Page 69 of Could Have Been Us
I lift up on my toes, pressing my lips to his. “You are a very sweet man.”
“Remember that.”
“Why?”
He winks. “Just remember.”
“All right,” I say warily.
He squats, and I wrap my arms and legs around him. As ridiculous as it feels to be getting a piggy back ride, it’s sort of fun. We move through the woods with ease. I push a branch aside as he moves, and we spend the time laughing and talking, when I briefly mention my best friend’s assumptions about our date.
“Winnie isn’t wrong,” Jack says as he hoists us over a fallen log.
“What do you mean?”
“We are camping.”
I close my eyes and groan. “Jack!”
“You’ll love it.”
“I promise I won’t.”
Not unless the tent has running water and a bath.
Oh, maybe that’s it. Maybe he got the RV from my brothers. That I could do. Glamping is a thing that I could get on board with.
Before I can ask another question, we push through to a clearing, but there is no damn RV.
Instead, it’s a big white tent with a pallet in front of the door. The campsite is already set up with a pile of firewood to one side, a grill and coolers on the other, and a fire pit and chairs in the middle.
I slide off his back, looking around. As much as this isn’t what I would’ve picked, I know that he worked hard on this.
Jack’s hand slides in mine. “I want to share with you, Stella. I want to give you glimpses of the things we would’ve done if things had been different.”
I look up at him. “What do you mean?”
“Had I been able to love you all those years ago, I would’ve taken you to the woods, and we would have shared a night under the stars. I would’ve begged you to let me make love to you in a tent with the fire glowing outside.” He moves us so we’re facing each other and settles his hands on my hips. “I would’ve spent countless nights beside you, showing you that the outdoors has advantages too.”
“Like what?”
He leans close. “Like no one around us for miles. The stars above, twinkling as I kiss you. The way the air is clean, and I can inhale, taking in the smell of the wildness that is mingled with your perfume.” Jack’s lips move to my ear. “I want to feel like we’re the only people in this world. I want to love you like this night is all we’ll have so when we wake in each other’s arms tomorrow, we see the sun rises for just us.”
He pushes my flannel shirt down my shoulders, kissing my neck.
“And what do you want to do now?” I ask, already knowing where this is going.
I feel his grin against my skin. “Whatever you want.”
I take his face in my hands, staring into his eyes. “I want you to show me the bed.”
* * *
There is no cell service out here. That’s the first thing that has me going a bit crazy. The second thing is the absolute silence.
I have no idea what time it is, but it’s pitch-black and the fire has died to embers. Or, at least, I’m pretty sure it has since I can’t see it anymore. Fuck if I know what the hell the fire is or isn’t.
Jack and I are cocooned in the sleeping bag, his strong arms wrapped around me. As much as I didn’t want to come camping, it’s been fun.
