Page 33 of Beneath the Midnight Sky
Now it was my turn to blush as I cleared my throat. “While I’m not against you getting naked out in the woods with me, that wasn’t exactly what I meant.” I pulled out a blanket, spreading it evenly on the ground, and then emptied the rest of my bag. “I believe these are called charcuterie boards? No idea why. It seems like a big kid Lunchable to me, but if the fancy name makes us feel better about snacking, why not?” She laughed as I pulled out the other part of our date.
“Are those…paint supplies?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Yeah. This is the spot my dad used to bring all of us to camp. He used to say that it was his favorite because the sunset was really romantic, and you could never stop romancing your wife, no matter how long you’d been together.” I shrugged, trying to focus on the good parts of those memories, and not the fact that my dad wasn’t here anymore. I wasn’t expecting to talk about him so much tonight.
“I thought we could eat and maybe paint the sunset—or something else if you prefer. But don’t worry. I brought us bothlittle canvases, so yours can stay stunning while mine is more of a kindergarten finger painting style.” I realized that I spoke so fast that I was left nearly breathless by the time it was all out in the open. My stupid?—
“Rowan, this is amazing.” The smile on her face told me she was being sincere, and just like that, I felt like I’d won a gold buckle all over again. “No one has ever done anything this thoughtful for me before.”
“I just wanted it to be memorable. Not a big deal.”
“Now, who can’t take a compliment?” she smirked.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.”
I set up the food—an assortment of meats, cheeses, crackers, and even a small thing of tequila. Then the paint supplies. It wasn’t anything fancy. I went to the local craft store and found the canvases, a small array of paint colors, and a new pack of brushes that didn’t look like they were for elementary school kids. Thankfully, the cashier reminded me to bring water to clean the brushes as we went, so I was fully prepared.
Aspen and I settled onto the blanket, and I’d never felt more comfortable just existing with another person before now. She didn’t know it, but she truly was going to be mine in every way possible.
The restof the evening was pure magic. We painted, laughed, ate together, and when everything was done and finished, we laid on outstretched on the blanket, her hand in mine, and watched the stars. Once we started getting tired, I packed up our stuff, Aspen held onto our artwork, and we rode Cash back down the mountain.
We were almost to the bottom near the barn when I gently kissed her cheek from behind and smiled. “You’re doing much better on the way down than you did on the way up, little angel.”
“Well, I’m feeling a bit more…I’m not sure how to explain it. Relaxed, maybe? I don’t know. I can honestly say I’ve never felt like this before. So at ease with another person. Ivy is the only other one that comes to mind when I think of this feeling, but it’s different somehow.” She shrugged and leaned back against my chest.
We were quiet for a few moments before she cleared her throat. “There is something I should probably tell you, in the spirit of honesty and all the sharing you’ve done tonight.”
“Okay, go for it,” I replied, always eager to hear what she was thinking.
“This was my first date.” She sounded sincere, and yet I was having a hard time understanding.
“How is that possible?”
She cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders. “I was with my ex, Sam, for a couple of years, and I don’t know. We met when I was in high school, and we hung out, my dad passed, and he just sort of started calling me his girlfriend. We never really did dates or anything. We moved in together and that was that.”
It made me want to find this idiot and strangle him, but at the same time, I realized we weren’t that different in some respects.
“Well, that sounds like his loss and my gain, Aspen.” I kissed her cheek again and watched as a smile spread across her face.
I let out a slow breath as I wrapped an arm around her hips and soaked up every bit of her that I could. This is what I wanted—to ensure she felt the same way I did. I knew I was being crazy about this woman, but I couldn’t help it. Something in mefeltunhinged for her.
I cleared my throat, trying to push down some of the emotion I was suddenly feeling. “I want you to meet my family—if that’s okay with you,” I whispered against her shoulder.
I felt her nod. “I think…I think I’d like that. Although I’ll admit I’ve never met my significant other’s family, so I genuinely don’t know how it’ll go. I’ve met Ivy’s family, and that’s pretty much it outside of my own family, which is basically nonexistent.”
“Well, you’ve already met Theo and Wyatt, so that’s two down. Two more and my mom. They’ll all love you, don’t worry about it,” I told her.
We got back to the barn, and I got Cash unsaddled and put away in his stall. I’d brush him and give him extra treats in the morning once Aspen was safe at home—well, her home for now. I wasn’t sure how much longer that would last. I glanced over at her as we walked back to the truck, and I opened the door for her.
“Thank you for letting me take you out tonight,” I told her. I cupped her chin and gently kissed her before she climbed in. Once I was inside and we were both buckled, she reached over and took my hand in hers.
“Thank you for convincing me to do this, Rowan,” she finally said.
“You don’t have to thank me for that, little angel. I meant what I told you, I want it all with you.” I squeezed her hand and started the truck.
“I know, and I want to believe that. Truly. It’s just…hard for me to really embrace that thought process when there’s so much you don’t know about me. I worry—I worry that you’ll see what’s behind the curtain and there'll be more pieces than you want to deal with,” she said, her voice cracking a bit towards the end.
I looked over at her, and I could see it in her eyes—the fear. Not only of rejection but of the unknown of it all.
