Chapter 13
Carter
“Okay.” I throw my door open. “Wait right there. Please?” I pause between the sentences when I remember my manners at the last second.
She smiles. “I’ll wait.”
I open the back door and rifle around for a few minutes, but it’s so dark, hopefully she can’t see anything until I finish.
I grab the blankets I haven’t taken out from my impromptu camping trip last week, pushing the small pop-up tent to the side. I won’t need that tonight.
Digging under the seat, I find my five-foot long body pillow, thankful I’ve been too busy to take all this into the house to store away for the next trip.
I line the bed of the truck with the thickest blanket, the one I usually put on the ground before I make my pallet bed inside the tent. Layering the other blankets and folding them so that the majority of the padding is up next to the back of the cab, I stretch the pillow along the back wall and hop down.
I open her door and offer my hand for her to step down. Her sandaled feet hit the rocks, and I lead her towards the bed of the truck. The tailgate’s down, and she looks up at me, surprised.
“What’s this?”
“Look at the stars with me?” I ask.
As absolutely corny and cliche as it sounds, her smile could light half of Tennessee when I ask.
“Of course.”
I lift her by the waist to the tailgate and wait for her to scoot back before I climb in beside her. I settle against the back window and rest my arm on the lip right below. Tucking her into my side, I ask another quiet question.
“What about kissing?”