“Oh, lovely. I hoped you would say that.” She laughs and the sound is more of a girlish giggle. In the background, I can hear Pop grumbling about something, his voice raised like he’s asking her a question.
“Okay, Gray. I must go. Your father misplaced his medication again, for the umpteenth time. Chat soon!” Then she hangs up.
God. That’s my mom for you. A Category 10 hurricane on her best days, a Category 20 on her worst. Shaking my head, I carefully lock the screen of my phone and tuck the cell back my pocket.
“Is everything okay?” Trina’s mouth trembles like she’s trying not to laugh.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I do believe I’m about to die of embarrassment.”
“You look fine enough to me,” Trina says, finally laughing. Her giggles fill the car with pure happiness.
“It’s all happening on the inside,” I say, shaking my head. “My mother… Well, she’s a little crazy, as you can tell. Both of my folks are.”
“But they love you.”
The longing on her face makes my chest tighten with emotion. “Yes, they love me.” There’s nothing else I can say to that. For years, I thought my parents were regular people, just like everybody else’s. Only later when I started to really get to know my friends from school and their home life, did I realize how rare it is to have parents who were still in love, still together, and who made sure their kids knew they were loved unconditionally.
“You’re very lucky,” Trina says in a soft voice. She meets my eyes. “But you seem like you know it.”
“I do, believe me. And I’m grateful for it. When I was growing up, I took them for granted, but not anymore. I spend nearly every holiday with them, and when I can’t be with them at the family home, I make sure to send cards, presents, and sometimes even a silly video to entertain them. They do the same thing for me.”
“When I have kids, I want to give them a life like that.” Trina smiles despite the shimmer of tears in her eyes. “They’ll never have to wonder if I love them.”
I reach out my hand and smile when she takes it, blushing like a newly plucked rose. “I don’t doubt for a minute that you will,” I growl. “You’d make a wonderful mother, Trina.” Suddenly, possessiveness rips through my frame because the thought of this curvy girl, ripe and pregnant with my child makes the air evaporate from my lungs. I literally can’t breathe for a moment, my blue eyes burning into her warm brown ones. Because it’s right. So utterly right that I feel it in my bones.
But then the moment passes, and blushing, she pulls away and tucks a lock of her curly brown hair behind her ear.
Yeah, maybe this is a little too intense. I clear my throat. “You ready for the park?”
“More than ready,” she says shyly, shooting me a sweet look. We get out of the car and after I tell the driver to come get us at closing time, before heading into Six Flags together. A lighter air descends, dispelling the suddenly charged moment when my heart awoke. Because that’s what happened. I wouldn’t trade my place for anywhere else in the world right now. This is about being with Trina and making her happy by any means necessary.
The pretty girl skips along at my side on our way into the park. She’s so excited that she can’t even keep still, and I absolutely love it. In her green dress, she practically glows. Trina walks in the black ballet flats that make her feet look delicate, and her thick, shining brown hair flutters in the breeze. Of course, she smells incredible. A little bit like the floral shampoo in her room, and a lot like a sexy and almost-innocent woman.
As we walk, her hand brushes mine. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to take her hand and link our fingers together. Blushing, she looks up at me, her brown eyes amazed and happy.
“Is this okay?” She points her chin at our linked hands.
“Absolutely,” I rumble. “As long as it’s okay with you.”
“Oh Gray,” she sighs happily, her eyes sparkling up at me. “It’s definitely okay with me.”
Smiling at each other, we walk all over the park, holding hands. In my foolish chest, my heart beats fast and hard. I have no idea what I’m doing with Trina but it feels so good, I don’t even care.
Trina and I try a few low-key rides and after the last one, end up walking some more and eating everything and anything we want. After a couple of hours, we stop under a tall tree to catch our breath and finish off our ice cream cones.
Above us, one of the many rides rattles on its tracks, its wooden cars filled with people chugging up and up toward the sky. From nearby the sound of squeals bursts through the air. Children, women, and a few guys yell out with excitement as their ride plunges down toward the earth.