’d suffer through a million colds if it meant that she and I could be together in every lifetime.
CHAPTER 17
Coincidences or Serendipity?
Dawn Anderson - November 27th, 2025
Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays. I know that it wasn’t the proudest thing to admit, but when I say that, I mean that I love the idea of family coming together, sharing a meal, and catching up on how the year has been. This was one of the times of year when my whole family was guaranteed to be in the same place at once. At Christmas, we tend to spend time with different people because of extended family and life.
Dominic and his wife usually spent it with his wife’s family, and I usually had a show or special concert I had to attend. That left my parents and Devin to celebrate together or go to one of our other family members’ houses. It seemed like the same would be true this year since I had a benefit concert in LA on Christmas, which is why I was so excited about Thanksgiving this year, especially because Raine was joining me. I’d finally get to introduce her to the other people in my life whom I cared about the most.
I glanced over at her after putting the car in park and watched as she checked her makeup in the mirror. My eyes were instantly drawn to her plump lips as she puckered them to apply a fresh coat of gloss. I licked my lips as a smile tugged at them.Raine was so damn fine, and she knew it. No matter what style she wore, how she did her makeup, or rocked her hair, she was the most beautiful woman wherever she went. Inside and out.
“Hey,” I called out softly, and she turned to face me.
“Hm?”
“Have I told you how gorgeous you looked today?” She nodded. “Well, I’m going to tell you again. You’re so damn gorgeous, my love.”
She smiled before capping her gloss and flipping the mirror back up. She leaned over the center console and kissed me softly, biting my lip lightly as she pulled back. She was so lucky that we were at my parents’ house, because had we not been, I would’ve put this seat back and told her to climb her sexy ass over here. I had to control myself, though.
“Thank you, baby. You look beautiful as well,” she giggles, running her hands through my curls. “Mm, I’m so obsessed with this hairstyle on you. You were sexy before, but damn…all I can think about is playing in these curls as you play in my-”
Tap! Tap! Tap!
