Page 154 of Finding Us

I pull the blanket over us so we’re completely covered, then get us both naked. And we do it. Outside. In broad daylight. Hidden, but still somewhat in public. It’s fucking hot. And Jade thinks so, too. I know, because she’s not exactly being quiet. She gets really loud at the end, like she forgot we’re in public. Which means the sex was good. It was good for me, too. Actually it was freaking awesome. Maybe because we’re outdoors. Something different than the bedroom. We’ll have to do this again.

“That was. . .” Jade’s struggles to catch her breath.

“Amazing,” I answer for her.

“Yeah. That.” She smiles. “I could do that all day. You’re really good at that.”

The comment makes me want to do it again. I love pleasing her, especially that way.

We lie there, listening to the waves. After a while, I assume Jade’s sleeping because she’s been so quiet. To wake her up, I lightly run my hand over her flat stomach.

“Don’t,” she whispers, her eyes still closed.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t touch me like that or we’ll end up doing it again.”

I feel my body already preparing for it. “Is that a bad thing?”

She opens her eyes. “No, but we probably shouldn’t do it here.”

“Why? I like the great outdoors.” I skim my hand along the curve of her hip and down her leg.

“I do, too, but we might get caught.”

“That’s what makes it exciting.” I whisper it in her ear and see her smile as my hand moves up her inner thigh.

Her eyes close again as her lips turn up. “Okay, but just one more time.”

I laugh a little, then kiss her and we do it again.

Afterward she sits up. “We forgot our ice cream.”

I look over at it and see that it’s now a soupy puddle in the bowl. “You could eat the soggy cookies.”

“That sounds good actually.” She wiggles into her shorts, then slips her t-shirt on. When she’s fully dressed I flip the blanket off us and get up to dress myself.

“Garret! You’re naked!” She practically yells it, which makes me laugh.

“Why don’t you just announce it to the world, Jade?”

“What if someone walks by?”

“Then they’ll be amazed.” I grin. “And if it’s a girl who walks by, she’ll be very jealous of you.”

Jade rolls her eyes and laughs as she digs her spoon in the bowl searching for the soggy cookies. She finds some and takes a bite, closing her eyes. “These cookies are so good. They’re even better when they soak up the ice cream.”

“My mom used to do that, too. She’d wait for the ice cream to melt into the cookies and then she’d eat them.”

Jade smiles. “Your mom had good taste.”

“Yeah, she did. I wish you two could’ve met. She would’ve loved you.”

Jade looks down, her face sad and concerned. She knows how much I miss my mom. It’s been 10 years but I still really miss having her in my life. It was hard not having her at my wedding last summer. And for a moment, I pictured her there, meeting Jade and telling me how happy she was that I found the kind of love she had with my dad. I even pictured her and my dad together, dancing next to Jade and me. I really missed my mom that day. There’s something about those big moments in life that remind you how much you miss the people who are no longer around.

“Hey.” I lift Jade’s chin up. “It’s okay. I can talk about her. I like talking about her.”

“I know. You just sounded sad.”

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