Miles kissed her forehead and everything felt lighter. She and Miles were getting somewhere. Facing their difficulties required time, but she didn’t want to miss a second of it.
I love this man,she thought to herself, but didn’t say it aloud. She needed to be honest with him but grant him the time and space to get there.
“Miles, I want a relationship with you. And I’m willing to wade through the muck with you,” she said. “If it means I get to kiss you every morning and every night, it’ll be worth it.”
Their knees knocked together as Miles pulled her toward him. He ran a hand down her back and kissed the spot below her ear. His hair smelled like river dirt, which didn’t smell as sweet as lake dirt.
“I couldn’t bear to lose you forever.” he whispered. “You make me want to learn to love again.”
Avery had never felt so honored. She climbed across the space between them and straddled his lap. He tugged one of her dress’s shoulder straps down and greeted the top of her shoulder with stubbled kisses. She cupped the back of his head and pulled his face to hers. His hands splayed across her back and his lips buzzed over hers, sending a ripple of warmth down her middle. Miles’s hands slid down her sides, worked under her skirt, and skimmed her thigh. She wanted his stubble there. If not now, soon. The rhythm of his kiss broke when his hand drifted higher. Miles lurched back in surprise, his hand rapidly exploring her goose bumped skin. His eyes grew wide.
“You’re naked under here. A man needs a warning.”
Avery pulled the dress over her head, feeling him grow hard beneath her.
“It’s the middle of summer,” she murmured into his parted lips. “We haven’t been skinny dipping yet.”
She yanked at the hem of his shirt. “And you need to clean off beforeyou sit on your new furniture.”
She stood and pulled the shirt over his head.
In the dim light, she saw his cocked eyebrow too late. He stood and picked her up and before she knew what was happening, Miles ran off the end of the dock, holding her tight. Cool water rushed around them as they sank in a whirl of bubbles. When they surfaced, he pulled off the rest of his clothing and tossed it on the dock. She wrapped her legs around his middle and shivered at the sensation of her skin gliding over his warm hips. He rested his arms at her lower back, holding her in place.
She caressed his cheek with her thumb. “I’m not going to business school.”
Miles’s brow furrowed. He pivoted her into the waning light, presumably so he could see her reaction. “Why not?”
“I love designing things.” Avery felt a burst of adrenaline hearing her own confidence. “This summer I enjoyed decorating, and each day I found myself less excited about studying finance and economics. I’m considering taking my art into the home, maybe with fabric or wallpaper. I’m a little lost, a bit confused. There’s a lot to figure out. But I’m at peace. This feels right.”
“All that matters is you feel fulfilled.” Miles kissed her nose. “I’m so proud of you. I can’t wait to see what you do. I guess I can stop looking for a house to buy in Hanover.”
“You were going to buy a house there?”
“Paulson said if you couldn’t come to me, I should come to you,” he said. “I scoured Zillow in my tent last night.”
“Wait.” She shook her head. “You took advice from Paulson?”
“I did. He’s going to help with the grief camp. Paulson and I have a lot in common.” Miles winked. “If only someone had pointed that out.”
He playfully splashed water at her. Enough to wash over her shoulders but not hit her face. She splashed him back.
The warm tickle of fireflies lit up her middle. She wasn’t used to thislevel of support. Miles was willing to pivot so she could shine. Actions that conveyed his love. Avery lifted her hand to the bandages on his cheek, lightly touching them.
“Pull them off,” he said. “And beware of Nate with a first-aid kit.”
The first bandage came right off. The second needed some coaxing from her fingernail.
Miles’s mouth lifted into a bemused, teasing smile.
“That cut,” he said as the second one peeled away, “was your fault.”
“It’s a tiny cut, and I wasn’t there.” She took her wet thumb and rubbed the adhesive off his cheek, examining the small abrasion. He had not needed butterfly bandages. “How is it my fault?”
“I fell out of the boat because I was thinking about how much I love you.”
Avery’s thumb stopped midway across his cheek. For a second she wondered if he’d meant to say it. But his gaze and his gorgeous moonbeam grin signaled his intent. Those three words stopped the sun from setting and lifted it enough to pool a ray of warmth around them.
“You heard that, right?” His whisper roared between them, and he shivered beneath her hands.
