Page 93 of Give In To Love
“Shit. Seriously?”
“Who else would it be?”
“I’d be honored.”
We looked at each other for a moment, and then Sammy pulled me into his arms in a hug. “I love you, little brother. I’m sorry I don’t say it enough.”
“You say it just the right amount. And I love you too.” We pulled apart, and I swiped at my damp eyes.
“Alright. Enough of that mushy bullshit. Why don’t you show me around your new place?”
48
TJ
Around four-thirty,Jimmy came into the kitchen, where I was unpacking glassware into the cabinet above the dishwasher. Our friends had left about an hour before and I’d resumed unpacking the kitchen, while Jimmy had gone into the bedroom to make the bed and start unloading his clothes.
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the back of my neck. “Bed’s made.”
I turned in his arms, placing my hands on his hips and smirking at him. “You wanting to christen the bedroom?”
“Mmm. I definitely want to do that…but later.” He stepped back, taking my hands in his. “Take a walk with me?”
“Alright.” I wasn’t sure what he was after, but he seemed determined, and there was nothing sexier than when Jimmy got that glint in his eye.
We grabbed our jackets and headed out the back door, walking through the yard to the line of trees at the edge of the property. As we got closer to the woods, I could see a small path that ran parallel to the tree line and we followed it, heading west toward the sun, now hanging low in the sky.
As we turned onto the path that would take us into the forest, I zipped up my coat, warding against the late-October chill. I’d been plenty warm earlier in the day as we’d done the labor of moving boxes and furniture, but in the shade of the trees with the sun slipping lower in the sky, I was glad we’d tugged on our jackets.
Jimmy grabbed my hand, pulling me along the path, our feet crunching the leaves lining the trail. The foliage was thinner this time of year, with some leaves still stubbornly clinging to branches and others blanketing the forest floor in preparation for winter.
I was pretty sure I knew where we were headed, though I hadn’t been on this particular branch of the trail, but I was curious to know why. Was this just a walk down memory lane? If so, why did it feel monumental in some way?
We came to a fork in the path and took a left, continuing in companionable silence, the crackle of dried leaves rustling in the breeze providing the soundtrack. A short time later, I began to recognize landmarks along the trail, further confirming my suspicions of where we were headed.
“That boulder there is where Will proposed to Sammy.” He gestured to the large rock formation as we passed. “It was always their spot, even as kids.”
“What about us, sunshine? Is ours down by the creek?”
One corner of his mouth tipped up. “What do you think?”
I smiled and shook my head at his sass, and we kept walking.
When we arrived at the little clearing next to the creek bank, we sat near the water, though we kept our socks and shoes firmly on our feet. This time of year, the water would be much too cold to dip our toes.
“Have you been here since you moved back?”
We were sitting shoulder to shoulder with our knees pulled up, arms wrapped around them. “Once. The week before the bonfire. I was trying to get up the courage to reach out to you.”
His eyes snapped to mine. “Why did you need courage?”
“I was nervous. Why do you always doubt the effect you have on me?” I raised my brow in challenge.
“I’m working on it,” he grumbled.
I chuckled and tilted my head so it was leaning against his. “You wanna know the real reason I came back? I mean besides Gram, because that really was part of my decision. But it wasn’t the only factor.”
“Okay,” he said, his voice soft.
