Gavin leaned on his elbow, watching me.
I reached over and ran a hand down his arm. “I love your smile too.”
He moved closer, brushing his lips against mine.
“If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?” I asked.
He played with a strand of my hair. “Here.”
“Be serious.”
“I am. I like where I’m at.”
“Me too.”
He smiled, taking my hand in his much larger one. There was something so comforting about the feel of his strong hand around mine. “I love you, Becca.”
My heart fluttered when I heard the words, and without even consciously thinking about it, I replied. “I love you too.”
His lips returned to mine, but it was more than a brush this time. He pulled me closer, cradling my head in his hand. He deepened the kiss, and if it hadn’t been for the sound of the waves lapping at the shore and the distant laughter of fair-goers, I could have forgotten where we were.
We eventually separated and just stared at the stars. “Do you want to go home, or should we go back to the fair?”
“Home sounds good, but I told Molly we’d meet up. Besides, you did promise me a Ferris Wheel ride.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
Gavin stood and gave me a hand to help me up. “Shall we?”
He linked his arm with mine, and we walked back toward the fair.
“There you are!” Kelly yelled as I waved at her across the crowd. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Hey.”
She pulled me into a hug as soon as I reached her.
“What’s going on?”
“Not too much, but you missed the crowning of Miss Clayton Falls. Molly finally handed over her tiara.” Kelly ran a hand through her brown hair, trying to smooth out the damage caused by the wind.
“Wait, so she was the last one?” Watching Kelly fix her hair made me suddenly self-conscious of my own. I resisted the urge to pull it back. Gavin seemed to like when I wore it down.
“Yeah. Weird, I know. Where are you guys headed?”
“I was looking for Molly, and then we might head over to the rides.” I searched the crowds again, hoping to catch a glance of Molly.
Kelly nodded toward the rides. “Molly’s over there now. We’ll join you.”
I looked over my shoulder and noticed Gavin talking with Tom. Kelly walked over and grabbed Tom’s hand, pulling him along. Gavin took my hand. Kelly texted Molly, and she met us over by the Ferris Wheel. Ben and Jake were with her. “I got us all tickets.” Molly, dressed like she always was in a jean skirt, beamed. I wasn’t sure if it was a pregnancy glow or just because she was happy, but she looked amazing.
I couldn’t picture a more perfect end to the evening. Sitting with Gavin, watching the stars and moon reflect out over the water fifty feet in the air was pretty incredible. As rickety as the ride seemed, I didn’t mind at all. Gavin put an arm around me, and I leaned into him, inhaling his smell—a mix of aftershave and something else I could never figure out.
We barely talked, just enjoying each other. I loved that we could do that. There was never any pressure to come up with anything to say.
“That was fun, huh?” Kelly asked as soon as we got out of our car.
“Definitely, but I’m exhausted. I think I’m ready to head home.” I stole a glance at Gavin.
Gavin squeezed my hand. “Sounds good to me.”
Kelly gave me a knowing look, telling me she knew exactly what I was hinting at. “All right, but we need to get together soon. How about we do a girls’ night when they play poker next week?”
I thought about it for a second, but I already knew my answer. “Sure, that sounds great.”
Molly agreed. “I’m in. Ben can keep himself busy.”
“He should join us,” Tom suggested.
“You want me to join your poker night?”
“Yeah, and, Jake, you can come too.”
Gavin eyed Tom skeptically. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. Gavin was not a big fan of the Mathews brothers.
“Sure, why not?” Jake answered quickly.
I would have paid to see that game, but a girls’ night with Molly and Kelly sounded pretty good too.
“What are we going to do? Please tell me it won’t involve Gill’s.” I still hadn’t warmed up to the local bar.
Kelly laughed. “No Gill’s, I promise. We’ll think of something good.”
“Cool.” We said our goodbyes and headed back down the beach to Gavin’s place. I liked that he didn’t even have to ask me if I wanted to come.
***
Girls’ night out turned out to be girls’ night in. Kelly blended margaritas, making some virgin ones for Molly at the same time.
“You didn’t have to bother making me my own. I could have just had water,” Molly said when Kelly handed her a glass.
“What would be the fun in that? At least you can feel like you’re having a margarita. Besides, we all know it’s the cute glass with the salt that makes it, not the tequila.” Kelly took a sip from her drink.
“We do?” Molly arched an eyebrow.
“Yes. And these glasses are cute, aren’t they?” Kelly held hers up.
“Very cute,” I jumped in. The glasses were pretty cute, with a cool dramatic swirl design on them. “I love the color—it’s a cool shade of green.”
“Kelly having something green? Shocking.” Molly teased. I looked around Kelly’s kitchen. Green accents were everywhere.
We took our drinks outside with a bowl of chips and salsa. It was hot out, but I was really starting to get used to the heat.
“I’m still trying to adjust to how quiet it is here.” I took a sip of my margarita, enjoying the tartness and the kick.
“It’s different from the city, that’s for sure.” Molly slipped off her flip flops and put her feet up on an empty chair.
“Just make yourself at home, why don’t you?” Kelly nudged Molly’s arm.
“Oh come on, I’m pregnant. That should count for something.”
“You’re not pregnant enough to complain about sore feet, that’s for sure.” Kelly sounded a little short, and I might have been reading way too much into it, but I wondered if there was a note of jealousy.
“Okay…” Molly sat up.
I didn’t like the tension and did the first thing I could think of to ease it. “Don’t you guys want to grill me about Gavin? That’s usually your favorite activity, right?”