Page 45 of A Touch of Heaven

This morning has been one of the best days of my life, and it’s not even over yet. I was woken up by a scream.Literally.Tink thought it was hilarious to wake me up to a Bryce Savage song just as the beat dropped that scared the living shit out of me. Then, I spent the next twenty minutes falling deeper in love with her as she asked me out on our first official date. I know I should have been the one to ask her on a date first, but I’ve just been obsessed with touching her, kissing her, telling her I want her to be mine.

A date was a good idea and one I wish I had. I need to back off a little, give her some time to breathe, and work through her decision to make me hers. I can see her internal struggle when she looks at me.

I realize now she’s been in love with my brother for years, and that’s hard to compete with. So, I’ve decided I’m not going to compete with it. She needs to just see me and her without her comparing us twenty-four-seven. The only way I can help her do that is to spend time with her as Nathan, the guy she’s interested in dating, not trying to force her to skip all these steps.

Granted, I got carried away with her earlier. It’s hard not to when she’s invading my senses and, in my bedroom, half-naked.

God, I want to fuck her.

I want to be her first and only.

I want to be the man that marries her, that puts a baby in her stomach. The guy she lives happily ever after with, but she’s not there yet, and that’s fine. Just because I’ve been in that headspace for years doesn’t mean she has to be. She’s only just started looking at me differently and she needs to make up her own mind if she can see me as her boyfriend.

I look into her eyes, and she’s stunning, the kind of girl that takes any guy’s breath away. It’s not even how she looks. She is gorgeous, but it’s her aura. The way she laughs and smiles at me. The way her cheeks flush when I say something sweet to her. Her ability to want to help anyone, no matter her own sacrifice. That’s the girl I am in love with, and I know I would sacrifice everything to be the one that makes her happy.

“So, I kinda packed everything just in case.”

I laugh as I watch her unpack sandwiches, fruit, chicken pieces, and even cake selections.

“Tink, when did you do all this?”

She bites her lip as she looks at me, and I have to hold back from pulling it from her teeth and biting on it myself.

“I may have done some of it early this morning. I couldn’t sleep, and I was hoping to surprise you.”

She’s perfect. There’s no other word for this beauty in front of me.

I lean forward, brushing her wet hair from her face, as I kiss her cheek tenderly.

“Thank you…for being open to us, for planning this day.”

Jet skiing was a rush and so much fun. It didn’t hurt that I got to see my girl in this cute little bikini that somehow isn’t just cute but sexy as hell. We both got soaked, and we rode for hours until both of us were ready to just spend some time just talking.

She blushes as she realizes I’m checking her out again. “Open,” she whispers as she slips a piece of mango in between my lips. I smile as I take it from her with my teeth, and she giggles before blushing again and going back to lay out this delicious spread in front of us.

“So, I wanted to run something by you. No matter what happens between us, you’re still my best friend, and I want your opinion. The Panthers have approached me, wanting me to play for them. They want me to drop out of college and go full-time with them. I won’t be starting for a season or so just yet. I’ll need to train with them for a bit, so I’ll more than likely be a reserve, to begin with, but they’re going to support me in still getting my degree, just not quite at a college.”

She shrieks, jumping in my lap and straddling me.

“Nate, that’s incredible.” Her hands slip behind my neck as she beams at me. “You have to take it. That’s an amazing opportunity.”

I give her a peck on the lips, moving her hair back before holding her cheeks in my hands as I stare intently into her eyes.

“I was thinking, it’s only two hours away, and I can get an apartment there in the city. You could come up to visit me, and I can visit you. There are off-seasons, and we can make this work.”

She smiles at me purely as she tosses my hair, pushing it back from my face. “Of course we can, but Nate, that shouldn’t matter in this decision. Nothing is more important than following your dream.”

“I would give it all up for you, though, Tink. You are my dream. Football is great, and I can see myself going pro. I know I’m good enough, but none of that matters if you’re not by my side. And look, there’s no pressure here. If it’s just as friends, then that’s okay. I would still want you there cheering me on.”

I leave the part out where she’s holding our son or daughter’s hand as they wear my shirt number and they both cheer from the box for me.

She leans in slowly, with no hesitation, before her soft lips land on mine. Her lips part, and I follow suit, inviting her tongue to play with mine. My fingers slowly trail down her back as the other holds her neck. I stop my hand just above her ass. Wanting to prove that I won’t touch her until she tells me I’m her first choice. I could lose myself in this girl. I know she might break my heart, and I’ll never recover, but it’s worth the risk for that vision I have for us to come true.

I bite her lip gently, causing her to moan softly into my mouth and pull my head back, stopping myself from wanting to make her moan in a way that would only be for my ears.

“We have to go out tonight to celebrate.” Then she stops pulling a face.

“What?” I chuckle, pulling that lip that’s pouting down. “What’s in that head?”

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