Page 203 of Finding Delaware

“You saying you want me to fuck you on this stage?” I deflect, still hiding my face because even though it feels so right to be cracked open like this with him, I still have my dignity to maintain.

Taylor chuckles softly, twisting his fingers through my curls. “As fun as that sounds, it might get awkward with everyone watching.”

My brows jump to my hairline as I lift my head, giving him a questioning look because we’re alone, and the smile on his face turns wicked. Glancing over my shoulder, he motions at something behind me.

“Ready?”

“Oh, yes.”

I spin around in time to see Royce toss me a wink before he pulls on the rope, opening up the curtain. My eyes widen as I gaze out into the completely filled gym.

Wall to wall, it’s packed; some faces I know, and some I don’t. Christian and Arya are dressed in formal attire near the middle, with Salem and Logan beside them. Xed is pressed against a smirking Devon, and Matty stands with a dark-haired woman holding Hannah. There are quite a few people I recall from school, ones that had been in this very gym four years ago and had witnessed one of the worst moments of my life. Old church members, too, and coworkers from the Prospector. Juanita, Eliza, Gale.

And standing smack in the front, in a tailored suit and smiling with so much pride in his eyes, is my dad.

Everyonebegins cheering, hollering, and clapping their hands when I turn to Taylor with my mouth agape, eyes burning.

“What...how...I don’t...”

He grins, flashing that crooked incisor I love so much as he leans close to repeat the words I said to him on the Fourth of July, ones he told me a lifetime ago when we watched my mother’s favorite movie. “You’re so fucking cute when you’re flustered.”

All I can do is stare at him, completely astonished. “I don’t understand. What is this?”

“This is me coming out.” Our fingers entwine in front of our bodies, connecting and grounding me to this moment while his eyes hold mine steady. “About how I feel for you, to all our friends, family, and whatever random ass people responded to the online invite Salem may or may not have posted to the high school’s social media pages.”

That gets a watery laugh out of me, the tears I’d been battling finally spilling onto my flushed cheeks.

His thumbs brush away my tears as he continues, “It’s unfair that I should get a choice in coming out when you didn’t.” I open my mouth to tell him for the umpteenth time that I’ve forgiven him, but he holds up a hand to stop me. “I know we’ve already said our sorries and moved past it, so I won’t apologize again. But I want everyone to know I’m in love with you, Huckslee Davis. And I’m proud to call you mine.”

My hand raises to grip the back of his neck before I crash my mouth to his, kissing him with every ounce of love and passion I can muster. A roar comes from the crowd, but I barely register their presence, every synapse and neuron entirelyfocused on the man in my arms, kissing me back with so much fervor and reverence that I nearly drop to my knees.

Which, in fact, is exactly what Taylor does. Well, he drops tooneknee in particular. The entire gym goes silent with a gasp. He looks up at me from under his lashes, and my stomach drops into my ass right before this motherfucker giggles. Actually giggles.

“I’m just tying my shoe. What the hell are you all thinking?”

Relief crashes into me as a few laughs and groans come from the people watching, none louder than our best friends and my dad, who are gaping at him as equally horrified as I am.

“Taaaylor-uh!”

“For real, what is wrong with you, fool?”

“I was about to besopissed that I didn’t bring my camera for this!”

He snorts, pushing to his feet with his hands raised. “It was a joke.A joke. Calm the fuck down.”

I haul him to my chest, nuzzling my nose into his hair while I will my heart to slow down. “I seriously almost shit myself, Jesus Christ.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not ready to be a football wife yet,” his shoulders shake with laughter, and I pull back to squint at him.

“Yet?”

He sobers quickly, realizing the slip as his cheeks pinken. “I-I mean, not right now, obviously, because we’re only like twenty-two, almost twenty-three. That’s super young for marriage, you know? If we even want that. Like, maybe in ten years? Unless...unless that’s too long for you–”

“Just shut up, Taylor.” I pull him in for another kiss, smiling against his lips when he sighs. We melt into each other, intertwining until the very imprint of his spirit becomes forever entangled with mine.

Taylor

“Mmm, fuck, I’m gonna come.”

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