Page 120 of Spring Tide

With a little help from Taylor, I think I’ve come up with a decent enough idea—it’s simple, low-cost, and local. Plus, I have it on good authority that it’s something she’s been itching to do.

By the time she arrives at my house, I have her surprise all set up in the backyard. I greet her at the door with a soft kiss, take her hand, and guide her around to the back. It’s nothing too fancy, but I’ve set up a few heat lamps, a fire pit, and a tent packed to the brim with thick bedding.

It’s a few days before Christmas, a whopping twenty-eight degrees overnight, so it’s too fucking cold for the real thing. Otherwise, I would’ve set this up near the beach for us.

“Luca.” She tugs on my arm, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You did this for me?”

“I know it’s not technically real camping, but I promise to take you again in the spring,” I say nervously, attempting to gauge her shocked expression. “And every year after that.”

She snakes her arms around my waist, gazes up at me, lifts onto her tiptoes. Her lips press a sloppy kiss to my cheek. “And what if I have a better proposal?”

“What’s that?”

“You can take me camping in the spring like you promised, but next year,Iget to pick our trip.” She taps her chin in thought, smiles wide. “I’m thinking a small town in southern Italy might be nice.”

I pull her closer, leaning down to capture her lips in a bruising kiss. My heart stutters in my chest, there’s an anxious sort of fluttering in my gut, and the tips of my ears are burning.

When I finally pull back, I drop my forehead to hers, whispering, “I hope you know much I love you.”

Her eyes shine. “You do?”

“God yes. I’m so in love with you,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “Honestly, I think I’ve been a little bit in love with you ever since that first day at your apartment. You know, when you asked me to take my pants off.”

She steps back and laughs, tiny lines spreading around her eyes. “Aw, I remember how shy you were back then.”

“I wasn’tshy. I was fucking intimidated.”

“By me?” Her mouth hangs open. “I’m, like, the least scary person in the world.”

“Well, you certainly scared me back then.” A slow smirk tilts my grin. “Still do sometimes.”

“Hey!” she whisper-shouts, slapping me on the shoulder.

“Kidding.” I cup a hand around the back of her head, placing a kiss to her crown. “The only thing I’m scared of is losing you again.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either.” She swallows, heavy and low, as she threads our fingers together. “You know, you never mentioned what happened that first weekend we were apart. I know you didn’t play in the Rivals game, but did you ever end up meeting with Danny and Sofia?”

“No, definitely not.” I shake my head, a rueful sigh slipping from my lips. “I thought about it, but in the end, the only person I wanted to spend time with was you. I think I’m gonna take a break from that friendship for a while, anyway. At least until I’m in a better place, both physically and mentally.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” She rubs her thumb along the outside of mine. “You need something that fills your cup, not something that depletes it.”

“Exactly right.” I chuckle softly. “Have you been talking to my therapist?”

“No, but I probably could’ve told you that myself a long time ago.”

“Very true.” I squeeze her hand. “You’re pretty good at being right.”

“You know I love you, too, don’t you?” Her voice is eager, passionate as she looks up at me, those blue-gray eyes sparkling with adoration. “So much.”

“I know you do.” I lift our clasped hands, sweeping a kiss across her knuckles. “And that makes me feel really fucking lucky.”

“I feel the same way.”

Following another quick kiss to the cheek, she drops my hand and steps a few paces away, carefully surveying our surroundings. Her gaze flits to the tent, then back to me, brows lifted in question.

“So, are you gonna show me what you have set up in there?”

“The tent?” I ask, tilting my head. “It’s just sleeping bags and pillows. I have some stuff for s’mores in the house if that’s what you’re getting at.”

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