Page 90 of One Spicy Summer

I head inside and grab the charcuterie board, placing it in the middle of the blanket. “Be right back,” I tell her.

“There’smore?” she giggles as I jog back inside.

“Of course there is. Only the best for my Princess.”

I set down the tray with the lemonade and glasses beside us. Watching her flush under my gaze, a thought strikes me.

“Do you have a praise kink, Prez?” I tease.

She immediately starts nibbling her nails, shy and nervous. She doesn’t have to be. Not with me.Not ever again.

“I dunno,” she mumbles, popping a cheese cube into her mouth.

“Uh huh. We’ll revisit that later. For now, let’s enjoy this.”

"Ry," she warns gently.

"Presley," I counter, "I meant what I said. I'm spending the rest of forever making things right, and it started the day you walked back into my life." I cup her cheek. "Now shut up and let me take care of you."

She opens her mouth, then closes it again, giving in. "Fine," she grumbles. "But just so you know, I-"

"Youwhat? You're going to be a good girl for me?" I say, my voice low and teasing.

Her body softens visibly, her cheeks turning pink. "Okay," she whispers.

"That's my girl." I pour her a glass of lemonade and hand it to her. “At the end of the night,” I say, more serious now, “I want you to start reading my letters.”

"I don’t know if I can, Ry."

"You can. Youwill. You need to know everything that happened after I left."

She hesitates... then nods. "Okay. I’ll read them."

"Good." I grin. "Now, let's eat."

For the rest of the evening, we eat, laugh, stroll around the house, and later curl up to watch a movie under the stars.

Before bed, I carry a box into her room, the box of letters I wrote her during the time we were apart.

"I want, no, Ineedyou to read these," I say, placing them on the bed. "I need you to know I never would’ve left you voluntarily." She opens her mouth to respond, but I silence her with a gentle touch to her lips. "Just read them, Prez," I whisper, pressing a kiss to her forehead before walking away.

Instead of going to my room, I hop in my truck and drive, needing to clear my head.

Eventually, I find myself at my office. I park, head inside, and lose myself in work for a few hours.

When I finally check my phone, I find a few texts from her:

10:00 PM – My Princess:I heard you leave. Hope it wasn’t because of me.

10:15 PM – My Princess:Your silence kinda says it was.

10:30 PM – My Princess:Well, I’m gonna start reading these letters now.

1:05 AM – My Princess: Ry Ry ??

The last one guts me.

I slam my laptop shut, hop in my truck, and race home.

---