Page 71 of Claiming What's Mine

“I've got something I want to show you,” I said, standing up and holding out my hand for her to take.

Her big hazel eyes met mine as thin lines creased her forehead. “That's it? That's all you want to know?”

“We have plenty of time for the in between, let's be right here, right now.” Wriggling my fingers, I waited for her to take my hand.

The prettiest smile emerged as her body relaxed, creating a slight twinkle in her eyes. “What do you want to show me?”

“This way,” I said, pulling her behind me. Stopping at the edge of the field, I spoke over my shoulder. “You might want to kick off those heels.”

Blue quirked a brow, but did as I asked without question, her smile growing wider. She loved little things, things that you didn't buy in the store, things that had meaning. Blue was a woman who saw sentimental value in actions, not things. It didn't matter how much money her family had, or what brand of clothing was in her closet; if you made her smile, that became more important than a pair of fancy sneakers.

I could guess that her pastor father was the reason for her having such humility, but I always thought that even if she was born to a different family, she'd still have that quality.

Stepping into the cornfield, I held back long leaves and wispy silk tops so she could come through. The moon was sitting just high enough, and the sun was hovering just low enough that the mix of night and day created an opalescent smear across the sky. The sky morphed, twisting with charred orange and deep ocean blue streaks.

Blue paused for a moment, but I kept going, not realizing she had stopped until my arm jerked in the socket. Looking back at her, she kept her gaze on the sky. “It's beautiful,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

I didn't say anything, simply turning my face to the sky. Her fingers tightened around mine, pulling me in closer. We stood like that for a few minutes, watching as the sky was painted in darkness and the colorful streaks were erased.

Cupping her free hand over mine, she rubbed the top of my palm. “Where are we going now?”

Looking down at her fingers, I watched how she stroked my skin, how she still moved her thumb across my knuckles, just like she used to when we were younger. The hair on my arm bristled as she used her nail to draw circles across the top of my hand.

My body began to warm, same as the first time our hands met and our lips touched. It always started in my chest, then the heat would move in waves, down my stomach, around my ribs, slipping down until it reached my toes.

It was a feeling that never got old.

Guiding her back in the direction we were going, I asked, “Do you remember the day I came into your yard and we caught fireflies?”

“Of course I do.”

“You were wearing the cutest nightgown, with small purple flowers—”

“Lobelias.”

“What?”

“Those were the flowers on my nightgown, Lobelias.”

Moving more stalks, I kept checking the sky to make sure we were heading in the right direction. Where we wanted to be was set directly below the Big Dipper, right at the very edge of the bucket.

“Those were the only flowers I could ever pick out if I saw them.”

“I know,” Blue said, her voice coming out softer. “You always brought me a few on my birthday every year, and on the date that we first met.”

“July seventeenth, a day I could never forget.” I kept moving us deeper into the field, making sure to kick any debris out of her way before she took a barefoot step. Stopping, I turned to face her. Running the tips of my fingers up and down the outside of her arms, I pressed our bodies closer together. “I found this one day, but I never showed you because I thought you would come and pick them all on me.”

“What is it? What did you find?” Her eyes opened wide as saucers, eager and excited to know more.

“This.” Spreading the cornstalks, there was a small clearing on the right edge of the field. “It's a lot bigger now than it was when we were kids.”

Her eyes expanded as she helped push the tall palms aside and stepped into the clearing. “This has been here all these years?” Shaking my head yes, I just watched her as she was blown away by the rolling spread of purple flowers. “And you never told me?”

“I was afraid you'd come and take them all, leaving me nothing to give you.”

Walking forward, she held her hands hip high and softly raked her fingers over the flower tops. “I can't believe this. This is beautiful.”

No, you're what's beautiful.

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