Page 93 of Hand Picked
Why was this so freaking hard to say out loud? I took another sip of beer.
Drew’s patience outlasted me.
“I miss Luke,” I admitted softly.
Drew pulled a slow, knowing smile. “Thank fuck you admitted it. So go see him.”
I let out a laugh. “It’s late.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday. You can sleep in.”
“The Spring Fling is tomorrow, remember? And I have an excited child. There’s no such thing as sleeping in.”
Drew pierced me with a look. “I can manage Aiden. You know that.”
It was tempting, but the last thing I wanted to do was show up late at night while Luke’s mom and aunt were there. If there was one thing this town didn’t need, it was footage of Webb Sunday climbing the trellis to his handfasting partner’s bedroom.
“Maybe I’ll take him some breakfast in the morning,” I said.
Drew nodded. “Suit yourself. But know if I don’t see you at this table in the morning, I’ll get Aiden ready for the fair.”
I stood up and kissed his cheek before washing my beer glass and setting it in the dish drainer by the sink.
It took two hours of tossing and turning before I realized Drew’s words had wormed their way inside and taken hold of me. I needed to see Luke.
And I wasn’t willing to wait another minute.
Thankfully, the 4x4 was quiet enough to get close without disturbing his animals or the house. My plan was to text him when I got close if I didn’t get lucky enough to find a door unlocked.
But when I made my way onto the property, I noticed a dim light on in the trailer. Had he left it on by accident, or was he up this late working on his book stuff for the Spring Fling?
I opened the door to the trailer and peeked in. He was curled up in a ball, asleep on the bed, surrounded by stacks of books.
My heart squeezed with affection for him. He was everything kind and good. How would I ever do enough to deserve him?
I moved across the space and began pulling the books off the bed until it was clear. He was already dressed in an old T-shirt and pajama pants. I moved him under the covers before sliding in next to him and pulling him into my arms.
His eyes blinked open and met mine. There was a confused look but not a single ounce of resistance.
We didn’t speak. The time for words wasn’t now. Now was the time for action.
I kissed him tenderly, relishing the now familiar taste of him and reveling in the feel of his lithe body in my embrace.
My hands roamed over his body, under his shirt, down his pants. After a while, our hot breaths ramped up and filled the small space around us. We pulled each other’s clothes off and moved against each other with patience and reverence.
This was no longer simply sex.
It was hope and promise, a window into a lifetime of possibilities. It was an answer to a question I’d been avoiding, but one so critical to my future happiness, it made me almost dizzy.
He was here with me now, in my arms, in my heart, in every hope and dream I had for the days and years to come.
Somehow, he managed to come up with the supplies we needed, but for the first time, I fantasized about a time in the future we wouldn’t need the condom between us anymore.
If he was willing. If he would be mine for real.
When I entered his body, my eyes were on his. Not a word was spoken out loud, but I heard everything in his touch and the sounds he made, the way he welcomed me inside his body and held me tight.
This was it. It was everything.
