Chapter 12
I glance over at Ryder. I understood Liz’s intentions last night when she silently slipped out of the room, leaving me and him alone for the first time since our fight.
But I also understand that the rift between us will take a lot of long, hard work on my part before it mends.
I’m up for the challenge. I’d do anything for my girl.
I get it, too. I get Ryder’s anger at me.
I’ve asked myself, would I have done anything differently if given the chance?
Yes and no. Having Liz as mine? The answer to that question is a big, fat no.
Not if doing things differently meant that she wouldn't be my girlfriend now.
Bright flashes of red, gold, green, and blue explode across the evening sky.
We're sitting on the beach watching the barrage of fireworks put on a dazzling show, enjoying the last night of our stay before we head back home tomorrow.
Liz is leaning back against me, and I squeeze her tighter, resting my chin on the top of her head.
From our spot on the southern end of Topsail Island, we can also see fireworks going off in Wilmington and Wrightsville located miles away.
The boom and thunder of each explosion reverberate like a heavy drumbeat.
Liz is seated between my outstretched legs, and my arms are wrapped around her middle.
She gasps each time a firework detonates.
“Oh, I love that one,” she voices in wonder and points to the cascade of golden sparkles showering down like a waterfall.
We have probably another twenty minutes before the big finale when an idea forms. Between the morning parade, the cookout, and now fireworks, I haven’t had one minute of alone time with Liz all day.
Not to mention she’s currently wearing one of the bikini tops she bought for the trip, and I’m at the point where I will lose my ever-loving mind if I don't get my hands on her soon.
I lean down to her ear. “Come with me.” She tips her head back and cocks an eyebrow at me.
“Come on, princess,” I speak in a hushed voice, tugging her up. We look around to make sure no one’s paying any attention to our sudden departure, and lucky for us, all attention is still on the fireworks. Holding hands, we crouch down and race behind the dunes until the coast is clear.
“What are you up to Jayson Jameson?” she asks, clearly suspicious, as I pull her in a fast walk farther along the dunes to a secluded spot that I found earlier this week when Julien and I were out exploring.
I find the exact spot I’m looking for and spread a towel out on the sand, thankful that I had the presence of mind to grab it as we made our hasty dash to hide behind the sand dunes.
“I figured we could make our own fireworks,” I say with a cheeky grin.
Liz makes an indelicate snort and says, “I think that’s probably the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, baby.”
I can tell she’s trying to come up with some clever words to sass me back with, but I don’t give her the chance because my mouth crashes down on hers. I couldn’t wait another second.
Liz’s response is immediate, and she kisses me back.
We’ve been learning and exploring each other's lips over the past two weeks since our first kiss. Things between us have heated up, but we haven’t taken anything too far.
Yet. I know it’s merely a matter of time before we’ll need to talk and decide how far and how fast we want to take things. But not tonight.
A loud bang of a nearby firework goes off, but we don’t notice. Our focus is on each other, and it’s so intense, it blots out the rest of the world.
We're facing one another, both of us leaning in to pepper kisses across each other's lips.
“Jayson, what if someone sees?”
I raise my head to look around. Another firework explodes. We’re surrounded on all sides by tall dunes, and far enough from the houses and road that no one will be able to see us unless they walk right on top of us.
“We’re good. No one can see.”
“Are you sure?” She looks doubtful.
I bend my head back down and kiss her shoulder. "I'm sure," I reply, pulling her closer, our lips parting in an open-mouthed kiss. Liz's eyes flutter closed.
“I love you, Liz.”
A round of fireworks go off in the distance, casting a rainbow of colors over her face. Liz’s eyes pop open, an endless sea of green, and we look up just as the finale of the fireworks begins in a cacophony of detonations above us.
“Wow,” she says looking at me. I don't know whether she is saying that about the fireworks or about our kiss.
We fall back on the towel, our eyes watching the smoke left over from the firework explosions as it drifts across the night sky. I pull her to my side, and she snuggles in.
"You were right."
I turn my head to look at her. “Right about what, baby?”
“We did make our own fireworks.”
I chuckle and kiss the tip of her nose. By now, everyone must be wondering where we got off to. Our phones have already started pinging nonstop with text messages.
“Come on,” I reluctantly say, standing up from the towel and helping Liz up.
“This week has been wonderful, Jayson. Thank you for making it so special.”
“Just you wait,” I tell her. “We have so many more next times to look forward to.”