“Probably.” Sam shrugs as he responds.
“I think Barbie would be so pretty in a wedding dress. Should we throw them a wedding?”
“Sure. Do you have any fancy clothes for them? Ken should be wearing a nice suit if he’s going to marry Barbie.”
“Yeah. Let me find it.”
I stand up and walk over to my pink and orange polka-dot case, where I keep my Barbie and Ken outfits. I find the wedding dress and the suit and walk back to where Sam sits. I hand him Ken’s outfit and work on changing Barbie into her dress.
“Ok, Ken should stand over there, and then Barbie can walk down the aisle.”
Sam moves Ken where I tell him, and then I make Barbie walk to where Sam makes Ken stand. “Ken, do you take this woman to be your wife?”
“I do,” Sam speaks for Ken.
“Now you have to ask for Barbie.”
“Barbie, do you take this man to be your husband?” Sam asks.
“I do,” I speak for Barbie.
“Now do they kiss?”
“Duh.” I move Barbie over to Ken and position her so he can kiss her. Sam makes Ken kiss Barbie and smacks his lips to make a kissing noise. I laugh at the sound.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get married.” My voice is small as I look down at Barbie.
“Why not, Kitty Kat?”
“Because I don’t think my husband will want to play Barbies with me.”
“I’ll marry you, Kitty Kat, and we can play Barbies when Ethan issick.”
One Year Later
I’m on the back of Sam’s motorcycle with my arms wrapped around his waist. It’s funny to think that just over a year ago, I was terrified to get on his bike.
He keeps trying to convince me to drive it, and I’m just not ready for that. Besides, I love the feeling of my thighs hugging his. I love snuggling into him as he drives.
If I were driving, I couldn’t run my hands along his thighs or up and down his chest. Every time I do it, I feel him shiver in response.
I love how he reacts to my touch.
Tonight, we’re going back to Folly Beach for another picnic. Sam and I frequently make the twenty-minute drive so we can sit on the beach and watch the sunset.
I feel a bit warm in my motorcycle jacket, but I snuggle into his back a little more and tighten my arms around him. I smile when I feel Sam’s gloved hand run up and down my arm and briefly pat my gloved hands before returning to his handlebar.
Sam parks close to our favorite spot and turns off the engine. We both climb off and take off our helmets, jackets, and gloves. He locks the helmets to his bike, as he always does, and picks up the backpack from the floor, where I’d discarded it to take off my jacket, slinging it over his shoulder.
I hold out my hand to him, and he takes it, bringing it to his mouth and planting a soft kiss on the back before leading us onto the beach.
We’re silent as we walk to our favorite spot—the perfect position to see the water and the sun as it falls behind the city.
My mind strays to our first proper date almost a year ago. I was extremely nervous about our relationship at the time. I was so afraid that Sam would break my heart again.
But now here we are a year later, and I couldn’t be more in love with this gorgeous man.
Sam is everything I always dreamed he would be and more.
