“I’ve told you, Kady. Everything I do is for you and I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear to you before. I never meant to cause you any pain and it kills me that that’s exactly what I did.”
My heart thunders in my chest as I stare up at him, the sincerity and love in his gaze stealing my breath. It’s like the layers of hurt and mistrust have been stripped away between us, even if just for a second, and as I look up at him, he’s the same eleven-year-old boy that walked into school with all the swagger of an adult and stole my heart with a look.
Goddamn it, I love this man.
I really do - even when he makes me so crazy I could kill him with my bare hands.
Leaning up on my toes, I pull him to me by his shirt and plant my lips on his. He groans, low in his throat, as his hold around my waist tightens and his tongue teases the seam of my lips. I sigh into our kiss and he takes advantage of the opportunity, his tongue tangling with mine as one hand finds its way into my hair.
“Noah,” I breathe, arching my body against his and he groans again.
“Shit, Kady. You have no idea how badly I want to haul you back inside and put this sexy body to use all night long but I really have something special planned for you.”
I nod, biting my bottom lip. “Later, then.”
“Oh, you can fucking count on that,” he growls as he opens the driver’s side door of the truck. I hop up into the seat and slide over until I’m in the passenger side and he gets in after me before starting it. As he backs out of the driveway, I scoot closer to him and he grins as he slings his arm over my shoulder just like he used to before we went away. Closing my eyes, I can’t help smile. When I shut out the rest of the world, it’s like no time has passed at all and I’ve never felt more right than I do sitting next to him.
“What are you so happy about over there?” he asks and I open my eyes as I turn to look at him. I want to thank him for talking me into going on this date but there’s no way in hell I could ever do that. The man would just use it against me and I’d have to stare at his smug face all night long. Finally, I shrug.
“No reason.”
“Can I let you in on a little secret, sweetheart?”
I arch a brow. “What’s that?”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
I scowl at him as he throws his head back and laughs, the sounds amplified by the tiny space of the cab. Despite my annoyance, it warms my soul. His laughter has always been one of my favorite sounds in the world and it’s no different now. When he first showed up two weeks ago, I was scared that anything we shared, any feelings or memories between us would be long gone but the more time we spend together, the more I realize nothing has changed. He’s still the same boy who stole my heart all those years ago and he always will be.
“Close your eyes and keep ‘em closed or I’ll have to blindfold you,” he orders as we slow down and I shoot him a glare.
“Why?”
“It’s a surprise,” he growls, stopping in the middle of the road and I peek over my shoulder to make sure they’re are no cars behind us. The cabin is pretty far out of town so thankfully, we’re alone. Turning back to him, I cross my arms over my chest as I challenge him. “Goddamn it, woman. I will blindfold you and if you’re not careful, I’ll fuck you in this truck before I take you to your surprise.”
I arch a brow and smile as I shrug.
“Have it your way, then.” He reaches for me and my smile grows but before he can even pull me into his lap, a car horn blares from behind us and I jump. He glances over his shoulder, whispers a curse, and takes his foot off the brake. We roll forward a little bit before he turns down a dirt road and shoots me a look. Rolling my eyes, I clamp my hands over them and slump back in my seat. We drive a little further down the road before the truck stops and Noah’s door opens.
“Come with me,” he instructs, gently grabbing my arm and leading me out of the truck. When I’m safely on the ground, he replaces my hands and begins guiding me somewhere. Frogs croak off in the distance but with the sun going down, there is a chill in the air and I pull my jacket tighter around me.
“Ready?” he asks as we stop and he turns me slightly. I nod and he pulls his hands away from my eyes. I blink as my eyes adjust to the warm light of the setting sun and gasp as the large balloon comes into focus.
I spin around to look at him. “Really?”
“Yep.” He has a smug grin on his face but I don’t even care right now. Ever since he and I were eighteen and watched hot air balloons float through the sky at this festival they had in town, I’ve wanted to go on one myself. He always told me that he’d take me someday but we just never got around to it before he got locked up.
“I can’t believe you remembered.”
“Gorgeous,” he chastises, linking his fingers with mine as we start walking over to the balloon. “I remember everything about you.”
“Evening, folks,” someone calls and I look up as a burly man walks around the large basket that’s staked into the ground.
“Hi,” Noah calls and I smile, barely able to hold still with the excitement coursing through my system.
“Y’all ever been up in a balloon before?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Well, don’t be nervous,” he says, smiling. “I haven’t killed anyone yet.”
“Hmm… that may be comforting based on how long you’ve been doing this. When did you get certified? Wait… that’s a thing, right? You had training and you’re certified to fly this thing?” I ramble, pointing to the giant balloon looming above us. He lets out a booming laugh as Noah shakes his head.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Arnold and yes, I have been certified to fly this thing for the past ten years.”
I grin, practically bouncing on my toes. “Perfect. I’m Kady and this is Noah.”
“Nice to meet you, folks,” Arnold says before turning to point at the sky behind him. “We’d better get up in the air if y’all don’t want to miss the sunset.”
“Sounds good,” Noah answers with a hint of mirth in his voice. I turn and beam at him as he squeezes my hand. Arnold leads us over to the basket and they both help me in before Noah jumps in followed lastly by Arnold. He nods to someone I didn’t notice before by his truck and she rushes over and pulls the stake out of the ground as Arnold pulls on a string that shoots a flame into the balloon. I feel like a little kid again as I watch how it all works and turn to the landscape around us. We slowly drift into the air and it doesn’t take long before the trucks below us look like ants.
Noah stands behind me and wraps his arms around my waist as we turn to watch the sunset; gorgeous, vibrant colors streaking across the sky. I lean back into him and for the first time in seven years, I am completely and totally relaxed. Up here, high in the sky with the love of my life, I am safe. No one can touch us and a tiny piece of my broken heart mends itself.
“Thank you,” I whisper, just low enough for Noah to hear and he leans down, pressing a kiss behind my ear.
“I love you.”
I nod, unable to say the words but I hope he knows how much I feel them, especially right now. Noah makes me madder than a hornet and drives me absolutely insane but he’s also my greatest source of comfort and the only man on this earth who understands me, inside and out.