Page 83 of Wedding Bet

“Thank you,” I told him, reaching over to put an arm around him and running my fingers through his impossibly soft hair.

“You know you can talk to me about anything,” he offered. “Even stuff that might seem off-limits. I trust you, Landry.”

“I trust you, too,” I told him. “I do want to talk about anything and everything with you, but for the first time in my life, I don’t feel rushed. I don’t feel like I have to speed to some finish line and check off a bunch of life goal boxes with you.”

“I was thinking that same thing earlier tonight,” Jamie mused. “When you said you were my boyfriend I could have melted into a puddle right there. But in my heart, I already knew.”

My heart did a little backflip. “Exactly.”

A breeze moved through the air, rustling the leaves in the trees. Jamie and I rested back onto the blanket, looking up at the stars—or what we couldseeof the stars, here in LA.

“I actually have one really serious topic to discuss with you,” Jamie said as he cuddled close to me.

“Anything. Talk to me.”

“You are a grade-A blanket hogger at night.”

I turned to him, my jaw dropped in mock horror. “I am not.”

“You are,” he said with a grimace. “I hate to break it to you.”

“Wild accusations,” I said, a smile spreading over my face.

“I didn’t notice it when we slept together in the hotel, because that comforter was gigantic. But here, I noticed it, last week. When we first got in bed, we had equal portions. But when I woke up for a second at three in the morning, you had most of it.”

“God,” I said. “I didn’t know I was such a monster in my sleep.”

“Of course, there was only one solution, and that was to cuddle up to you as close as I could and be the big spoon.”

I hummed, leaning over to kiss his head. “Good solution.”

“But once the weather gets hotter, that ain’t going to cut it.”

“When the weather gets hotter, we’re both going to sleep naked with one thin sheet, and you know it.”

“Sounds tempting,” Jamie murmured.

“Good.”

As we lapsed into a comfortable silence, a slight rustle came from the bushes nearby.

“What was that?” Jamie asked, furrowing his brow.

“Um,” I said, and I had no clue how to finish. My eyes scanned the perimeter of the grass, looking for more movement.

We both propped ourselves up on our elbows to look, and a moment later, a flash of paws and fur came bolting out of a shrub.

“Sprinkle,” I said. “Thank God. I was sure it was going to be a skunk and we were about to have our romantic moment severely ruined.”

“Sprinkly-boy,” Jamie said, reaching out to give him pets. “You scared the living hell out of us, but you’re cute, so it’s okay.”

“I think he’s wondering where his food is,” I said. “We should head back and put some out.”

“Definitely. But I want to come back to this spot next time I’m here, okay?” Jamie asked. “It’s so beautiful. And I don’t want you to have a bunch of weird, old emotions attached to it. We can make new memories here, you know?”

I nodded. “New memories. I like the sound of that.”

Jamie and I folded up the blanket and Sprinkle followed us every step of the way back down the path. We put out a bowl of food and water for him and he lapped it up, clearly thankful for the treat.

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