“Maybe we could just get some takeout.”
His brows lifted. “And bring it back here?”
“Yeah. I like this spot.”
“And I like the way you think.” He jerked his head toward the truck. “Let’s go.”
FORTY-THREE
Jesse
Ilaid in the truck bed, looking up at the stars. Hollie’s fingers were entwined with mine, and towels loosely draped around our wet bodies. The truck speakers cycled through my playlist, filling the night with a backdrop of gentle tunes.
Packing a quilt to lay on had been smart. I figured we might end up looking at the stars, because it was a clear night and the stars in Comfort were incredible. Even so, I had to work hard to keep my hands to myself. Especially after seeing Hollie in the scraps of fabric she called a swimsuit.
A swimsuit that Bea did, in fact, lend to Hollie.
Bea clearly had motives of some kind.
We’d visited the tiny restaurant in town and got two orders of chicken fingers, french fries, honey mustard, and sweet tea and brought them back to the river. Sitting on the edge of the tailgate, we slowly munched as we talked each other’s heads off the entire time. We discussed parents and siblings, the way we were raised, our pastmarriages, personality types, the future of the ranch, our kids, and so many other things. No topic was off the table. Two and a half hours flew by.
It had already fallen dark by the time we decided to jump in the river. Swimming with Hollie was nothing short of wildly euphoric. Moonlight glinted off the dark water and flowed around her body as she flirted with me. She taught me games her family used to play in the pool and we laughed like two drunk kids. I relished every second, trying hard not to remember they were our last together until who knew when.
Water trickled from her hairline and her white smile glowed in the darkness. The river weighed her curls down, revealing the true length of her hair—midway down her back. Laser-focused on every single detail about Hollie, my hands found her sides and I pulled her closer. Our kisses were slow and passionate, saying for us all the things we agreed not to say.
But all night, three words begged for release.
I love you.
I wanted to say it, but I wouldn’t say it flippantly. Maybe I’d grip her arms and shake her a little so she knew I wasn’t messing around. Or fall on my knees. Or get tears in my eyes. My voice would crack and I’d barely manage to push the words out.
However they came, they would sound a hell of a lot like a promise.
So I choked on them instead.
Looking at the stars, our conversations turned quiet and pensive. We dove deep into each others’ hearts and minds and it felt exactly like it should—safe. Hollie shifted until her head rested on my shoulder, and her damp curls pressed against the bottom of my chin. Her sigh of contentment made me sigh too.
This felt right. In every single way.
After a time of quiet, she murmured, “I could fall asleep right here.”
“Me too. In fact, I have. There’s been a few times I’ve pulled the truck as close as possible to the river and fallen asleep in the truck bed while Cade fished.” I gave a bitter chuckle,recalling my state of mind all those years ago. “There was definitely survival mode parenting happening down here.”
She squeezed me. “Nothing wrong with that. We all need a quiet space for letting our guards down—survival parenting and all.”
“Do you have a place like that? A place you go when you need to just be alone?”
She fell quiet for a few long moments. “I used to. But it’s been years.”
“Tell me about it.”
Her hold on me stiffened. I rubbed her back more firmly, encouraging her to relax. She did, but only after she gave a soft, embarrassed laugh. “I feel silly. My place seems so juvenile after all this time.”
“Did Garrett use the wordsillywhen he talked about you?”
She tipped her chin to look up at me, her brow furrowing. “Yeah, he actually did. Why?”
“Beacuse you always call yourself silly when you’re about to reveal something that isn’t silly in the slightest.”
