Page 124 of You Found Me
She waves her arms out. “Ta-da!”
I shake my head and chuckle. “Did you bring me to this ultra secret spot to drink our hot chocolates?”
“Kinda. There used to be playground equipment out here when I was little. My mom and the twins’ mom were best friends in high school and had us around the same time. My first memories of play dates with Lettie and Cori are from this place.”
“What happened to the playground?”
“Oh, it was a freaking hazard. Completely rusted in spots, including on the stairs. It had been around since my mom was in her early teens. They tore it down and never bought new equipment.”
“And instead of going to a different park, you guys continued coming here?”
“Yep. They tried taking us to the one by the elementary school, but we threw a fit to go back to our tree.” She smiles, pointing to a carving on the tree. “We rode our bikes out here one day after school, when we became best friends with Mia, to carve our initials into it.”
I step in to take a closer look and notice the carving is in the shape of a heart. There’s anEon the top left, anMin the top right, BFF in the center, andC2at the bottom for the twins. “Who let you four have something sharp?”
“Cori always had one of those Swiss Army knives tucked away in her boots,” she shrugs. “So this spot is one of my favorites. I’d come here anytime I’d visit, whether it was during college or when I moved away with Chance.”
She looks away with a smile. “This is where I decided forget-me-nots were my favorite flowers and on that same day, the adoption was finalized—though I didn’t find that out until years later. We had come out here to have a picnic and after we ate, he said we were going flower hunting. I remember laughing thinking he was crazy, but grabbed his hand, following him around this field.
“When I asked why we were hunting for flowers he said it was to make flower crowns for his favorite girls. Said his cousinstaught him how to do it when they were young. Spending time in their grandmother’s flower shop, they’d apparently use the discarded flowers to make fancier crowns but if they were at their house, they’d use wildflowers or weeds.
“There was something about the blue of the flower that I was drawn to. I mean up until that point my favorite color had been pink, so I was only searching for pink flowers. I picked as many of them as I could and ran back to my dad asking what they were called. He told me, then asked if I wanted to know the meaning behind them.
“I didn’t know flowers had meanings and asked him what they meant. He said ‘if someone were to give them to you, their love for you was true.’ Not only that, but it also meant they’d never forget you—hence the name. Talk about mind blowing information for my little five-year-old brain,” she laughs at the memory.
“When he was done showing me how to make one, he placed it on my head, told me how insanely happy he was that he got to be my dad. I remember hugging him and saying he was the best dad ever. Once he helped me make a crown for my mom, I ran off towards her to show it to her.
“I equate these flowers to the love my parents have—the love that I’ve been wanting my whole life. And with you, I’ve got it,” Emmy’s eyes shine with unshed tears. “So yeah, I just really love it out here.”
I pull her into me, gently placing kisses from her forehead down to her lips. “Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot.”
“Would it mean more if I said I never told Chance about any of this? That this is another first for us?”
I have to take a second because once again I’m speechless by how much she trusts me and howluckyI am to have her love. “It absolutely means more. I’m always happy to have more firsts together. I think we only have a few left.”
Her eyes alight with something akin to mischief. “I think I want to cash in on my bet winnings.”
I raise my scarred brow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes. It’s a first for me—maybe not you—and I’d really like it if it happened out here. But remember you can say no.”
“Tell me what it is, and I’ll let you know if I’ve ever done it, as well as if I want to with you—which I’m sure I’ll do whatever you want me to.”
“Let me reiterate the fact that I have an IUD and I’m STD free.”
Brows furrowing, I admit, “I remember, Shortstack. Why are you telling me all this again?”
Emmy starts wringing her hands together. “Because I want you to be the first—and preferably only—man to come inside me. Bare. In the middle of this wildflower field.”
My cock stirs at the thought, clearly wanting to take her up on it. Before all the blood can rush south, I think over what she’s saying. “You want to do what?”
“You heard me. Like I said, it’s a first for me and I want it to be with you.”
“My parents drilled the importance ofalwaysusing condoms, which means it’d be a first for me too. Just a little surprised you’d want to do something like this outside.”
“Our first time was outdoors, Spence.”
I chuckle. “That it was. But it was also a little farther from the town.”
