“Woah, why did we stop?”
“Uhh, well…shit. I don’t think they thought this through.”
“Thought what through?”
“You see, part of the surprise is here, but Dawson said you had to keep your blindfold on a little longer.”
“Can I take the blindfold off real fast to see this part and then put it back on?”
Nate seemed to think that over for a second. “Yeah, okay, that works. But it goes right back on afterwards or Dawson will sic Stella on my nuts.”
With a sigh of relief, I peeled off the silk and blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
Large, car-shaped cardboard pieces were affixed to either side of the golf cart, painted to look like a black limousine. My brain worked overtime to figure out exactly how this worked into any surprise Dawson had planned, but at least I had the location pegged.
“Okay, all aboard! Or whatever the fuck they say when you climb into a limo.”
“I think ‘get in’ pretty much covers it.”
Nate shoved me and instructed me to slide my blindfold back in place once I’d carefully maneuvered through the door cutout to sit down. We took off towards the woods, but soon I caught the sound of cardboard ripping away and felt the jarring bumps as we drove over it.
“Fuck…my bad. I’ll get that later. Umm, maybe don’t mention that when we get there?” Nate rambled.
Within a minute, we came to a stop and Nate held my arm to keep me in place. I heard him typing something on his phone real quick and then he was hopping out and coming to help meas well. I gingerly stepped off the cart and my ears perked up at music filtering through the air.
Something was different though. This wasn’t just Dawson strumming on his guitar for me. Other instruments joined him, creating an upbeat, melodic loop that felt like the intro to a song I should know.
Nate walked me a little closer to the barn and the blindfold fell away, my heart nearly bursting out of my chest.
Neverland had been transformed, making the clearing look like some kind of fairytale forest with lights strung from the rafters out to some of the surrounding trees, streamers wrapped around the support beams and hanging from the ceiling, and a huge silver and blue balloon arch curved over the low, makeshift stage where the band was. Dawson’s mom had an acoustic guitar slung over her shoulders next to an older, tattooed guy with a bass guitar while an attractive, black-haired guy about my age sat behind the drums.
And at the center of it all was Dawson, the man who had the power to start and stop my heart on a whim, standing under a massive banner hung on the front of the barn.
Homecoming 2025
Tears sprang to my eyes and I blinked to clear them, not wanting to miss a second of this. I was vaguely aware of a small crowd of our friends and family scattered around, parting for me as I started towards the stage, drawn in like a moth to Dawson’s flame. The music slowed and faded to only Dawson and his guitar as he started singing into the mic, his eyes pinned on me.
The first lines of Alex Warren’s “Carry You Home” struck me like a blow to the chest and I froze on the spot as he serenaded me. The rest of the improvised band joined in, the two guysproviding backup vocals that perfectly complemented Dawson’s rich, warm voice as the song kicked up.
As the song built, the people around me converged near the stage with me, whistling and cheering as though it were a real concert. When the chorus hit, everyone started clapping in time with the song and laughter burst from me at the surreality of the scene around me. Dawson’s smile split his face even as he continued singing, flawless and mesmerizing as always.
His eyes never left mine for a second, every lyric and chord a love note to me in a way that was purely Dawson. His intense gaze was radiating love and desire, promise and purpose. It was more than I could ever deserve, more than my heart could bear as it pounded painfully behind my ribs.
The band and noise from our friends faded out as Dawson crooned the last lines alone, baring his heart on the stage for me and pouring every last ounce of his soul into the final notes.
Applause and shouts burst out around us as Dawson lifted his guitar off his shoulders and handed it off to his mom. A flurry of butterflies took off in my stomach as I watched him jump down from the stage and stride over to me, looking sexier than sin in his dark jeans, black button-up, and cowboy boots.
He pulled up short, leaving only a few inches between us and it took an immense willpower I didn’t know I possessed not to throw myself at him, but the expression on his face told me to wait. He held a hand out and in my periphery, I saw Aly hand over a clear plastic box.
My heart lurched into my throat and those goddamn tears reappeared while Dawson carefully pulled out the white rose boutonniere and leaned in to pin it on my shirt. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Dawson’s grin widened until his eyes crinkled on the sides in that way I loved so fucking much, and he slid his hands over my jaw and into my hair.
“Happy Homecoming, baby.”
I lunged forward, our mouths colliding in a desperate kiss that raced through my body like a flash fire. His taste exploded in my mouth as our tongues dueled and he swallowed my needy moan. More cheers and wolf-whistles rang out when Dawson swept his hands down to my thighs, hauling me up until I wrapped my legs around his trim waist.
I swear to fuck, that move is the hottest shit ever…
Reluctantly, we pulled back to suck in lungfuls of air, staring into each other’s eyes and saying so many things that words couldn’t begin to express.
