Page 75 of Redemption

I nod. “He did. I think it’s amazing you guys are doing that.”

“Maybe he could use your help there, too.”

I shrug. “Maybe.”

I need to get my own head sorted out before I try helping anyone else fix their problems. My phone buzzes from its place beside me. When I look down, I have an incoming text from Beckett. When my mom sees his name on my phone screen, she winks and silently excuses herself.

Beckett: Don’t make plans tonight.

I smile as my thumbs type a reply.

Me: What if I already did?

Beckett: Cancel them because you have plans with me now.

Me: Awfully presumptuous, don’t you think? What if I don’t want to have plans with you?

Beckett: Trust me, honey. You WANT what I have planned for you.

Me: If these plans have anything to do with a certain underwhelming appendage of yours, I’ll pass. *eggplant emoji *sad face emoji

Beckett: You and I both know there’s NOTHING underwhelming about me, Pres. And now you’ll be getting a few extra reminders tonight. *tongue emoji *water drops emoji *eggplant emoji *donut emoji

Just like that, after a few flirty texts, my mood is lifted. I don’t know how he does it.

Me: Let’s pretend I’m on board with this plan of yours. What should I wear and what time should I be ready?

Beckett: Dress comfortably. I’ll see you at eight. *wink emoji

Me: Yee-haw, Cowboy. *cowboy hat face emoji

Beckett: *cursing emoji

I laugh.

Me: Love you, too, babe.

I gasp when I realize what I just did. Holy crap! I didn’t mean to just blurt it out like that, especially not in a text. Gah! Why am I so awkward? A grown-ass woman should not have these issues. I groan when I see the text bubbles pop up and disappear. And pop up and disappear again. Finally, when Beck’s message comes through, the pressure is lifted off my chest.

Beckett: I love you, Pres. Always have. Always will.

I smile down at my phone as I read his message a few more times. There may be a lot of things up in the air for me right now, but there is one thing I’m absolutely certain of.

Beckett Armstrong is still one swoony bastard.

Chapter Forty

Presley

“Man, talk about a blast from the past.”

Beckett pats the tailgate of his truck. “What are you waiting for? Get up there.”

I smile to myself as I kick off my shoes and climb onto the bed of his truck. There are a bunch of blankets stacked together for padding with an oversized sleeping bag and fluffy pillows on top. Beck even backed the truck up to our pond, and there’s a little cooler that I presume is filled with snacks. It’s the exact same setup we used as teenagers.

I tuck my legs into the sleeping bag, but I’m sitting against the cab. “What are you planning to do with me now that you’ve got me here?”

His white teeth gleam under the moonlight as he flashes a panty-dropping grin. “Mmm. We’ll get to that. But first, there’s this.” He holds up a small flask.

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