Page 51 of Make You Mine

Sixteen

“My mom definitely felt some type of way about me stealing my Jeep for the weekend,” I say, interlocking my fingers with Ash as we drive along the coastline.

Since I moved to New York after high school, my mom took it upon herself to make sure my Jeep still got some love. Which has turned into her Jeep-hair-don’t-care era.

Ashley laughs. “She’s on her hot mom shit right now. I bet she looks good driving this bad boy around.” She picks up the small little duckie my mom has on my dashboard now. “Does driving this and being here take you back to your BDE days?”

I give her a quick side-eye. “Now you know I still got that BDE.”

Another sweet laugh escapes her lips, and fuck is it good to see her like this, so carefree. Takes me back to the Trent and Ashley before shit got real.

She bites her lip, playfully eyeing me up and down. “Yeah, baby, you still got that Big Dick Energy.” A smirk quirks herpretty lips. “Still can’t believe I used to have you in my phone as BDE, though.”

I chuckle at that. “Well, I’m cringing at the fact I used to be a part of the Boys Down East, aka BDE thirst trap on TikTok.”

“My, my, how life has changed.” She reaches over the center console with her free hand, gripping my jogger-clad thigh. “Trust me, it wasn’t cringy to me. I recall scrolling and drooling for hours.” Her touch, as always, has my cock coming alive in my pants.

I take the right turn toward the sand dunes we are headed for. “Then a fiery little Italian hottie walked into my house, and I never looked back. I didn’t care about any of that other shit after that.”

Leaning over, she kisses my cheek. “You are getting lots of brownie points today, buddy.”

“I can’t wait to get my reward…” I put the gearshift in park and look out toward the beach in front of us. “I recall several nice rewards you gave me right here in this exact spot.”

Our spot.

A huge smile takes over her face as we look out at the ocean. “So many good memories here,” she says, letting out a content sigh.

It’s too chilly with the breeze coming off the water today, so we just sit in the Jeep, admiring the view side by side.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I ask, “Do you still want a condo in the city and a cottage on Nori Beach?” I ask, remembering all the times we dreamed up a life together in a perfect imaginary world.

Her beautiful blue eyes, rimmed with perfect dark eyelashes, meet mine. They look deeper than the Atlantic Ocean thattravels beyond our view, and even in the late fall air, I want to dive right into them.

“Honestly, Trent, there are times when I’d love to leave New York behind for good, but I think I’ll feel differently once I am free of my chains.”

That reminder of her situation has me wanting to check my phone for an update from Nico. The closer we get to Junior’s return to the States, the more anxious I become about the intel retrieval that is needed.

“But I definitely want us to have a place here. Somewhere we can bring our children and spend time with your family. Summers here with Lottie, Greyson, and their kids too. Me and you, hand in hand, as little feet patter down the hall, waking us up because they’re ready to go out onto the beach. That’s what my dreams are made of.” She brings my knuckles to her lips, placing a soft kiss there that warms me from the inside out. “I was in a dark place these past three years and quite frankly had given up on that fantasy, but now, Trent… We’re so close, I can almost taste it, and I won’t give up until we have it.”

“Me neither, Doll. Me neither. I’m sorry me leaving took that dream away from you. It's honestly the only thing that has kept me going the past several years. Me and you, wherever we are, is where I want to be. A family together would be icing on the cake.”

Emotion shines in her eyes. “I love you, Trent.”

I used to try my hardest to imagine her voice saying those words to me every day I was in Europe. To some, it may just be words, but when you are forced to go without hearing them from the person you love most in the world, you learn to never take anything for granted again.

“I love you so much,” I say, pulling her into me and searing my lips to hers.

My phone rings, unfortunately interrupting the moment. Ashley sees “Mama” flash across the screen. “Shit, are we late for Thanksgiving?”

I check the time. “Nope, we still have over an hour before everyone else is due to be there.”

“Hey, Mama.” I answer her call on speakerphone.

“Sorry, bud, but do you mind stopping to get me some more mayo? Turns out, I don’t have enough to make double the amount of potato salad, per your request.” I hear the smile on her face, knowing she loves cooking anything me and my brother ask her for.

Ashley pats her belly and licks her lips the second she hears potato salad.

“Gotcha, be there in twenty.” I turn the ignition on my Jeep.

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