Chapter 25
SPENCER
EIGHT YEARS AGO
Ihold Harlow’s hand in mine, tracing my fingers over the lines in her palm much the way she did for me after T.J.’s funeral. We’ve spent as much time together as possible over the past few weeks. I’m not using her as a distraction from T.J., but it has helped to be able to focus on something else.
“Your hands are so soft,” I whisper.
“It’s because I obsessively use lotion.”
I laugh at her comment. “Is that why they always smell like vanilla?”
“Mhm,” she hums, the ocean breeze ruffling her hair.
“Are you ever going to let me take you out on a board? I think you’d love surfing if you gave it a try.”
She purses her lips and shrugs. “Maybe.”
I raise a brow, excitement skittering along my spine. “Really?”
“Sure.”
I don’t know why I expected her to not be interested, but I would do well to remember that this is Harlow, and she seems to always be down for anything.
“Next weekend?”
“Sounds good,” she agrees with a smile. Sand has somehow gotten on her cheek, and I reach out, brushing the specs off.
“I’ve been thinking,” I say, still tracing her palm.
“That sounds dangerous,” she giggles, and it’s quickly becoming my favorite sound in the world. Even better than the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
“Hey.” I laugh and give her hand a soft swat. “Be nice. Anyway, I was thinking…” Nerves hold my vocal cords hostage. “Would you … uh … want to be my girlfriend?”
“You want me to be your girlfriend?”
My brows furrow, confused as to why she sounds so surprised. “Well, yeah. I like you. A lot. And we’ve been spending so much time together, I thought … well, I thought this is where we were headed.”
“I want to be your girlfriend,” she says, and I perk up. “But I thought … you’re graduating and going to college. I’m still going to be in high school. I don’t want to hold you back from…” She shrugs. “Exploring.”
“Exploring?” I ask dumbly.
“Other girls. College girls.”
Oh. “Oh.” I shake my head rapidly. “No, I don’t want that. You’re the only girl I think about.”
She smiles and her shoulders relax. “Really?”
“Yeah, really,” I chuckle, grazing my fingers over her cheek as I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. I lean and kiss her. “You’re all I want.”
She giggles lightly. “Then I guess I’m your girlfriend.”
God, I love the sound of that.
“Say it again,” I beg, leaning in to graze my lips on her cheek.
“I’m your girlfriend.”
I kiss her fully on her perfect mouth and she melts beneath me. I smile into the kiss.
The girl of my dreams is mine.