“Wow, you sure are. Want me to carry something?”
“I’ve got it, but we’d better get down there. We have a creek party to attend.”
“Oh, Dash. That’s a sweet thought, but there’s no party tonight,” she said apologetically. “You’d hear the music and see the bonfire.”
“Damn.” He feigned disappointment. “We can still make the best of it.”
The scent of pine and damp earth hung in the air as they made their way down to the creek, and he said, “This is a beautiful rite-of-passage spot.”
“It is pretty. Reed and Grace shared their first kiss in that creek after being apart for a decade.”
“I bet a lot of people shared their first kisses down here.” He spread out the blanket. “What did you think of the creek parties?”
“I rarely went to them. Parties intimidated me when I was young.” She looked out at the water, talking with her back to him. “I was afraid there would be too much commotion, and when there were parties at people’s houses, I worried about strobe lights because they’re a trigger for my seizures.”
He finished setting out the rest of her surprise, filling two wineglasses with sparkling cider. He streamed music from his phone, which was connected to a small set of speakers, and went to her. “I wish I could have been with you then. You wouldn’t have been intimidated if you’d had me by your side.”
“I wish you were, too.” She turned, surprise rising in her eyes as she took in the crackling fire and the lanterns he’d hung in the trees and set around the blanket.
“Welcome to your private creek party.” He handed her a wineglass. “It’s cider, not alcohol.”
“You knew there was no party?”
“Actually, I had planned a party with your family and friends, and I had even invited Nana and Hellie and the ladies. But once we got to Sin’s and you said what you did about not wanting your private life on display, I realized I’d made a mistake. You wanted the rite of passage, but you don’t need spectators.” He loved that about her. She was so much more than the quiet, careful woman she appeared to be. “So I texted Brindle, Nana, and Sin, since I couldn’t tell Sin in front of you, and I asked them to get the word out that the party was canceled.”
She blinked several times, like she was trying not to cry. “You set it up and canceled it? You must think I’m nuts.”
“No, sweetheart. You’re the sanest person I know, and I am honored to be part of your rites of passage.” He held up his glass. “To making out at a creek party.”
“To the best creek party ever.”
They clinked glasses as “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes came on. “Sounds like our song.”
She smiled, lowering her eyes, reeling him in deeper with her sweet innocence. He set their drinks on the ground and drew her into his arms for their dance. Moonlight glittered in her eyes as he twirled her by the rippling creek, singing about wanting to make her feel wanted and the world making sense when she was in it. The words were as true as the deeper emotions blooming inside him.
They danced to several songs, kissing and talking and laughing more than Dash had ever laughed on a date. As the night wore on, they sat on the blanket sharing funny stories about football, her bookstore, and their families, and they walked along the creek hand in hand. Amber grew quiet, her expression thoughtful.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Life.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “This may sound silly, because you have this big life, full of travel and meeting new people. But I never thought I’d have a day like this or feel this way about anyone. I sort of thought it might be just me and Reno forever.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because I run a bookstore in a tiny town, and other than college, visiting my cousins, or an occasional wedding, I almost never leave Oak Falls. I don’t do online dating or even enjoy going to bars. Or at least I never did, until we went together last night. That was unforgettable.”
“I’m glad to hear that because it’s exactly how I feel.”
“You’ve probably had a million unforgettable nights, and I’m glad that you have, but for me, it was one in a million. This whole day, and all of the time we’ve spent together, even our phone calls have been off-the-charts wonderful. I love peeling back your layers and discovering all your hidden parts, and my own, which is really unexpected. You’re so much more than I thought you were. You make me feel things I was afraid to feel and want things I never imagined myself wanting. With you I’m not afraid to be curious. I can’t believe I ever thought you were just an attention hog who was only interested in fast women and one-night stands.”
He cocked a brow. “An attention hog?”
She shrugged with a little laugh. “Sorry.”
“I do love your attention.” He kissed her. “I know you think I’ve had a big life, and in many ways I have. But as far as meeting people or getting close to them goes…” He shook his head. “There’s a downside to having a big life. You know how I told you that I’ve had a hard time trusting women?”
“Yes,” she said curiously.
“There’s a reason. I’ve never told anyone this except for Hawk. My mother doesn’t even know, but as I said before, I want you to know all of me. The good and the bad.”
“Should I worry about what you’re about to reveal?”
“It’s definitely not one of my best moments, but I want you to know. I was never the kind of guy who slept with every woman who offered, but I had more than my fair share of hookups. About three years into my career, a girl I’d hooked up with claimed to be pregnant with my child and threatened to go to the press. I knew in my gut that it wasn’t my kid. Don’t ask me how. It was just one of those feelings I would have bet my life on. I’d never had sex without a condom and never had one break. But things happen, and after what my father did, I wouldn’t have left a child behind, regardless of how it came to be. If the kid was mine, I would have done the right thing. Anyway, she refused to take a paternity test until the baby was born, which was enough of a red flag for me to know I was right. But right or wrong didn’t matter because the decision I was facing had little to do with the truth. If I let her go to the press, my reputation would be scrutinized and my family would have to deal with that. From then on, I would either be the guy who had knocked up a one-night stand, or the guy who was falsely accused of knocking her up. My mother had been through enough hell with my father. I didn’t want to add to it.”
“I didn’t read anything about that online.”
“That’s because I paid the woman off and got a gag order. As I thought, the baby wasn’t mine. All she wanted was the money, and she didn’t care if she ruined my reputation or hurt my family in order to get it.”
“That’s awful. What kind of person would do that?”
“I can’t answer that without using foul language. Needless to say, I’ve been much more careful and much less trusting. I didn’t have anything to do with women for a long time, but…” He shrugged. “Eventually that changed, but it was different, few and far between. The women I got together with were mostly friends of my buddies or friends of their girlfriends, people they trusted, which made it easier for me to trust them enough to scratch that itch, so to speak. But it wasn’t real, unconditional trust. Not like I trust you, or Sin, or my other buddies. It was just enough trust to feed an urge, which I’m sure sounds horrible to someone as careful as you, but I want to be honest with you.”