Too Sweet (Boys of Lake Chapel)

13. Locke

Chapter 13

Locke

I catch Joey’s wrist when she turns to follow the others inside. “Hey. Not so fast.”

Brows scrunched, she stops and looks back to me. “What’s up?”

I can’t stand the space between us. I take both her hands in mine and step as close as physically possible. Then I place a tender kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Nicky…”

I silence her with another kiss. This one feels more urgent, my soul desperate to atone for everything that just went down. I pour my apology into the kiss, caressing my tongue against hers in a solemn prayer the begs for forgiveness.

When I finally pull away, she’s breathless. Good. Now maybe I can get this out.

“The others only knew about your birthday because of me,” I confess. “I saw it marked on Kylian’s calendar two days ago, then I went ahead and told Kendrick and Cap so we could try and salvage the weekend. But all I did was ruin things.”

Her fingers brush through the hair at my nape. “This isn’t your fault, Emo Boy. You’re not responsible for their behavior. If anything, I should be apologizing to you.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s not like I was going to be able to keep my birthday a secret forever. I should have known someone would figure it out, and I should have been proactive about the fact that I did not want to celebrate or even acknowledge the day.”

Sighing, I bury my face in her hair. “I guess we all could have done things differently.”

Joey scoffs, her shoulders shaking. “You can say that again. But things like this are going to happen. We’re still figuring this relationship out, but we’re all doing our best. My knee-jerk reaction isn’t anyone’s fault. I hate that I reacted the way I did. Thank you for loving me, even when I’m not that easy to love.”

“Always, Hot Girl. And you are easy to love. I might not get it right, but I swear I’ll always try.”

“I think that’s the secret. As long as we keep learning and stay committed to loving each other in the ways we want and need to be loved, we’ll all be okay in the end.”

“I love you,” I tell her, the words rolling off my tongue with such ease it takes my breath away. “And even if it’s not my fault, I am still sorry I caused you pain.”

“I’ll always love you, Nicky.”

And that right there is all I need to know. I might not always get it right. I’m bound to mess up when it comes to my girl. But I’ll never stop trying, and I’ll never tire of finding new ways to show her how much she means to me. Which reminds me…

“The birthday presents were a hard no, and I completely understand why.” I crane back so I can see her reaction to what I say next. “But what if someone had a Valentine’s Day gift they really wanted to give you?”

With one eyebrow cocked, she hits me with an unamused look. “What is it?”

Well, shit. Now I really wish I would have just taken my shirt off last night.

“Let’s start with what it isn’t,” I hedge.

She’s already wearing my hoodie. That means there’s only a thin cotton T-shirt hiding my big reveal.

“It isn’t something tangible, and it’s not something that can be wrapped.”

Her pretty blue eyes narrow. I can see the wheels turning as she tries to figure it out.

“Is it expensive?”

I grimace. I won’t lie to her. “Technically, yes. But it’s the kind of thing I would have spent money on regardless of whether it was for you.”

Joey scrunches her nose, clearly still unsure.

I decide to change my approach. “How about this? Your birthday doesn’t mean shit to me, Hot Girl.”

Joey cackles, and a wave of relief crashes over me.

“But you? You’re my entire world. So for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to do something to honor you and to show you just how deeply I love the woman you are.”

I whip my shirt off, then proudly turn around and give her my back. When her little gasp reaches my ears, I can’t stand to not see her face. I look over my shoulder, eager to witness her reaction.

With both hands pressed to her mouth, she stares, wide-eyed.

“Is that…”

The words are drenched in emotion. I feel a tightness in my chest as I watch the realization of what I’ve done sink in.

“I gave you my jersey and my number. I know, legally, you took Decker’s last name. But I wanted to do something special to make sure you knew that you own me, Hot Girl. Body, mind, and soul.”

“Can I touch it?” she whispers.

I grin, then nod. “No nails, though. I just had the final session last week, so it’s still healing and itchy as hell in a few spots.”

The heat of her breath tickles my skin. One fingertip traces the nine letters of her name, which are nearly ten inches tall and span my entire upper back.

J-O-S-E-P-H-I-N-E

When she reaches the bottom of the last E, I turn around and kiss her fiercely. She returns the kiss with just as much intensity. It’s only the frigid air chilling my skin that prevents me from deepening the kiss and seeing where this goes, right now, out here on the deck.

Begrudgingly, I pull back. But I keep her wrapped up in my arms as I share my truth. “I love you, Josephine. You’re permanently etched into my skin and forever imprinted in my soul.”

“Loving you is easier than breathing, Nicky.” She cranes back, teary-eyed, and presses her forehead into mine. “Thank you for seeing me and for loving me so well.”