Page 87 of Unexpected Forever
“Got it.”
I don’t know what to expect, but a few seconds and a couple of clicks later, the world around me lights up.
Memories from my childhood slam into me as I stare at the scene in front of me.
A regulation-size baseball diamond behind a chain link fence fills my vision. It’s a well-tended field, clean with sharp lines and not a weed in sight. Aluminum bleachers are set up next to the dugouts on the home and visitors’ sides.
And in the middle of the mound is a pitching machine.
Goose bumps slide along the back of my neck as I turn to her, standing next to me.
“How did you…?”
She just grins at me.
I’m in awe that she did all this for me. It isn’t as though no one has ever celebrated my birthday, but it’s usually in the form of a party that’s as much for them as it is me.
But this?
This is personal and just for me.
My hands ball into fists to hold back from hauling her to me and kissing her until we both forget our names.
“Come on.” She takes the basket from me and heads to the home dugout, where a couple of wood bats and other batting paraphernalia sit waiting.
“I know it isn’t major league level, but I tried to make sure you had a couple of options.”
I pick up one of the bats, testing the weight. It feels good in my hands, like it did the night of the home run derby.
But this time, my audience of one means more than a million strangers cheering me on.
I swallow the emotions clogging my throat as I look down at the bat in my hands. I look back at her and find her hopeful eyes watching me.
“I don’t know what to say. You definitely surprised me.”
Her eyes light up. “Good.”
Before I can think of rules and what I should or shouldn’t do, I hook a hand around the back of her neck and bring her to me.
I capture her mouth with mine, where her soft lips part for me. Her hands curl into my T-shirt, pulling me closer. My tongue strokes against hers, and she takes as much as she gives.
It’s a hot, erotic kiss that makes my dick want to punch right out of my shorts.
As much as I’d love to sit on the bench and have her ride me until we both explode, dissolving all this tension between us, I can’t.
Even though I know she wants me as much as I want her right now, I’ve already crossed another line by kissing her.
I pull away and her eyes flutter open, her mouth still parted.
She’s fucking gorgeous.
Not just on the outside, but on the inside too. Charley has the biggest heart of anyone I know, even if she tries not to show it at times.
She’s not just a ray of sunshine, she’s the whole fucking sun, warming me from the inside out. Thawing the cold I’ve felt inside for too many years to count.
I kiss her forehead. “Thank you, Firefly.”
“You’re welcome.”
