Page 52 of Bliss: Part 1
So I did.
He didn’t rush it. He tilted his head slightly and moved closer, closing the last few inches until his lips met mine in a soft kiss. His lips were warm, and I could still taste Bliss faintly on his tongue.
The kiss deepened for a second, just enough for our mouths to part and our tongues to brush together, and then he pulled back. He knelt there for a second, his face close to mine, our breath mixing in the small space between us. Then he smiled.
“That was better than I imagined,” he said.
I huffed a quiet laugh and rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly hyper-aware of how hard my heart was still beating. “I’m glad.”
Bliss was still lying between us, her head now resting back against my chest again, eyes drifting open and shut like she was floating. She was glowing. Literally. Whatever Tripp had done to her must’ve rewired her nervous system and left her on a new frequency. Her hand touched my thigh gently, like she needed the contact.
“I like this,” she murmured. “I like us like this.”
Tripp leaned in again and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling back and standing up fully and putting his shorts back on.
“I’m gonna grab some water,” he said, glancing down at us. “You two want anything?”
I shook my head. Bliss softly asked for water. He nodded and walked off to head upstairs, his steps casual, like this was any other night.
I looked down at Bliss again, brushing some hair from her face as she smiled up at me with that lazy, satisfied look. Her lips were slightly swollen, her cheeks flushed, her whole body warm against mine. I kissed the top of her head, staying like that with no intention of ever moving.
Sixteen
Bliss
On Monday, the guys finally decided to start working on the barn. They’d been talking about turning it into some kind of new hangout space for all of us, and from the way they spoke about it, it sounded like they had a whole plan already mapped out in their heads. But if they did, they hadn’t shared it with me. Not in detail, anyway. Tripp mentioned something about couches, a fridge, and maybe even putting up a TV, but beyond that, they kept it vague.
Honestly, I didn’t really care what they ended up doing with the barn. As long as they didn’t try to turn it into some exclusive clubhouse where I wasn’t invited, I was fine with it. I just wanted to be able to hang out in there too. Spend time with them, talk, relax. Do all the intimate things we had done up until now.
From the kitchen window, I could see all four of them standing outside in front of the barn doors, deep in conversation. Or maybe not conversation. More like mild arguing. Their hands were flying around as they talked, like they were each trying to explain why their idea was better than everyone else’s. Rhys, in particular, looked frustrated. His arms were crossed and he kept shaking his head at something Ashby was saying. Dash was off to the side with a tired expression, like he already regretted getting involved at all. It was kind of funny, actually.
“They’re gonna kill each other before they even pick up a hammer,” Dad said as he walked into the kitchen behind me, his tone dry but amused.
I turned around to face him, laughing. “Yeah, probably.”
“You got any plans for today, kid?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
“Not really,” I replied with a shrug. “You?”
He gave a small nod and looked at me more directly. “Was thinking about heading to the store, grabbing some groceries for the week. You wanna come with me?”
That caught me off guard. Dad didn’t usually go grocery shopping. That was something Owen usually handled. And even if he did, he rarely asked me to tag along. Especially not just the two of us. When I was younger, he used to take me out for ice cream or to see movies pretty often. Back then, we had more one-on-one time, and I remember loving it. But as I got older, that kind of quality time just...faded. Not for any specific reason. We were still close, but we didn’t hang out alone anymore, not like we used to.
So when he asked me if I wanted to come along, it felt like something important. Even if he said it casually.
“Just you and me?” I asked, a little surprised, my eyebrows raised.
“Yeah,” he said easily. “Figured we could stop and get lunch too. Maybe grab those burgers you like at the diner.”
He said it like it was nothing, but for some reason, it hit me right in the chest. Not in a dramatic way. It was just a quiet reminder that even though time had passed and things had shifted between us, he was still here for me. He still cared. And this was his way of showing it.
The space that had grown between us over the years wasn’t a painful one. It just existed. It wasn’t like we had a falling out or anything. I just...grew up and he got busier. Things changed. And I guess that was okay. And maybe he thought because I wasn’t a little girl anymore, I didn’t want to spend time with him alone, which truly wasn’t the case. I just didn’t give it that much thought.
Even Tripp and Rhys hadn’t really done anything alone with Dad in a long time. There was a time when the three of them used to go to games together or hang out in the back working on the trucks. That didn’t happen much anymore either, but we still all hung out at work together, which was maybe why we often didn’t feel the need to spend more time together when we weren’t atThe Old. So the rare one-on-one time, even if it was just a grocery run, felt more meaningful than I expected.
“That sounds great, Dad. I’d love to,” I said, giving him a genuine smile. “Are we going now?”
He nodded. “Yeah. You ready?”
