Page 60 of Honest With You

I’m wearing a black midi dress that ties around my neck. It’s Thanksgiving next week, and although it’s almost winter, it’s still warm enough to dress like this. I paired it with platform wedges to give myself a little height.

Sliding his hands down my arms, he pulls me to a stop. I feel the mask fall off my face and nearly bawl at the sight in front of me.

“Jesse… is that a princess castle tent?”

He has completely transformed the area in our backyard that served as a casual sitting area into a fantasy. All the furniture has been removed and in its place is a huge, pink princess castle tent that could fit at least four people in it. Inside are pillows, blankets and of course, my favorite snacks. Much like that first night we spent on Mount Soledad. Every inch of it is covered in fairy lights and a small projector sits in front of the tent, a bright white light aimed at the wall of the house.

My head swings around and I plant my hands on his chest. “You did all this?”

A small smirk plays on his lips as his eyes dance around my face, lingering at my mouth.

“While you were getting ready, some of the guys helped me move the furniture to the garage. But the setup was all me.”

The guys. Meaning the bodyguard detail my dad had hired to watch over us, along with a cook, a housekeeper and a gardener. Instead of the services he used before, he opted for in-house help who all now lived with us. They were on rotation so some stayed in the guest rooms on the first floor when they were on duty.

Yaya Ella still lived with us in the house, but she served as more of a house manager now and was in charge of monitoring the staff.

I look up at the windows facing the backyard, knowing my brother’s room faced the back of the house. I hear Jesse laugh beside me. “Stephen took Reese out to see a movie with Simone and Kaveen.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, my tongue pushing at my cheek to fight against the smile I desperately want to let out. God, this boy. What a sweetheart.

“You wanted me all alone, huh?” I tease.

“Fuck, yeah.”

He grins, his arms going around my waist as he pulls me in. I loop my arms lazily around his neck, meeting his lips with mine in a kiss I feel all the way down to my toes. I arch my back, pushing my chest against his until we’re fully pressed together and he groans at the contact, but then he pulls back, achingly slow.

Our breaths mingle in the inches between us, desire pulsing in the air. His heated stare meets my own and I almost groan at the sight of his lust-filled eyes, suddenly wanting nothing more than to drag him upstairs to my room while we still had the house to ourselves.

What is it about him that makes rational thinking impossible?

“Ava, baby.” His breathing is ragged, his tone heavy with desire. “It’s the first time we’ve been truly alone in weeks.”

I hum, kissing his jaw as he pulls me closer to him.

“I know. I’m sorry about that. I just feel bad about Ryder getting alienated from his friends and Vanessa is still coping with what happened and –—”

He cuts me off with another kiss, his smile growing against my lips.

“My sweet girl, I have no problem sharing you with friends for a bit, but tonight it’s just you and me.” He bends, swinging my legs over his arms and carrying me into the tent. I kick off my shoes, giggling when he makes a face at my feet. I swat at his arm playfully, my fingers playing with the locks of his hair that hang on his nape.

He sets me down against the stack of pillows, kissing the top of my head before settling down beside me. He picks up a small remote I didn’t see before from between us and presses play. I turn to the projected screen on the wall and laugh out loud when “Fighting Dreamers” comes on, one of the theme songs forNaruto.

A teasing smirk plays on his lips when I turn to him and he wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling a small blanket to cover my legs with the other.

“Do you recognize this episode?”

I turn back to the wall and immediately recognize it as one of my favorite episodes from the earlier seasons, where young ninjas are tested in a series of life or death situations to move up in the ranks.

The memory hits me, nostalgia and a distinct warm feeling flooding me with it. “It’s the very first episode we watched together.”

A small blue box drops on my lap and I shift in surprise to find Jesse had pulled me onto his lap. “Open the box, Ava.”

With a slight tremble to my fingers, I untie the ribbon, uncapping the top to find a rose gold necklace nestled against a white velvet pillow. Moon and sun charms hang from the chain, with a solitary heart-shaped diamond right in the middle of the moon.

“Jesse!” My head shoots up and I meet his eyes, brimming with uncertainty. A quiet nervousness sets his shoulders in a severe line. “Isn’t this too much?”

He laughs, his forehead resting on mine before he pulls back, taking the box from me. “Ava. What else can I give a girl who has everything?”

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