July 25th
Forever.
Damon
As usual, I’m up early and in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast when Ainsley strolls out.
Her hair is twirled up into a bun, and there are little mascara smudges under her eyes, but her face is radiant—especially when she smiles at me.
She’s wrapped up in a bathrobe, and that’s how I feel—wrapped up in love.
She gets some orange juice and scrunches up her cute little nose at the omelet cooking on the stove.
“With fall practice starting soon, I’ve really got to watch what I eat. But I did make waffles and caramel sauce, just for you.”
“I thought I’d smelled something sweet,” she says with a grin.
“You’re the something sweet,” I tell her, pulling the strings of her robe toward me for a kiss.
She lets out a content sigh. “I’m so happy, Damon. What do you want to do today?”
“Well, I was thinking we could go out on our ski boat. I thought whoever stayed at the house got to use it, but Dad said they only leave the pontoon. We could take lunch, maybe fish, soak up the sun.”
“Sounds perfect,” she says, but then whispers in my ear, “Although I’m glad Sammy’s here, I kinda wish we could be alone for that.”
“I heard that,” Sammy says from behind us. “And your wish is my command. Apollo invited me to the spa. He’s setting everything up. Says I need to decompress to soothe my mind. Rid it of Roman.”
“That’s really nice of him,” Ainsley says. “And I agree. It would be good for you.”
“I took your advice,” Sammy says to her, “and we bonded as friends last night. All three of us, really. Me, Liam, and Apollo. Liam and I get along well, but I think Apollo might be like you. One of those people who just belongs in my life.”
Ainsley gives him a hug. “And sometimes, they come along at just the right time.”
“That they do,” he says, then turns to me and asks, “Whatcha cooking?”
I find a spot in a quiet cove and drop the boat’s anchor.
“It’s literally the perfect day,” Ainsley says. “Partly sunny, not too hot. Cool breeze off the water.”
“Or the perfection isn’t because of the weather,” I tell her, lying down next to her on the front of the boat.
“That could be true,” she says, leaning in for a sweet kiss.
“It is pretty here. I’ve always loved vacationing in the Ozarks. I haven’t talked to anyone about it yet, but I think we’re going to have to continue the joint family reunion next year. That way, it’s not just my family, but the whole big crew.”
“That’s a really good idea,” she says. “I should mention it to Tripp.”
“And I’ll say something to my mom. She is good at making things happen.”
“Like what?”
“Well, it’s because of her helping Chase that he could pull off a surprise wedding.”
“What do you mean, a surprise wedding?”
“Chase wanted to elope. Go to the courthouse and just get married. But Dani wanted her dream wedding. Chase’s dad proposed on his and Jadyn’s first date, and then he took her straight to a surprise engagement party.
And I guess Chase thought it might be fun to propose, then have a surprise wedding.
He took his idea to my mom. Mom pretended to want to have a reception with Van since they got married at the courthouse.
But it was a ruse to get Dani to go on spring break with my mom, Jadyn, and Jennifer.
She was able to look at wedding dresses and talk about her dream wedding without suspecting a thing. ”
“So, he proposed and then what?”
“The next morning, after she told everyone the good news, she was whisked away to meet a wedding planner, who gave her the preplanned ideas that she and Chase had come up with. I’m shocked he was able to keep it a secret from her. They tell each other everything.”
“I don’t know how I would feel about that,” Ainsley says. “Although I suppose if the time was right and the future groom knew exactly what I wanted, it would probably be a whole lot less stressful than planning it.”
“What do you want? Like, do you have a dream wedding?”
“Oh, well, I think most girls do,” she says.
“And what is yours?”
“Do you have any dream wedding ideas?” she asks me.
“Yeah, I want you walking down the aisle to me.”
“Any certain time of year?”
“The sooner, the better. How about now?” I say, raising my eyebrows at her.
“Like, we could get an officiant to come out here and marry us in our swimsuits on the boat?”
“Yeah, why not?”
She lets out a sigh. Like she doesn’t even know what to say in response.
“I’m just teasing. I want the day to be special. I would say I’m open to any time of year, and somehow,” I say, sliding my finger across her charm bracelet, “we’d have to incorporate all this stuff.”
“Hmm,” she says, “so we’d get married on the seventh hole of the golf course, have fireworks and a clear night sky for star viewing.
We’d serve only peaches. Hire butterflies to swirl around us while we said our vows.
Our getaway car would be a golf cart. The guests would be required to skinny-dip.
Our theme would be butterflies and naked asses. ”
I grin. “That sounds awesome. I’m taking mental notes right now.”
She swats at me. “Not funny.”
“I don’t know. I think naked asses are lots of fun. Especially when it’s yours.”
“Well, if you can do all that and throw in a New Year’s Eve party, there you go. It’s already planned.”
“Dream ring?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “No idea. The one that Brad gave to Bailey was very similar to what high-school me wanted. Now, I don’t know. Something simple maybe—a classic solitaire? Slightly vintage.”
“And where would you live if you could live anywhere?”
“Wherever you are,” she says, rolling toward me and sliding her hand down my chest. “Which you won’t know until you’re drafted.”
“Any preference?”
“Well, of course, KC is my favorite team. But it would be fun to live somewhere warmer. Tampa? Nashville? Dallas? Do you get any say at all in where you go?”
“I’ll interview with multiple teams, and I might have an idea, but you never know for sure until they call your name.”
“Something you might not know about me is that I watch the draft every single year. Usually with my dad. I love the excitement of it. The red carpet. The outfits they wear. Although, I will say, those have changed with the NIL money. There was a lot of bling on the players this year.” She runs her finger down the middle of my chest. “You gonna have some big iced-out necklace with your number on it?”
I chuckle. “Doubtful. I think I’d rather invest the money.”
“My uncle Tripp would say you’re a smart man. He’s been making me give him a fourth of what I make at the resort so he can invest it for me. Someday, I’m sure I’ll be richer than my wildest dreams. Or not,” she says. “I just want to be happy, you know.”
“And do I make you happy?”
“You do,” she says, planting her lips on mine.
We have dinner with Sammy, but he’s off quickly after that to hang out with some of the guys who work at the resort.
Which is okay by me.
I take Ainsley out on the front porch, turn on some music, and sway with her in my arms—wishing we could stay like this forever.