Page 90 of How You See Me
“That one is yours. You dug it out and took great care of it. You should keep it.”
“I got to do the funnest part.”
“The digging?”
“Yeah. With you. She can have it.”
Touched, I take the fossil and hold it inside a fist against my chest. “Thank you. She’s going to love it because it came from the coolest little boy.”
Before I know what’s happening, he lunges forward and tackles me in a bear hug. I tip backward, my hat flying off, and land with a thud on the hard ground, making him giggle.
I lift him back to his feet, airplane style, and drop him before me. “You take the last two home, okay?”
He collects the two smaller fossils and runs back to his mother.
“It was nice meeting you both,” she says, hugging Josie and waving to me. “Thank you for helping him.”
I set my hat back on my head and tip it like it’s my whole personality now.
The boy hugs Josie and rushes off so fast she barely has time to react, but it was enough to touch her sensitive heart. “That was the best thing that’s happened on this trip.”
“The best?” I tease. “What about our first kiss? The concert with your favorite singer? Dancing on the bar? Me in this ridiculous hat?” I point to it. I’m not wearing this thing for fun.
“All amazing." She lowers to my lap, her knees straddling my hips to face me. “But he’s what I want most.Sweet babies to love and a husband who does the same. I didn’t know that until today. You were good with him.”
“I’ve had plenty of practice with my sisters.” I brush a long curl from her forehead, leaving a streak of dirt behind.
“Getting a glimpse at the kind of dad you’d be bumped your sexy score up at least fifty points.”
“Fifty? And here I thought I was already off the charts.”
She leans closer. “Arrogance isn’t you, Staff Sergeant. When you say stuff like that it just comes out charming.”
Something in me snaps. I cup the back of her neck and pull her into a kiss that’s messy and frantic. She grabs the brim of my hat and shoves it off my head, claiming me fully.
It’s not enough. Not even close.
I grip her hips as my body comes alive and anchor her against me. A tremor runs through her when she deepens the kiss, and somewhere between the dirt and the rush of her surrender, I realize . . .
I’m already half gone for this girl.
???
Josie breaks the kiss first, breathless, her forehead dropping to mine. “It’s not private here,” she whispers, but the way her fingers twist in my T-shirt says she’s not fully committed to what she’s about to say next. “We should probably head to our next adventure.”
She’s flushed, covered in dust, and looking like she wants to devour me. Without hesitation, I’d follow her anywhere.
“After that kiss, I could do anything.”
“Look at you, embracing the fun. I’m proud of you.”
Those four little words shouldn’t make me as happy as they do, but she does crazy things to me.
She rises off my lap, grabbing my hand and tugging me to my feet.
At the outdoor washing station, we rinse off the worst of the dirt and sweat and stop by the restrooms in the main building. I keep close while she ducks inside, grabbing us both cold drinks from the concession stand. With a few minutes to myself, I pull out my phone and snap a close-up of the fossil, shooting it off to Mom.
She doesn’t respond by the time Josie emerges, and I try not to let that get to me.
