CHAPTER 34
“Does your family usually sit this far apart from one another?” I ask Bennett. He’s spreading a blanket on the grass, fifty feet away from everyone else. The fireworks are about to start and I’ve got my Fourth of July song list playing softly on my phone.
“After dinner and games together, it’s best we all get a little space.”
Bennett pats the spot next to him. I join him on the ground, lying on my back, staring at the stars.
“I can’t decide if you’re telling the truth or not. Emerson and Henry totally lost it while playing tennis with you. Are you sure it’s not for your own safety we’re this far away?”
“It has nothing to do with my brothers.” Bennett finds my hand, taking it in his. “I wanted you to myself.”
“Jeez, Mr. McGreedy Pants. Is this how it’s going to be moving forward?”
“Not all the time. But sometimes, yeah.”
My chest fills with lightness. Being wanted is foreign, addicting, and lovely. “I accept, only if I’m allowed to behave the same way.”
He squeezes my palm. “Out of fairness, I’ll agree.”
The first firework of the night booms in a bright red burst above us. “Look!” I point at the sky. “There’s something so magical and patriotic about watching fireworks on July fourth.”
“Where did you go to see them growing up?”
I’m immediately taken back to when I was ten. “At the end of the street in our neighborhood, we had the perfect view of the city park. Our neighbors hosted a barbecue for everyone, then the kids would run around playing tag, riding bikes, and lighting sparklers. One year, a new family moved in with a girl my age. I had the best time hanging out with her that night. She welcomed my sister and let her play with us without complaining about a little kid tagging along. I ate so much watermelon, I had stomach issues the next day. But it was worth it.” I smile as I remember doing a hula-hoop competition and winning a popsicle from Mrs. Snyder.
Once the Donaldsons moved away, the new family didn’t want to host the annual Samuel Drive party. The Fourth of July was never the same after that.
“That sounds like a lot of fun. Is watermelon your favorite fruit?”
“No, but I really like it. I’d say top ten for sure.”
The boom of the fireworks vibrates my bones. This moment is perfect. With the sun set, the temperature is not hot, but also not cold. Bennett is by my side. The fireworks are beautiful. My phone is playing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” And I finally have a real boyfriend. One who isn’t anything like the idiots I dated before. This holiday couldn’t get any better.
“Bennett?”
“Yeah?”
“What do you want your future Independence Day celebrations to look like?”
Bennett rubs his thumb on the back of my hand. The small and simple gesture sends a ripple of flutters through my stomach.
“The same as tonight, except with my kids and nieces and nephews running around too. How about you?”
It’s easy to picture little ones with Bennett’s blond hair and blue eyes running around with sticky fingers, swimming in the pool and playing with sparklers. The doggy pile of bodies on a blanket to watch the fireworks, and complaints that someone is touching someone else, or breathing on them, makes hope bloom in my chest. I want that too.
“I like your version.”
“You wouldn’t mind spending every summer here?”
I roll my head to the side, staring at him. His curls are longer than when we first arrived in May. They fall across his forehead in a soft wave. “Wait a minute, mister. You said not to move too fast, and you’re doing it now. Slow your roll.”
His lips pull into a half-smile. His eyes show a teasing glint. “You asked, I answered.”
“Bennett,” I warn.
“Sorry, you’re right. I’m being a hypocrite.”
“Can we go on that hike tomorrow after work? I don’t have money to spend on fancy dinners, but I can afford to buy us ice cream at Scoops afterward.” Thanks to Becca, my account has enough for that tiny splurge. It’s not much, but I don’t want Bennett to think every date has to be his idea or that he has to pay for everything. And honestly, a hike and ice cream is my kind of outing.
“Yes, but you’re not paying for ice cream.”
Is he kidding me? He better not have some hero complex. I need a partner, not a parent. “Bennett, please let me do this. Our dynamic is already off-center. I want to contribute something and feel like I”m on your same level.”
Bennett rolls onto his side, cradling his head in his hand, gazing at me with a crease between his brows. “Why do you feel like we’re not equal?”
I scoff. “Oh, well, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re rich, I’m poor. You have a career, I’m still in school. You’ve been married, endured a ridiculously difficult trauma, and you’re seven years older than me. Need I say more?”
The indent between his brows deepens. He blinks a few times, like he’s processing what I said and how to respond. “I understand why you feel that way, but I hope you realize they have no bearing on our relationship. I didn’t fall for you because of your lack of a bank account and I really hope you don’t like me for the size of mine. Yes, I’m older, but our maturity is on the same level and from the little bits you’ve told me of your childhood, you’ve been through a lot yourself and matured faster because of it. This isn’t a competition to see whose life has sucked more, Mils. A relationship is about finding the person who makes the bad days bearable, who supports and encourages your dreams, who will laugh with you and tell you when you’re being an idiot. We share common goals, lifestyles, and dang it Millie, that brain of yours enchants me. And don’t even get me started on how beautiful you are inside and out. You are sunshine amidst my storm. If we’re talking about being unequal, it’s me who doesn’t have as much to offer you.”
My heart melts. “I really like it when you list my amazing attributes,” I tease. “Please don’t stop on my account.”
“Hmmm.” Bennett studies me. There’s attraction, warmth, and appreciation in Bennett’s gaze. “You’re a peacemaker, loyal, and trustworthy. You’re creative, smart, and funny. You’re up for anything, and when presented with something new, instead of saying no out of fear, you dive right in. Your hair shimmers like gold under the sun. From the moment I first saw you, your smile has done me in. Oh, and your legs”—his eyes start at my toes and sweep their way up to my hips—“do you know how hard it’s been not to constantly touch them?”
Sheesh. Now that Bennett has admitted his feelings for me, it’s like the floodgates opened and he’s laying it all out there. Not that I’m complaining. It’s just different from before. How long has he denied how much he likes my legs? I bend my knees, with my feet flat on the ground. Straightening one leg in the air, I take my time crossing it over my other thigh. Running my hand down my shaved quad, I say, “You mean like this?”
A low rumble that starts in his chest escapes his lips. “Why are you testing me, woman?”
I grin flirtatiously at him. “Because I can.” A fabulous idea pops into my head. “Want to trade a foot massage for a shoulder massage?” Feet aren’t the same as legs, but if he wanders up to my calves, he’ll find no complaints from me. And I’ve been dying to let my hands roam his broad muscles again since the swimming pool when I slithered down him after we played chicken.
Like an eager puppy, he quickly says, “Yes.”
“Can we finish the fireworks first? We’ll want lotion too.”
“The grand finale is my favorite part. I’m not missing out. Should we plan for the massages tomorrow?”
“The end is my favorite, too.” And I don’t care to watch them again without Bennett by my side. “Yes, we can wait until tomorrow after our hike.”
“It’s a date.”
“Yes, boyfriend, it is.”