Page 30 of Rewrite Our Story

“Cade,” I whisper as he feathers kisses along my jaw. My heart threatens to erratically beat right out of my chest at the rush of adrenaline that comes from finally kissing the man I’ve been in love with for years.

Our foreheads press against each other’s as we both catch our breath. My fingers press against my lips in disbelief.

I finally got to kiss the boy I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. And he kissed me back with a matched passion and desperation.

Cade’s fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls my hand toward him, pressing it to his sharp cheekbones. “If I’m being honest, Goldie, I’ve always loved the beautiful words you write, but I might like how your body speaks to me even more.”

The mountain breeze tickles my cheek as I shyly smile up at him. “What’s it saying?”

He quickly presses another kiss to my lips, taking me by surprise. I like the hastiness of it. I’m comforted by the idea that he’s as desperate to taste me as I am him.

“It’s saying that you’ve been thinking about that kiss just as much as I have.” His knuckles brush against my arm right before he joins our hands together. He tugs on our linked hands, pulling me down a narrow path.

“I’ve probably thought about it more.” I don’t ask where he’s taking us. It doesn’t matter. I’d follow him anywhere. I’m still riding the high of kissing him. The destination where he’s taking us makes no difference to me. It’s just about the journey of going on it with him.

Cade looks over at me, the moon reflecting in his eyes. “I don’t think so. It seems like more and more recently, my mind is full of nothing but thoughts of you.”

His words steal any kind of response. I’m trying to wrap my mind around what’s happening between us. I’d gone to bed swearing that by the time I woke up the next morning, I’d never pine after my best friend’s brother again. When sleep finally took me, I’d been chanting over and over again how he was nothing to me anymore.

My, how things have changed.

Cade lifts a large evergreen branch over his head, giving me room to cross underneath it. I keep walking, wondering where he’s leading us to. There’s no longer a clear path, and we seem to be somewhere we haven’t visited before. Well, at least I haven’t. With the way Cade effortlessly steps through the tall grass, his eyes trained in front of him as his thumb brushes my knuckles, I wonder if he’s taking me somewhere familiar to him.

I’m about to ask him where he’s leading us to when there’s a break in the trees. He pulls us through it and I’m met with one of the most stunning views I’ve ever seen.

My feet stop, my body too stunned by the sheer beauty of the scene in front of me.

“Oh my god,” I whisper, taken aback by what I see.

Cade comes to a stop next to me, his shoulder brushing against mine. “I know it’s not our typical birthday spot for you, but I was hoping this scene might make up for it.”

From our spot on the mountain, you can see down to a stunning valley, a body of water tucked in between the trees below us. The moon reflects off the water in a way so stunning that it takes my breath away. If you look far enough into the distance, you can see another looming mountain where the highest peak still has snow at the top.

“Is it Mare approved?” he asks. I know him well enough to know there’s a hesitant edge to his voice. I don’t know why he’d ever think that this wouldn’t be one of my favorite scenes in the world.

I turn to him, my eyes burning with the tears of happiness that are threatening to spill over. “I didn’t know this spot existed,” I manage to get out. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Cade cocks his head, a lopsided smirk appearing on his face. “I could think of something even more beautiful.”

My heart leaps in my chest at his words because Cade isn’t staring out at the scenery. He’s staring at me.

He doesn’t give me time to form any kind of response. His rough hands grab either side of my face, his thumbs brushing over my sunburnt cheeks. “I think this might be my favorite birthday night of yours.”

"I think this might be my favorite night out of all the days I’ve lived—not just my birthdays.”

He pulls me into him, like now that we’ve both addressed the shift in feelings between us he can’t handle losing any kind of contact between our bodies. “Mine too,” he says with a large exhale.

We carefully walk down the slope of the mountain until we’re steps away from the pond.

Cade pulls the backpack off his back. Reaching inside, he pulls out one of the nice blankets Linda keeps in the house. She’d kill him if she knew he brought it tonight. I can vividly imagine how angry she’d be at the sight of him spreading it over the damp grass next to the water.

He points to the blanket. “Sit.”

I follow his direction, sitting down and pulling my knees against my chest. I tuck my chin against my knees, staring out at the captivating scenery in front of me. “I’m not over this view.”

His side presses against mine. I like how adamant he’s being about keeping our bodies touching in some way. He sets his backpack in front of him, reaching in to grab something else from the sleek, black bag.

He pulls out a few marigolds. They’re a little smashed, maybe from the contents of whatever else he has in the bag. It doesn’t take away from their beauty. If anything, that in combination with the sheepish smile on his face makes me prefer them the way they are right now. “I found these this morning before we left. I wanted to give them to you before we headed out, but you were with Pippa.”

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