Every night, since we agreed to see where this was going, we’ve stayed at my place or hers. It may do us some good to get out of the house.
“If that’s what you want.”
“I do.” She leans up on her toes and feathers her lips across mine. Pulling back, she says, “It’s Ava’s birthday. We always go out and celebrate at Blackie’s.”
“Well, then, count us in.”
“I knew I was going to like you,” Ava chirps happily, giving Abby a high five, then a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“See ya, man. Take care of our girl.” Tegan holds out his hand for me to shake. I grip it, thankful I have at least two of Abby’s friends on my side.
Nathan stands back from the others as he watches the exchange between me and his friends. The scowl isn’t quite as pronounced, but it’s still there. Abby walks up to him and pulls him in for a hug. I hate watching as his arms wrap around her waist. I keep my eyes on his hands to make sure they stay where they are supposed to. I’m still not sure if he has a thing for her or not, but I don’t think he does. It still sparks my ire that he’s seen her naked body and has touched her intimately.
His eyes stay on me, but when she murmurs somet
hing in his ear, he pulls back and looks down at her, his brow furrowing. After a few quiet words that only they can hear, his eyes flicker to mine, before going back to hers, and he nods. She smiles at him, then walks over to me, where I throw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to my side.
“You ready?”
“Yep,” she answers.
We wave good-bye one last time and make our way over to my truck. Instead of taking her back home like we had originally planned, I decide to make a pit stop. I pass by the exit that leads to my place and continue south on the interstate.
“Where are we going?” Abby asks, her neck craning as she watches the exit sign go by.
I pick up her hand and kiss the back of it, before placing it on my thigh. “You’ll see.”
“A surprise, huh? I like surprises.” She laughs, the unencumbered sound doing something to my insides.
“I hope you like this one.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re traveling down a gravel road and pass by a sign that says Sweet Valley Park. I drive by several vehicles that are parked in the picnic area. Abby watches as kids play on the playground. Her face carries a pained look, but I know it’s not from cramps, it’s from looking at the kids. We haven’t talked about the future, but from the look on her face, I can tell she wants children.
I pull to a stop beneath a tree and reach back for a button up shirt I have on the back seat, before getting out and walking around to her side.
“What is this place?” she asks, after I open the door and help her from the truck.
“It’s not very popular. I don’t know if it’s because people don’t know about it, or if they just don’t care to come here for some reason, but I come here sometimes, just to sit back and relax. It’s beautiful here.”
I step behind her and slip the sleeves of the shirt up her arms to ward off the chill. Grabbing her hand, I lead her to a bank of trees and thick, tall bushes. She looks around as she follows behind me. I pull back several branches and gesture for her to step through. She gives me a skeptical look, which I return with a smile, and steps past the branches. Her sharp indrawn breath alerts me that she sees the beauty just as I much as I do.
“This is… this is gorgeous, Blue!” she exclaims, not taking her eyes off the sight before her.
I place my hand on her lower back and walk us over to a soft grassy area close to the bank of the small stream of water. I pull her down and we both sit.
“I found this place when I was ten years old. My mom and Dad used to bring me, my brother, and my sister here all the time. We’d picnic at the tables we drove by. One day, I was exploring the area and came across this little gem. After looking around the area for several minutes, I laid down right where we are and fell asleep. I woke to my parents calling my name. They had been looking for me for an hour.”
I stop and look over the small hidden alcove of beauty we’re in. There’s a small stream of water about ten feet in front of us. It can’t be any more than three feet wide, but the current is strong. There are rocks in the stream with water rushing over them. It mimics what a river would look like leading up to a waterfall. Actually, about thirty feet down the stream, there is a mini waterfall about two feet tall. Surrounding us and across the stream are trees upon trees, with low hanging branches. It’s fall, so the colors of the leaves are a mixture of oranges, yellows, and reds. The grass is thick and luscious, and the sun peeks through at times throughout the day, sending in beams of light.
“Were they mad at you?”
I twirl a piece of hair that’s fallen from her hair tie around my finger. “I think at first, they were just relieved at finding me okay, but once we got home, I was put on restriction for a week. The next time we came, I did the same thing, but they knew where to find me.”
Abby laughs and rests her head against my shoulder. “So, you were a rebellious child, huh?”
“Actually, no, that was my one and only attempt at being unruly. I was always the good kid. My sister was the loud one, and a handful for my parents. My brother was the goofy one of us three.”
She laughs again. “I can’t really blame you for coming here. I’d be here all the time too.”