“You know I am.”
“But sometimes you’re not. Like when you went to check out that side exit on campus that day. You said there was nobody around and yet you went and checked it out anyway and ended up seeing two murders. If the shooter had seen you there, he would’ve killed you, Jade.”
“I know.” I say it quietly as I look out the side window. He’s right. I need to be more careful. Sometimes I get a false sense of security living in a small town, but I can’t do that. And even though I like to think I’m strong and could fight someone if I were ever attacked, or outrun someone who was chasing me, the truth is I probably couldn’t do either of those things, especially if the person had a gun or a knife.
“I don’t want to scare you, Jade, but you need to be aware of this stuff.”
“I’ll be more careful. I promise.”
He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it. “You ready to see where we’re going to live?”
I look over and see him smiling at me. “Is this it?”
“This is it.” He pulls off the road onto the grassy field that will someday have a house on it. Our house. I can hardly believe it.
He parks and comes around the car and opens my door. “What are you waiting for?”
“You.” I take his hand. “I want us to see it at the same time.”
We walk through the field, and off in the distance I can see the ocean. I can smell its salty spray and hear the big, powerful waves crashing into the shore. Even though we already live on the ocean, this is different. This is permanent. I’ll actually be living here for a very long time.
The field ends at the cliff. I peer over it and see the sandy beach right below us. “How do we get down to the beach?”
“We’ll build some stairs.” Garret stands behind me and pulls me into his chest. “Don’t get so close to the edge.”
“This is beautiful. It’s just how I imagined it would look. Up high like this, looking out at the ocean.”
“It’s how I pictured it, too. I told you we’d like it.”
“How did you know that?”
“I just had a feeling. I can’t explain it.”
“I like that Arlin wanted to live here with Grace. And now we’re going to. There’s something special about that.” I spin around to face him. “When can we start building?”
“We have to do some research first. Figure out what kind of house we want. Find a contractor. But I thought you wanted to wait before we did that.”
“We can wait. I’m just excited to get started.”
“I’m okay with building it now if that’s what you want. I was thinking about it yesterday and we could have it built by the end of May so we could live here this summer. But then it would have to sit here empty during the school year.”
“We could come visit it. It’s only an hour away. Or we could live here and commute to campus every day.”
“That’s a long commute. Let’s think about it some more. We don’t have to decide right now.”
I look back at the field. “So how far is four acres?”
“I can’t tell just from looking at it but it goes out a ways. We’ll have to put up a big fence to keep people out. Maybe we’ll do a stone wall like Harper’s parents had. Nobody’s getting through that thing. That was like a fortress.”
“You think it’s dangerous living out here?”
“It’s isolated, so we’ll want to have good security. That house we passed on the way here was so hidden by the gate and the landscaping that most people wouldn’t even know there’s a house back there. That’s what we need. We need people to drive by and not know we’re here.”
It is really isolated. There are houses on either side of us but you can’t even see them from here.
Garret sighs. “We forgot to get stuff for a picnic. We should’ve stopped at the last town we passed.”
“We can come back and have one later. Garret, we should totally do that. We should come here every Saturday or Sunday and have a picnic on our land.” I run around the open field, twirling with my arms out. “I can’t believe this is ours! It’s all ours!”
Garret’s laughing at me. “I’ll be right back. I need to get something out of the car.”
I stop twirling and gaze out at the ocean. I go back to the edge of the cliff to get a better look. The view is amazing.
“Hey.” Garret grabs me from behind. “What did I say about standing so close to the edge?”
“I wanted to see the ocean.”
“You can see it without being this close.”
I take a few steps back. “Is that better?”
“Yes. Now close your eyes. I got something for you.”
“What is it?”
“Just close your eyes.”
I close them and he turns me around. “Okay, you can open them.”
I look and see that he has the sleeping bag we keep in the trunk spread out on the ground. And on it there’s a bright orange plastic bowl filled with candy.
“Happy Halloween.” He hugs me into his side. “It’s the best I could do since we’re out of town, but we can celebrate when we get home later. In addition to the candy, I got some scary movies for you.”
I point to the candy. “When did you get all that?”
“I got it when I was out shopping yesterday. The grocery store didn’t take very long and I wanted you and Grace to have time to talk. Plus, I had to get my sweetie some Halloween treats.” He kisses my neck and it tickles.
“You’re tickling me.” I laugh as I squirm away and lie down on the sleeping bag.
Garret lies next to me. “The candy is our picnic food. That’s why I went and got it from the car. Feel free to dig in.”
I flip on my side and kiss him. “I’d rather do something else first.”
He kisses me back. “Like what?”
“Like pay you for those pancakes you made this morning.”
“I was hoping that’s why you ordered those.” He shoves the candy bowl off to the side and takes his shirt off. “You okay with doing it here? Someone could drive by.”
“The road’s way back there and nobody’s driven by since we got here. But if you don’t want to—”
“Are you kidding? I’ve wanted to since we did it in the park that day.” He’s undressing me as he says it.
I laugh. “Yeah, I can tell. You just got me naked in about 30 seconds. And yourself in about 15.”
“I like the outdoors.” He lies over me and covers us a little with the sleeping bag. “You’re not cold, are you?”
There’s a cool breeze but the sun is warm and there isn’t a cloud in the sky.
“No, it feels perfect.”
The wind blows some strands of hair over my face and Garret tucks it behind my ear. He smiles at me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“You know what?”
“What?”
“This is the first time we’ve done it on Halloween. So this isn’t just outdoor sex. It’s special Halloween sex.”
I laugh. “I don’t know what that means. Does it involve candy?”
He thinks for moment. “Yeah, it does.” He moves off me to the side, then grabs a handful of candy from the bowl and drops it over my stomach.
“Why are you putting it on me?”
“So I can choose which one I want.”
“I thought we were having sex.”
“We are.” He looks over the candy selection. “I think I’ll have a chocolate bar. What do you want?”
“Something with peanuts.”
He unwraps a miniature Snickers bar and puts it in my mouth. It’s warm from the car and the chocolate melts as soon as it hits my tongue.
Garret pushes the other candy aside, then unwraps his mini chocolate bar and sets it on my lower abs, a couple inches below my belly button.
“Garret, I’m going to have messy chocolate all over me.”
“No, you won’t.” He takes a small bite of the chocolate, his teeth
lightly brushing against my skin. My breath catches at the feel of it. It tickles, but in a good way. A hot sexy way that sets off an explosion of sensations all up and down my body. He takes another bite and my stomach muscles tense up a little.
“Jade, just relax.” His voice is low, soothing.
I breathe, my muscles relaxing as he takes the last bite, then slowly licks the melted chocolate off me. It feels so amazing that when he’s done, I’m not ready for it to end. I want more. That chocolate bar was way too small.
“Have another one,” I tell him in an urgent tone.
“Maybe I don’t want another one.” His mouth is back at my lips now, his chocolate-covered tongue teasing mine. He hasn’t even touched me with his hands. Only his mouth. And yet a fiery heat is building inside me and tingling sensations are running up and down my core.
“I’m begging you,” I whisper. “Have another one.”
He smiles as he grabs another chocolate bar and unwraps it and places it in the same spot as before. He takes small bites until it’s gone, his teeth grazing my skin. Then he slowly licks off the chocolate that remains. It’s torture. Pure torture. The good kind. The kind that makes me want him so bad I can’t wait a second longer.
He moves up my body, slowly, deliberately, his mouth lingering over my breast, igniting a surge of heat between my legs. I run my hands through his hair, gently tugging on it, signaling that I’m ready. I’m more than ready.
He gets my signal and continues up my body, leaving kisses the entire way until his lips finally meet up with mine. He enters me and I softly moan as his tongue slips in my mouth, all chocolaty and warm. His hand is warm, too, moving down my side, over my hip, then under me. He draws me into him and I feel him deeper inside me before he pulls out and thrusts into me again.
I’m so turned on, my body so revved up, it doesn’t take long before I go over the edge, waves of intense pleasure coursing through my body. A few more thrusts and he’s there, too. Then he lies on his back and holds me close to him.
I smile. “So that’s Halloween sex?”
“Yeah. Did you like it?”
“I liked it so much I’m not waiting a whole year to do it again.” I pull the sleeping bag around us.
“The rule is that you can keep doing it until the candy is gone. After that, you have to wait until next Halloween.” He nods toward the bowl. “Did you notice how much candy I got?”
“I did, but maybe we could get some more on the way home. I really don’t want to run out.”
We lie there and end up falling asleep for an hour. When we wake up, we get dressed and take everything back to the car.
“I hate to leave,” I tell him as I pick out some candy to eat on the drive home.
“We’ll come back. Like you said, it’s only an hour away.”
I take one last look before I get in the car. The long grass is swaying in the breeze and I can see even bigger waves forming way out in the ocean. I never get tired of watching the waves.
Garret’s waiting for me in the car. I get in, buckling my seatbelt. “This is really ours?”
He picks my hand up and kisses it. “It’s really ours.”
“Wow.” It’s all I can say.
On the way home, we stop at the store and load up on more candy. Garret tells me he was joking about the candy rule, saying he’ll lick chocolate off me whenever I want. But I’m not taking any chances so I get 10 more bags of it. Besides, I figure you can never have enough candy.
“So we’re watching scary movies tonight?” I ask Garret as I’m unpacking the suitcase. We’re home now and he’s sitting on the bed, scrolling through his phone while I toss clothes in the laundry basket.
“That’s the plan, unless you want to do something else.”
“Too bad we don’t have a Halloween party to go to.”
He looks up from his phone. “Jade, you hate Halloween parties. Everyone gets totally wasted at those things. You were at the one last year. You know how they are.”
“I was too distracted to notice. I had a lot going on that night.”
That was the night I read my mom’s letter, then went to the Halloween party and saw Garret with Ava, and drank for the very first time. So yeah, I wasn’t really paying attention to the party.
As I walk over to the dresser, Garret catches my waist and pulls me over to the bed and onto his lap. “Even though that night didn’t start out so great, it ended well.” He holds my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “We had our first sleepover that night. You were so angry and so sad. I just wanted to make everything better.” He gives me a kiss. “So I held you in my arms that entire night and never let go.”
“It’s a good thing you did. I couldn’t be alone that night. I felt like everything was spinning out of control. But being with you made me feel like things would be okay. I loved that night. I didn’t tell you that back then because I was too embarrassed to say it. But I loved it.”
“So I guess this is the anniversary of our first sleepover.”
“Actually, it was last night. That party we were at was the night before Halloween.”
“Damn, we didn’t get to celebrate it.”
“How do you celebrate that type of anniversary?”
“By having another sleepover.” He puts his lips to my ear. “But this time, we don’t just sleep.”
I kiss him. “I say we still celebrate it, even though it’s a day later.”
“Then we’ll celebrate it tonight.”
His phone vibrates on the bed. I pick it up and see a text message from Kyle. “Is Kyle still trying to be your friend?”
“Yeah, but only because he wants me to introduce him to my dad. I keep ignoring him, but he’s relentless. He never gives up.”
“His text says there’s a party tonight. He left the address.”
“I told him we’re not going. Just delete it.”
“Maybe we should go, just for an hour or so.”
“Jade, the place will be packed. It’ll be loud and people will be spilling beer on you.”
“But it’s Halloween. I feel like we should go out, even if it’s just for an hour. Plus, we haven’t gone to a single party since we got here.”
“Because we don’t go to parties. Parties are for people looking to get drunk and hook up. They’re not for married people.”
“I still want to go. I want to see people in their costumes.”
“Only the girls will be wearing costumes and most of them will be practically naked. Is that really what you want to see?”
“Garret, come on. Stop trying to talk me out of it. I just want to go for an hour. Please?”
He sighs. “Fine, but we’re going early, before it gets too crazy.”
“Listen to you.” I kiss his cheek. “You sound like an old man.”
“No. I sound like a man who’s been to these parties before and knows how out of control they can get. Guys get drunk, they get into fights, bottles get thrown, people get hurt. I don’t want you around that shit.”
“That’s why we won’t stay long. Maybe I should get a costume. I’ve never dressed up for Halloween.”
“What kind of costume?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe a witch or a pirate costume. Let’s go to the store and see what they have left.”
“Jade, you don’t need to dress up. We’re only going for an hour.”
I slide off his lap and stand between his legs. “That doesn’t mean I can’t wear a costume.” I tilt my head and smile. “Maybe I’ll get one of those sexy cheerleader costumes. The ones with the really short skirts?”
“There’s no way in hell you’re wearing something like that to a party. Guys would be all over you.”
“I’ll get a different one for the party. The cheerleader costume is only for you. A little Halloween present. What do you think?”
The corners of his mouth slowly rise. “Shit, yeah. I’d love to see you as a cheerleader.”
“Then let’s go shopping.”
We go to a strip mall that has a costume shop that’s only there during the Halloween season. I spot the cheerleader costumes and find the one I want. It has a super-short red skirt and a tiny white shirt that ties in front and only covers your boobs, leaving your stomach exposed.
“I’m getting this one.” I hold it up. It’s in the package so you can’t see the actual costume but there’s a photo on the front of a girl wearing it.
Garret smiles as he eyes the package. He takes it from me and heads for the register. “Let’s go home so you can try it on.”
“Wait.” I laugh and grab his arm, making him stop. “Calm down. That’s for later. Let’s see if there’s anything less revealing for the party tonight.”
“Forget the party. We’ve got better things to do.”
“That doesn’t take all night. We have time for both.” I drag him to another aisle that has costumes that cover more skin. But all the costumes are lame. I don’t want to dress like a hotdog or a crayon or a clown. And that’s all they have. The women’s costumes are either super sexy or really juvenile. So I decide to just get the cheerleader costume for my private Halloween party with Garret.
We stop for dinner and get home around seven. Kyle’s party starts at eight.
“Try on your costume,” Garret says the minute we walk in the door.
“I’ll put it on after the party.”
“The party isn’t for an hour. Come on, Jade. You said it’s my Halloween present. You can’t make me wait until later. Halloween’s almost over.”
“Okay, but I’m only trying it on. That’s it.” I take the bag and walk to the bedroom.
He follows me in there. “Yeah, got it.”
I go in the bathroom and put it on and, holy crap! How can girls go out in public wearing this? The skirt barely covers my butt and it hangs really low on my hips, like a bikini. I have to tie the front of the top in a double knot to keep my boobs from bursting out. I pull my hair up into a high ponytail to complete the look, then go back in the bedroom.
“What do you think?” I spin around.
Garret raises his brows and smiles. “Yeah, that’ll work.”
Becoming Us Page 22
