June 2nd
All your secrets.
Ainsley
When I wake up in the morning, Damon snuggles up to me and kisses my neck, then not-so-subtly presses himself against me and kisses my shoulder.
I know exactly what he wants. What I want.
And just like last night, I don’t want it to end. Being with him is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never felt that combination of desire and emotion.
And when you throw love into the mix, it’s incredible.
He’s completely the guy for me. We just—everything with us just works. Like we were made for each other.
I’m so crazy about him. I never want to leave this bed.
Like, ever.
But then my eyes flash open when I remember that I actually do have to leave today.
And I’ve yet to tell him.
Shit. I’ve been so wrapped up in him that I completely forgot .
“I think we should stay in bed all day and do nothing but what we just did,” he says with a grin.
“I really wish I could, but I have to go.”
“Back to your house?” he asks.
“To Fort Worth. Today,” I tell him. “With Jadyn and Tripp.”
“Why?”
“The city planning committee moved up the review date for the plans. And they aren’t ready.
Jadyn told me that she always puts family first, but in this case, she has no choice.
And if I want to learn how to do something really important in the design process, I have to go now or I’ll miss that opportunity.
“How long have you known about this?” he asks.
“Just since yesterday afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because we … were busy doing things that very much made me forget about anything outside of you.”
“I felt the same way, like we were in our own little world.”
“Damon, look, I know I was a little iffy about things from the start. About your age. About your seriousness. But the truth is, no one has ever made me feel the way you do. And I truly believe that you are my first real love.”
“I feel the same way,” he says, holding me tight.
“If that’s true, you’d want to support me in my career. Just like I want to support you in football and life and beyond. ”
“Do you really feel that way?”
“I do.”
He goofily licks up the side of my face, does a little side nod, and goes, “It was because of last night, wasn’t it? And this morning.”
“Damon! We’re having a serious emotional conversation here,” I say because there are tears in my eyes, but at the same time, he makes me laugh. And I love that he does. He has a way of making every situation seem lighter. “Although it didn’t hurt that we were perfect together.”
“MFEO?” he teases.
“ Made for each other . How do you even know what that means? Oh, wait. A million girls have told you that, right?”
“Uh, no one has told me that. You seem to forget, I have an older sister. I’ve been through major breakups with her, and one was with my best friend.”
I wrap my leg around his and gaze into his eyes. “To answer your earlier question, I do think we were made for each other. I think we have something special. And even though it’s only been, like, a week—”
“It’s actually been twelve glorious days,” he says.
“I’m going to miss you. So much.”
“You’re going to miss me ,” he says, then moves my hand to his crotch, “ or this ?”
“Both,” I tease.
“You’re coming to my first game, no matter what, right?”
“Yes. I promise.”
“But maybe I can come back here while you’re working for a couple of long weekends or something.”
“That would be amazing,” I tell him. “And you’re right about how far it is to Lincoln. It would make more sense if I visited you. It would give us more time together.”
“Sounds like a plan, girlfriend.”
“Hmm. I’m good with us being in a committed relationship, but girlfriend just sounds—”
“How about I just call you my love?” he says, causing tears to instantly flood my eyes.
“I’d like that.”
“Or maybe I should go with what I’ve said from the beginning. My future wife.”
“I’d like that more.”
“All right, Champ, now that that’s settled, I have something I wanted to give you, like, later, but since you’re ditching me,” he says with an easy smile.
He untangles himself from me, rolls over, and opens the side table drawer.
He turns back toward me and lies on his side, his arm holding up his head. Like he did that night in the tent when I thought he looked like a centerfold. Only now he actually does.
“Here.” He hands me a small box, wrapped in gold metallic paper. On top of the paper is a dark green ribbon with a tiny pine cone attached to it.
I sit up, leaning back against the headboard. “Is this new?” I ask him.
“The gift?” he says. “Uh, yeah. ”
“No, the wrapping.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, but I did buy it here at the resort. Just a few days ago.”
“It used to be white-and-green striped. This is so much prettier. It’s crazy they changed such a tiny detail.”
“Why don’t you open it?”
I carefully remove the paper, wanting to save the bow, and then open the box to find a gold bracelet.
“It’s really pretty,” I tell him as he takes the bracelet out of the box and wraps it around my wrist.
“It’s a charm bracelet. Jadyn has a similar one that Phillip gave to her as part of their engagement. He sent her on a scavenger hunt to get each charm. The important part though—and why I’m giving this to you—is that she’s worn it since that day and added more charms through the years.”
“I always see her wearing it, but I didn’t know its significance.”
“And since we’ve been on a scavenger hunt of our own recently—”
“You mean the naked one?!”
“Yep.” He pulls another longer box from behind his back. “You’d be surprised. There are charms for just about anything. Even nakedness.” He sits up next to me, opens the box, and pretends to rummage through it. “Now where is that ass charm?”
I start laughing. “Very funny.”
“Maybe, but this is very serious. First charm,” he says, laying it in my palm .
“A peach,” I say, but then he starts laughing. “Ohmigosh! You were serious. The peach emoji looks like a butt!”
“Yeah, it does. Some people say that it signifies another private part and that the apple is the butt, but for your naked ass, it’s gotta be the peach.”
“It’s like you want me to wear it just to remind me how much I should be embarrassed,” I say. “Like a scarlet letter or something.”
He takes my hand and pulls it up to his heart. “These are fun things between us and only us. Everything I’m about to give you showcases the start of our relationship. So, no embarrassment, only fond— very fond —memories. And the next one is the pine cone.”
“That’s always been part of the resort’s logo,” I say.
“The place I first saw you ,” he says, and he says it with such reverence that I lean in and give him a kiss.
“I do love you. And thank you for these.”
“Oh, we’re just getting started. Next up,” he says, handing me a golf-cart charm.
“Our fast ride through the woods. Us screaming.”
“The naked ride through the woods. All of the charms have to start with the nakedness. It was also when you introduced me to your best friend.”
I push my tongue to the side of my cheek and try not to laugh.
“Okay,” he says. “Now we have this one.”
“A tent. I’m sorry. A tent for naked camping,” I say.
“Oh, now you’re getting it. ”
“I think I already got it,” I tease. “But seriously, I love that you set up that tent. It was really thoughtful and romantic. It also might have been the first moment—well, technically, the second moment—that I realized I loved you.”
His grin gets bigger. “I’m glad we’re going through these because I’m learning all your secrets.”
“Oh, I think you learned plenty from Sammy alone,” I tease. “What’s next?”
“This one was hard. I couldn’t decide between two to best represent this location on the naked scavenger hunt.” He hands me an angel.
“So, you were between a volleyball and an angel?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m glad you chose the angel. Since what I really wanted to do was make a sand angel. And after you told me the story about the angel numbers and the dogs and the tattoos, it means even more.”
“And more is the right word. Because here’s your next one.”
“A star. That was one of my favorite nights too. The fireworks in the sky were so beautiful.”
“Not to mention the fireworks between us.”
“That too,” I say with a grin. Because he’s right. “And of course, the stars were gorgeous after.”
“Just like you,” he says. “And just a few more to go. Here.”
“This one is waves, the water symbol. For the lake? ”
“This one was hard too. I considered a bikini, but you weren’t wearing one that night. So since it was just us and the water when we skinny-dipped—” he says, raising his eyebrows up at me and grinning.
“Have you ever seen one of those romantic movies where they go on one of those dates that lasts forever, and they do a million things, and they create all these memories, and you always think it’s not possible to do that so quickly?
We didn’t do it in a day. We did it in twelve days.
Thank you, Damon. For the charms. For being with me. For making our time so special.”
“You’re welcome.” He gives me a quick kiss, then smirks as he hands me the next one.
“Oh goodness. It’s a golf flag.”
“It’s not just a golf flag. You have to turn it over.”
When I do, I see the number seven on the flag. My mouth drops open.
“Had to have it engraved on there. The seventh hole was where I hoped we’d break your seven-month drought. And we did.” He grins. “Just so you know, that was literally the best night of my life so far.”
“Really?” I ask, tears filling my eyes.
“Absolutely, but this one is,” he says, looking misty, “the most important one.” He hands me a butterfly charm. “Because you’re my butterfly. My soulmate. And you always will be. I don’t care where we live. What we do in life. You. Will. Always. Be. My. Butterfly.”
I launch myself at him and start sobbing. “I don’t want to go. I’m going to tell Jadyn I’m staying here for the rest of my vacation.”
He’s in tears too. “You have to go. And that’s why the butterfly is the most important charm. Because every time you look at it, you’ll know whenever we are apart, it’s just temporary. A blip in the timeline of our life together.”
I nod and then kiss him.
This kiss is passionate, but melancholy. Sad.
But as I watch him put each charm on the bracelet, I feel hopeful. Because deep in my heart, I know everything he said is true.
And later, after he helps me put my suitcase on Tripp’s private plane, Damon squeezes my hand, kisses my face, and says, “Don’t forget that I love you.”
Tripp, Jadyn, and I get on the plane, and although I expect Damon to leave as soon as we board, he doesn’t.
He’s stands there, watching as we taxi, and just before takeoff, he blows me a kiss.