Page 89 of One Spicy Summer

I begged her to let me pamper her today, and even pulled some strings to cancel both her therapy sessions so I could have her all to myself.

Watching her has always been one of my favorite things. When I was forced to stay away, it drove me mad not being able to see her like I was used to.

Now that she’s back, I’m making up for lost time. I don't even pretend to hide it anymore.I just can’t get enough of her.

Even though it’s blistering hot, she’s still wearing baggy clothes. I think I know why.

Tonight, I’m going to show her that I love her body, the scars, the bruises, the stretch marks, all of it.

“Might as well come out if you’re just gonna stare at me like the creeper you are," she calls out, making me smile.

At the kitchen island, I load up a tray: a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade, two glasses, and a small vase filled with sunflowers, her favorite. I grab the meat, cheese, fruit, and cracker board I made earlier, set it carefully beside everything, and jog to my office for the blanket I set aside.

Satisfied I have it all, I head outside and spread the blanket across the grass.“Will this be okay for your leg?” I call out to her.

"Ry Ry, what are you doing?" she asks, using the nickname I used to hate, but now, I feel like I waited a lifetime to hear her say it again.

“Answer me, Prez. Will this hurt your leg?”

She scrunches up her nose, thinking. “Nah, it'll be fine. I'm relearning how to sit with my legs crossed. This’ll help.” She sticks her hand out. “Can you help me up?”

“Absolutely.” I stride to her and slip my hand into hers, but instead of just helping her up, I scoop her into my arms.

Her squeals make me chuckle. "Ry, what do you think you're doing? I can walk, you know."

"I know you can, Princess. Doesn't mean I can't carry you when I want to." I grin down at her. God, she’s even more beautiful than she’s ever been."You're gorgeous," I breathe out.

She flushes deep red and tries to look away. "You can't say things like that," she whispers.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Her lip trembles. "I can’t go through another heartbreak, Ry. You don’t know what it did to me."

"I do know. And I’m done letting you shut me out. It ends here."Without giving her a chance to argue, I crash my lips onto hers. My hand slips behind her head, holding her to me. She doesn’t pull away. Instead, she wraps her arms around my neck, giving me better access to taste everything I’ve been starving for.

She feels like home.

Like mine.

I kiss her like I’ll never get another chance, and even then, it won’t be enough.

I lower her onto the blanket, our mouths still fused together, until she gently pushes me away. "No. We can’t," she whispers.

I nod, forcing myself to back off even though every part of me is screaming otherwise. "I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have... I just miss you so damn much. And when the opportunity came, I took it."

She smiles up at me, sweet and radiant. "Clearly," she teases, then chuckles. “So... are you going to tell me what all this is?” she asks, sitting up carefully.

“This," I say, spreading my arms out, "is a celebration. A reward for all the progress you’ve made."

"A reward? For cussing all of you out and wishing you dead?" she smirks.

I laugh. "Well, when you put it like that, you were a real brat, Presley. But you’ve come so far. We only ever wanted what’s best for you."

"I know," she says softly. "Progress," she cheers herself, grinning.

"You heard me mention a reward..."

Her eyes light up. "There's more?"

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