Page 309 of Boots, Bucket Lists & Bad Ideas

---

My arms are tightly around her, my face buried in her hair, and I inhale the faint trace of wildflowers from her shampoo.

This is what I envision waking up like on the trips I plan to take with her, and waking up with this sense of calmness and completeness.

Then I hear the zipper on my tent, and my eyes pop open.

“Hart?”

Fucking Dean.

His flashlight hits us.

“Shhh.” I wave my arm at him.

“Oh shit, sorry.” At least he says it quietly enough, I almost don’t hear him.

He holds the flashlight to his face, and I don’t really need his stamp of approval smirk. But I get it anyway.

“You didn’t reply to my text.”

“Because I didn’t get it,” I hiss.

“No time to waste. Let’s go.” He waggles his eyebrows in Jade’s direction, and then he’s gone, leaving the tent zipper undone.

I want to groan, but instead, I quietly slip away from Jade.

I miss her immediately.

I grab my jeans, but all I want to do is crawl back into bed with her.

“If I’m not getting any this morning, you’re not getting any”—the tent rattles under Bronx’s fucking hands—“rise and shine, lovebirds.”

I whip aside the flap and step out. He runs away like a little damn chicken.

Idiot.

I take one more look at Jade tangled in my sheets, in my bed, before I zip shut the door.

“This better be fucking good,” I snarl at my brother, yanking the denim up my legs as we follow that lunatic of a man away from the tent.

“You get lucky last night?” Dean elbow jabs my side.

So lucky.

Luckiest guy on the fucking earth.

But not for the reasons he thinks. Not for the sex he’s undoubtedly playing in his mind like a little pervert. Lord, it’s too early to deal with these assholes who wouldn’t understand I’m lucky because I got to spend the night with the woman I love.

Hold her.

Love her.

Just be with her.

“What’s the emergency?” I zip up my pants but leave my belt and buckle hanging, scrubbing my hands over my face.

I’m a morning person, I am. But leaving Jade makes it feel impossible.

“It’s setup detail,” Dean says, as if I should know what the hell that means.

---