“Far from it, my love. If you only knew all the wicked thoughts tumbling around in my head right now.”
“Tell me more,” I said, letting desire infuse my tone.
“I’d rather show you.”
“Jaxon,” I yelped when he swept me off my feet and into his arms, carrying me up the stairs to the porch with smooth precision. “I can walk, you know.”
“I’m more than aware, but I like you like this, in my arms.”
Who was I to deny him when he put it like that?
“Is someone inside? It looks like there are candles lit,” I said, noticing a soft flickering glow in a few of the windows.
“No one’s here, just you and me,” he assured me, as he lowered me down until the bottoms of my heels clicked against the wooden planks. “But I did swing by quickly after work and set up a ton of flameless candles. My dad would tan my ass if I used real ones unattended.”
He slid his key into the lock and twisted his wrist, unlocking the door.
“Ohmygod Jaxon.” My words tumbled out in a rushed burst of shock and awe at the scene before me when the door swung open. “I can’t believe you did all of this.”
The empty living room was animated beneath the warm glow of the aforementioned flameless candles clinging to the bare walls, casting soft, delicate shadows that stretched across theroom, making the red rose petals scattered across the floor come alive.
It was intimate, magical, and beyond anything I could have ever envisioned.
Soft music began to fill the space, and I turned to see Jaxon pocketing his phone. The soulful voice of Lionel Richie crooned “My love,” and I immediately recognized the soft, lyrical ballad “Endless Love” that was playing.
It was a timeless love song that felt perfect for us.
Two hearts, beating as one. Forever.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, extending his hand.
“You may.” My cheeks flushed with heat.
With my one hand folded against his, and his other splayed across my back, anchoring me to him, I pressed myself closer, resting my head on his chest, embracing the connection that needed no words. Together, we found our rhythm, moving as one with every step, existing solely in a world that was ours alone.
The words of the song blanketed over me, resonating with every breath I took.
Jaxon was my first love.
My only love.
And to feel his love in return and the purity of its beauty, it was something I’d forever cherish.
“Tell me, what had you planned for that night?” I asked.
The old me would’ve likely slipped into the abyss of regret, haunted by my actions, but the new me, the one who embraced the hard discussions with him, acknowledged I’d left both of us with more wounds than words. The meaning of that night had held so much promise that I’d be lying if I hadn’t been curious as to what he had planned.
“Similar to tonight, you could say.”
I held his gaze, assuring him it was okay to continue.
“Obviously, there wasn’t a house here, but I’d come out the morning of and set up a tent, and a few other things.” My eyes widened. “I wasn’t about to make love to my girl for the first time in the grass or against a tree.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his bluntness. “I had this whole setup: tent, strung battery-operated twinkly lights inside, a blow-up mattress, lots of blankets, pillows, flowers?—”
“It no doubt would have been perfect.”
“This was always our place. It’s where I felt most connected to you when you were gone; it’s why I bought the land and built here. It’s also why I’ve held back when all I wanted to do was pick up where we left off. But waiting until we’d both processed the past, and being together again, it felt fitting to honor our love in a place that has nothing but happy memories. Excluding that one day, of course.”
I was glad he wasn’t hiding or tailoring his words to dance around the past.
