Page 16 of Almost Had You

“Says the classy lass about to straddle a four-wheeler and get dirty with me.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Are you insinuating I’m not a classy lady?”

He lifts his chin. “I’m insinuating you don’t want to be a classy lady.” He shakes his head. “Not with me.”

My stomach flips as I don the helmet and straddle his back. “Ride on, Sailor,” I command.

His laughter is the last thing I hear before the engine fires and Mercer guns it full speed. The trees whir past, the green and the muted brown colors blurring into one quickly moving picture. I laugh, but the wind captures it. I clutch him around his waist, my hands pressed firmly against his abs. I can feel them flex any time he makes a turn or changes paths. Mercer seems to know these woods well. I’m not sure what he’s using as a marker, but the trails all seem to be equally ridden.

It’s exhilarating being out here, surrounded by nature, a film of sweat dotting my skin, his scent reassuring me. We are soaring, flying, and I’ve never felt safer in my life. There’s something about his presence. There’s a hope in his touch. A blind trust that I know won’t fail me. Not like the people in my world. Mercer is from my world, but he’s different. He had the courage to leave when I couldn’t. He doesn’t have a tether—a man of the world. The draw to him is inexplicable. The reasons are countless, but feeling my body next to him, I know I have never felt chemistry so strong. Not while dating the countless, meaningless men throughout my adulthood. This man holds possibility. Oceans of it, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m afraid of drowning in it.

Mercer dips left and weaves right, and we hit a patch of mud. Unlike last night, it doesn’t coat me completely, it splatters, and I can’t contain the giddy laugh. Mercer’s laugh rumbles against my hands and I pull myself closer, clutching his pecs, pressing my breasts against his back. He hits another section of muck, but it splatters against a tree instead of on us. The winding trail opens up and a pond comes into view. It’s isolated, nothing but forest on all sides. I’ve never been to this particular spot before.

He cuts the engine when the brush gets to be too much. “I don’t want to get her stuck. We’ll have to walk from here.” He takes off his helmet and grabs mine from me. I get off and shake my legs out. I’ve been keeping them tense and didn’t realize it.

I breathe out once, big and long. “That was so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much. My face hurts.”

“Your pageants,” Mercer teases, unstrapping the picnic basket. “Or that doesn’t count?” He raises one brow, questioning.

I place my hands on my hips. “Those are mostly fake smiles, so they don’t count. I’ll have you know; I plug my nonprofit at those things, so it’s mostly a business decision these days. Plus, if I won’t be a role model for little girls these days, who will?”

His blue eyes lock with mine. “Maybe drop that role model act for the next few hours, huh? I never said anything bad about your pageants. Just mentioning you smile all the time. Wondering how do you know the difference?”

My smile falls. “I know what you’re doing. I know the difference because right now, with you, I feel happy.”

“You’re not happy on that stage? All lights on you?”

I drop my arms and all pretenses. “I’m happy right now because I’m not pretending to be someone else. This is the person I feel most comfortable with. The happiest.”

“You just broke free. You don’t really know if this makes you the happiest.”

“Fair point. I’d be happier if you were kissin’ me.”

He crosses over and pecks my cheek. “Nice try, but you’re not muddy enough yet.”

“Real funny,” I mutter, grabbing his hand as we trek through the brush to the edge of the pond. There are cattails and tall grass surrounding the water, but there’s a patch of flat grass off to the left side and I know that’s where we’re headed.

“Over the log,” Mercer says, as he lifts one leg to hop over the fallen tree. I follow suit, jumping a little higher with my shorter legs. Mercer sets the picnic basket down and opens a side pocket that has a thin blanket. He spreads it out over the grass.

I kick a few sticks out of the way. “Your mom sure knows how to pack a picnic.”

“She’s so happy I’m home she’d do anything, literally anything I ask. Don’t worry though. I’d never take advantage of it. Figured her packing a lunch would be better than me forgetting something.”

“She’d do anything to make you happy,” I say, mostly for my own benefit. My smile falls. “Must be nice.”

“Sit down,” he says, sitting back on the blanket. There’s a frog or two singing the song of their people and a light breeze blowing that fights a bit of the humidity. “Your mama loves you. In her kind of way. You know that, right?” She would slaughter me if she thought it would gain her societal standing.

“Right,” I say. “They are going to try to stop me from leaving,” I tell him. “It’s going to be so hard.” I brush some of the mud splatter off my jeans.

“Come over here, get on me,” Mercer says, holding out his arms. I smile and go into his waiting arms, pressing my back against his chest. We’re overlooking the water. “They can’t stop you and I have a feeling if you’re honest with them about your dreams, they’ll be happy for you.” He doesn’t know them like I do. “Parents want their kids to be happy even if it means doing it away from them.” He kisses me on my temple. “Confessing the first lie is the hardest. You’ll break your mama’s heart when she knows you can’t quilt.”

I break out into laughter. “Is it stupid though? Throwing away my life here?”

“This life isn’t going anywhere, but your life somewhere else isn’t even created yet. If you think about it that way, you’re missing out now.” He reaches next to us into the basket and pulls out a big mason jar filled with sweet tea.

“Tell me that has real sugar and I’ll make out with you right now.”

Mercer chuckles, opening it, both of his hands in front of my chest, the jar right in my face. Once the top is twisted off, he says, “Try it and tell me.”

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