It means something, that he loves it here. I don’t know what’s in store for us and I don’t have everything figured out, but it makes me feel closer to him, his being happy here.
“Let’s go for a swim,” he says, studying the water.
I make anare you crazyface. “The water’s going to be freezing.”
“Nah.” His eyes spark with amusement. “It’s June.”
“InCanada.”
“Look how pretty it is.”
He’s messing with me. He’s laughing now and I am, too. “I’m telling you, Tate. I know from experience.”
“Only one way to find out.” He slides out of bed and gives me an expectant look while I blink back at him with an indignant smile.
“Go for it.”
He stares at me, eyes sparkling like the water outside.
“Tate.”
He keeps staring at me, smiling.
“No.” He smiles wider and I pull the pillow over my head. “I’m going back to sleep.”
Ten minutes later, I sit on the dock in the mild morning sun, wrapped in the duvet and sipping coffee from the old chipped mug that was my mom’s favorite. The water is calm, a pair of ducks paddle past the dock, and there’s a breeze off the water. My breakfast is a pack of Dunkaroos.
“What’s that smile?” Tate asks at my side.
“I miss my mom,” I admit, and his gaze stays on me, so gentle and patient. “But I feel close to her here.”
He makes a pleased humming noise. She’dloveTate. I know that much.
“Alright, J-dawg.” Tate pulls his shirt over his head, the muscles of his chest and biceps rippling with the motion. “Enough dillydallying.”
“Wow.” I wolf-whistle, eyes on his abs, following the trickle of hair into the waistband of his shorts. “Good morning, indeed.”
He winks, tosses his shirt aside, and in just his swim shorts and bare feet, executes a perfect dive into the water, surfacing twenty feet away.
“Were you on the diving team in high school?” I call over. “In the offseason?”
“Nope.” He shakes water out of his hair. “Just naturally athletic. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll get a chance to see me kick your ass at bocce ball later.”
I smile like a dumbass. “You’re really cocky lately, you know that?”
And sillier. More light-hearted. He needed this vacation, I realize.
“Is it cold?” I ask.
“Not at all,” he calls back.
“Liar.”
He treads water easily. “Very refreshing. Why don’t you join me?”
“Ha. No. I’ll just enjoy the view. Besides, I didn’t bring my swimsuit.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s a problem.” He swims closer. “Come on, Jordan. It’ll wake you up.” His smile is teasing and flirtatious, so fucking handsome, and butterflies take flight inside me. “Maybe put you in a better mood. Cold plunges are great for your health.”
