Stepping out into a clearing I look around and am in awe. “How did I not know this place existed?”
“Not many do that weren’t raised here.” He shrugs. “Us Hudson folk need to keep some places secret.”
“So is this where you bring all the girls?”
Suddenly he turns around and tugs me forward, my chest now firmly pressed to his.
“I may have brought Sadie Miller here back in sixth grade and had my first kiss,” he tells me, throwing the damn smile at me once again.
“Lucky girl,” I say, slightly winded.
“It was awful and if you ever bring it up again, I’ll deny it ever took place.”
“Oh really? Why was is so awful?”
“She bit my lip,” he says and instantly I start to laugh, burying my face in his chest. “She wore braces and I swear it bled for an hour after that. I told everyone my cat scratched me and the craziest thing was, I didn’t have a cat.”
“Oh my gosh.” I continue to laugh, tears filling my eyes.
“The guys all knew, and they didn’t let me live it down. But I’m telling you that scarred me for life. I didn’t kiss another girl until I was a junior in high school. I spent years avoiding any girl with braces, that was a no-go for me.”
“That’s horrible,” I tell him, finally lifting my gaze to meet his.
“I know.” Finn nods with wide eyes.
“Not for you,” I tell him. “Can you imagine what poor Sadie felt like?”
“Her?” he gasps and the action itself makes me lose it even more. My ribs ache from the laughter. “I was the one with the bleeding lip. I was the one that had to live with the horror. I had dreams, or nightmares I should say, of her coming at me with these razor-sharp teeth. It was horrifying.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are dramatic?”
“Never.” Again with the grin. “Honestly though, you are the first girl I have ever brought here outside of that horrific event.”
He gives me a look that melts my heart.
Genuine. Sincere.
“This, tonight, is not for show,” he says, holding my stare and my heart rate races. “I thought the perfect date for us to start over would be one where it’s only the two of us. No one watching and waiting to see what happens next. No one ready to run back and tell someone else what they saw and where. Just you and I, enjoying our fresh start.”
“Who helped you plan this?”
His mouth gapes and he makes an offended gasp. The problem with that is the corners of his mouth tips upward, even though he tries to fight it.
“You seriously think I can’t plan a nice night out, without help?”
Arching a brow I wait, holding his stare and he rolls his eyes. Every single time he does that I can’t help but laugh. There is something so funny about seeing a man, especially a six foot two, burly man like Finn, roll their eyes.
“Fine.” He gives his head a little shake. “My mom packed the basket, Lexi told me all your favorite foods, and Jillian made our dessert.” It’s my turn to smile knowingly. “But I chose the spot, the timing, I brought the blanket, and,” I watch as he pulls what looks like a remote out of his back pocket and hits a button. I turn around just as what appears to be a million little twinkling lights come on, no more than ten feet away and there under them is a folded blanket and a basket.
“All me,” he whispers next to my ear as he turns me and wraps his arms around me from behind.
“You did good,” I confirm just as he kisses that small spot on my neck, just beneath my ear. Those butterflies in my stomach hit me full force and I do something that is so out of character for me. I turn around, place my hands at the back of his neck, and pull him down closer, my lips meeting his.
I hear him groan, and I deepen the kiss, just as his hand lands on my ass.
Being kissed by Finn, it is most definitely one of my new favorite things.
Chapter Twenty Six
