Page 79 of This Memory
“Close your eyes. I want you to be surprised.”
Laughing, I asked, “More surprised than all this?”
His warm breath tickled my neck as he whispered in my ear, “I hope so.”
The beginning sounds of a movie I was extremely familiar with started, and I sucked in a breath. I turned and opened my eyes to look at Gavin.
“I never did get to see this with you,” he said quietly.
I nodded as tears pricked the back of my eyes.
“So tonight, while the guys were talking about who knows what, I was thinking of a way to watch this with you and…well…” He motioned around the room. “This is what I came up with.”
A tear slipped free, and before I could wipe it away, Gavin reached up and brushed it away with the pad of his thumb.
“This is perfect,” I whispered.
He grinned. “Good, then let’s get comfy and watch our movie.”
We spent the next two hours watching my all-time favorite movie. Gavin laughed; he sniffled a few times, and then he slowly shook his head when it was over. “Still can’t believe that’s how it ends.”
I started to reply and yawned instead.
“Come on,” Gavin said, as he stood and held out his hands for mine. “Let’s get you to bed. You’ve got a race to run in the morning.”
When I stood, I waggled my brows. “Do we have to go to sleep right away?”
With a smile on his handsome face, he replied, “Yep. I want you getting a good night’s sleep.”
“I’ll sleep better after we have a bit of—” That thought was interrupted as I yawned again.
Before I could say another word, Gavin swept me up in his arms and carried me to my bedroom. “Come on, let’s get some rest.”
We were soon snuggling in bed with my head on hischest, his arm around my shoulders. It didn’t take long for my eyes to feel heavy as I listened to Gavin’s heartbeat.
“Good night, sweet Bry.”
With a contented breath, I whispered, “Good night, Gavin.”
Gavin
I cheered as Brystol made her way to the finish line with a huge grin on her face. I’d watched her in the past, but always from back in the crowd so she couldn’t see me. This time, I was front and center, waiting for her. She wasn’t first, but she was pretty damn close to coming in fourth. When she crossed the line, she ran right to me.
“I beat my time last year!” she said, as I wrapped her in my arms.
“I’m so proud of you, babe!”
She leaned back, and I kissed her.
“Going public, huh? Where’s Betty Lou when we need her?”
Glancing to my right, I saw Kian and Cadie standing there, both wearing big smiles.
Brystol let go of me and hugged Cadie and then Kian.
“Congratulations, Brystol!” Cadie said. “You did great!”
Brystol beamed. “Thank you! I beat my time from last year.”
