13. #2
When he lifted his head to give us room to breathe, I opened my eyes and stared into his for a few seconds before I whispered, “That was amazing.”
“Yeah. It was magic. I can’t wait to do it again, but next time, I’d like to do it without an audience.”
I cut my eyes to the side and found Sho and Avi looking everywhere but at the two of us, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “I’d like that too.”
“Until then, can I hold your hand and maybe sneak in a quick kiss or two?”
“I’d be upset if you didn’t.”
The next few hours were spent walking along the sidewalk of a neighborhood in Colorado Springs that had a lovely small-town feel.
I found some shops that I would definitely frequent, especially for handmade gifts to take home for Christmas.
I even bought a few things to give Tabby and Bex on their birthdays.
There was a Christmas shop where I could have spent hours meandering around.
I added it to my list of places to come back to when I had more time.
However, I couldn’t stop myself from buying a few unique ornaments to start my own collection since I fully intended to deck my house out for the holidays this year.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone so excited about Christmas in the middle of summer,” Rin teased as he took the package from the employee who had wrapped my purchases.
“I love Christmas and can’t wait to decorate for the season.”
“She should buy stock in Pinterest,” Sho said as she walked ahead of us toward the door. “She’s got so many boards of ideas that she’ll need to invest in three more houses to use even a portion of them.”
“No, I won’t,” I argued. “You’re forgetting how many suites are in the house I own now. I was thinking I’d choose a theme for each one and . . .”
“You’re planning to decorate our suites?” Avi asked in outrage.
“Someone has to do it! It was like pulling teeth getting either of you to do anything more than put a mattress on the floor and set your television across the room on a plastic tote full of your clothes.”
“I like to live simply,” Avi grumbled for at least the hundredth time since we began what she referred to as our “Colorado Adventure.” “Why do I need a chest of drawers when everything fits in the bin?”
I shook my head when Rin shrugged and said, “She has a point, though.”
“Is that what your house looks like?” I asked.
“You’ll have to see for yourself when you come over.”
“It took me a bit, but I embraced the decorating thing,” Sho admitted.
“She bought a dresser and a nightstand,” I explained.
“The girl is livin’ large,” Rin joked.
“It looks like the street fair is winding down,” Avi pointed out. “The vendors are packing up, and it looks like the stores are closing too.”
“What should we do now?” I asked Rin.
“It’s up to you. Would you like to go to one of the bars and listen to some live music or do something else?”
I wrinkled my nose before I said, “I’d rather go home.”
“Okay. Do I get to take you home, or should you ride with them?” Rin asked.
“I’d like for you to take me home and stay . . . at least for a while.”
Rin let his head fall back and whispered, “Yes! Thank you!”
“Is that what you had in mind?” I asked.
“That’s what I was hoping for. I even made a deal with Freyja that if she’d grant me my wish, I’d take some time next Freyja’s Day to plant a flower bed in my back yard.”
“Huh?” I asked in confusion.
“Freyja is the goddess of love and magic. I asked her to grant me a wish.”
“What is she from?”
“It’s Norse mythology.”
“Norse as in . . . Vikings?” Sho asked.
“Yes.”
Avi raised her eyebrows before she said, “No offense, but you don’t look like any of the pictures I’ve seen of Vikings.”
“Yes, but my dad, sister, and brother do as does most of my family.”
“You’re right,” I exclaimed.
“Papa has a different family history, obviously, but Dad’s family has Norse ancestry, and he was raised with those beliefs.”
Sho’s jaw tightened when she said, “Does your dad follow everything his father taught him?”
Avi’s demeanor changed, too, and it suddenly felt like the entire vibe of our evening had changed.
Rin tilted his head and studied Sho and Avi’s faces before he frowned and said, “Obviously not.”
“That’s good,” Sho said seriously.
“I feel like I’m missing something important,” I said, interrupting their staring contest. “What’s going on?”
“They’re referencing something that happened when my father and his siblings were younger than we are now. My family has a fucked-up history that they’ve worked hard to overcome, but thanks to the internet, it just won’t die.”
Trying to lighten the mood, I said, “That’s something we have in common, Rin. I’m just another face in the crowd here in Colorado, and I’m trying my best to stay that way.”
“No matter where you go or what you’re running from, you will never be just another face in the crowd. You’re way too special not to be the focus of everyone you come into contact with.”
“Thank you. The same could be said for you, you know.”
Rin pulled me into his arms and gave me a kiss before he murmured, “Let’s get you home.”