Page 1 of Finding Us

CHAPTERONE

Sometimes I can’t believethis is my life. Garret and I have lived in California for a month now and every morning I wake up to the ocean breeze coming through my window, the sound of the waves hitting the sand, and the feel of Garret next to me.

That’s the best part. Waking up next to Garret. I swear I love him more each day, which seems crazy, I know, but it’s how I feel.

“Hey.” Garret sweeps my hair aside and kisses my neck. My back is snuggled against his warm chest and his arm is fastened around my middle. “You up already?”

“Yeah. We have to meet with that guy this morning.” The guy I’m referring to is the man who’s marrying us. He’s not a minister but he can legally marry people. He’s done a lot of weddings over the years, both big elaborate ones and small casual ones. Garret and I are having the latter—a very small, very casual wedding on the beach.

“He’ll be here at 10, so we can’t sleep in today.”

“It’s only 8.” Garret kisses my bare shoulder as he slides his hand under my tank top. “And I wasn’t planning on sleeping.”

I flip over to face him. He’s shirtless and even though I see him every day, I can’t help but stare at his body. A month of living on the beach has given his skin a deep golden-brown tan. And he’s been surfing and swimming in the ocean which has made his muscles even more defined. He’s so damn hot. And he’s all mine. Again, it’s hard to believe this is my life and not someone else’s.

“Every morning, Garret?” I ask it like I would somehow turn him down.

“You like traditions, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

He kisses me and his hand moves over my hip, his finger catching on the string of my bikinis, tugging them down.

“So this is just another tradition.” He leaves kisses along my neck, stopping to whisper by my ear. “Unless you don’t like it.”

“I like it,” I whisper back. “I just—” I stop as I feel his hand between my legs.

“Just what?”

“Nothing,” I say.

“You bored with me already?” He gives me his insanely sexy smile.

“No, not at all. It was more about—”

“I guarantee you’ll never be bored by this. I’ll make sure of it.” He’s still smiling and his touch has my body desperate to be with him. And he knows that, which is why he’ll tease me until I can’t take another second of it and then he’ll bring us together. Today his teasing involves some new moves and I’m wondering where he learned this stuff or if he just came up with it.

As usual he waits until I’m practically begging him to get on top of me. And when he finally does, I’m reminded why we have this little tradition every morning. It’s the absolute best way to start the day.

Afterward, he lies on his back, hugging me into his side. “You still want to break this tradition?”

I stretch a little, my body warm and relaxed. “No. Definitely not. And I’m not bored with you. Or that.” I run my finger along the grooves of his ab muscles. “I just wonder if it’ll change when we get married. People always say it does.”

“How would it change?”

“Like we won’t want to do it as much.”

“I can tell you right now, I’ll want to do it just as much.” He lifts my chin up and kisses me. “Maybe even more when you’re my wife.”

“Oh, yeah? And why is that?”

“Because as your husband it’s my job.”

I rest my chin on his chest. “I don’t think that’s in the wedding vows.”

“Then we’ll put it in there. I promise to have lots of mind-blowing sex with my wife, making sure I always leave her completely satisfied and wanting more.”

Just imagining him saying that at the ceremony makes me laugh. “That will NOT be in our wedding vows. I don’t want Frank or Ryan or your dad or anyone else thinking about our sex life.”

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