Let's Be Crazy (Oh Captain, My Captain 4)

I’m lying on my stomach, and I don’t want to move. “You’re a liar.”

He chuckles, kissing my lips. “I’m about to make breakfast.”

“I need a shower.” I stretch my arms out. “And coffee.”

“Hop in there, and I’ll have the coffee ready for you.” He kisses me one more time and gets out of the bed, pulling on a pair of shorts.

I finally make it to the shower and clean up. I put on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. When I look in the mirror, I look different. I look like the me I once was. I grab my phone and text Tiff.

Me: Be crazy, is the best advice you have ever given me.

Tiff: Slut! wink

Chapter Twenty

Ashton

When Lexie strolls into the kitchen, I hand her a cup of coffee and kiss her. If I didn’t know it before, I definitely know now that I will never have enough of her. With my mouth still against hers, I mumble, “How much would it cost me to get you to wear my jersey all the time?”

She laughs. “More money than you have to spend. Although, I could be persuaded for certain occasions.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. C’mon, let’s eat.”

We sit at the bar to replenish our energy levels with a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. My gaze keeps returning to Lexie. I can’t help it. She’s not only beautiful, but she surely looks good sitting in my house after spending the night with me.

“So, what are we doing today?” she asks, breaking me from my thoughts of the many what if’s surrounding us later down the road.

“Well, what is something you haven’t done since Sadie was born?” The figurative light bulb flashes over my head repeatedly. “Want to go snowboarding?”

“I don’t have a board or any equipment anymore.”

“I’m sure we could rent some. If you don’t want to, we can think of something else. We don’t even have to leave the house, if that’s what you want.”

“Actually, I want to. I haven’t done it in forever.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

Lexie insists on cleaning up our dishes since I need a shower before we go, but I sternly tell her no. Unfortunately, being occupied in the shower means she’s free to do whatever she wants, and when we pass the kitchen on the way out, I see she did them anyway. She laughs when I give her a disapproving look.

Her hand stays in mine as we drive to our destination. I can’t let her go even for a second, and I’m pretty sure she likes that. The moment we arrive, I’m extremely thankful for thinking of this. Her eyes light up with excitement and her smile never goes away. If I didn’t know this side of her, and only that angry Lexie I first met, I would have thought the smile was painted on.

It’s been a while for us both, but longer for Lexie, so we fall a few times at first. I’m not sure if she laughs harder when I fall or when she does. It makes me want to fall to the ground over and over, though, at the slight chance that she’ll laugh so hard, she’ll have to clutch her stomach and catch her breath.

As we’re returning our borrowed equipment, Lexie wraps her arms around my waist and gives me a quick kiss. Her cheeks are red from the cold, but there’s no doubt that she’s happy.

“That was a lot of fun. Thank you. What’s next?” she finishes with a grin.

“Is there anything else you want to do? The sky is pretty much the limit.” A slow smile rises on my face. “I know you love dressing up with Sadie. Want to dress up with me and go out for a night on the town?”

“I do believe I may have something to wear.”

The only thing I can picture her in right now doesn’t do justice for the real thing. When we get back to my place, Lexie yawns. We spent a good portion of the day snowboarding, but we don’t have to start getting ready for tonight yet.

“Want to take a little catnap first?” I fake a yawn, in case she needs a little convincing.

Lex seems to think about it before nodding and dragging me down the hall to my room for a nap. I play along, not intending on taking a nap. I’m going to have to make a phone call at some point to see if I can pull a few strings for tonight. She throws an arm over my stomach and rests her head on my chest. Now that I think about it, a nap couldn’t hurt. At the very least, I can lie here a little while longer before I need to get up.

With one arm around her, my fingertips of my other hand dance up and down her arm. My eyes drift closed, the action apparently more soothing to me than her. I’m not sure how life could get better than this moment right here. It’s a struggle to stay awake, but I do. As soon as Lexie’s breathing evens out and I’m positive she’s asleep, I sneak out of bed to call Tiffany. Screw going out. We’ll stay right here.