“Stop pacing, Dad! It’s annoying,” Reece grumbles.

I glare at my sweet son.

“I can’t help it. Shouldn’t it be five o’clock by now?”

“Two more hours to go.” He isn’t even nice enough to look up from his phone when he tells me.

I flop down on the couch, groaning and fidgeting. His head drops to the back of the chair he’s sitting on. “Oh, my gosh, Dad!”

“You said to stop pacing, and I did!”

“It’s not any better!”

Aidan walks into the room with a giant bowl of ice cream, distracting Reece momentarily.

He licks his lips and nods to the bowl. “Give me a bite.”

Aidan curls his lip and holds his ice cream close to his chest. “Gross. Get your own.”

“I just want a bite.”

“And I just don’t want your slobber all over my spoon.”

“I don’t slobber.”

“Yeah. You do.”

“No. I don’t.”

“That’s not what Kelsey DeMarco said,” he sing-songs.

“Shutup, Aidan!”

“Dad says we’re not allowed to tell each other to shut up.”

“I didn’t! I said ‘shutup’ which is totally different.”

“Whatever. It’s the same but said fast, which is no different.”

My eyes bounce back and forth between my sons. Teenagers may as well live on another planet for how strange they are.

“Besides, Kelsey so didn’t say that, you liar.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Aidan moves to sit closer to Reece, who’s still laid back in the chair, one leg thrown over the arm of the chair, like he could care less.

It’s a lie.

They both know it.

Aidan continues to taunt him. “Yeah. She said that you had no clue what you were doing. And she had to wipe all the spit off her face from where you practically attacked her like a lab.”

“You’re so full of it!”

Aidan laughs. Shakes his head. Now staring at his own phone while continuing to eat the ice cream. “Nope.”

“Aidan. Enough,” I put in.

“Yeah, Aidan. E-nough,” Reece mocks.

Reece lowers his phone, and they narrow their eyes at each other, and I know they’re about to try out some of those wrestling moves they learned this year. Only it’ll likely become more like an MMA match instead.

“Boys,” I warn, as Reece stands up.

“Take it back. I know you’re lying.”

“Oh yeah? And why’s that, Reece? Why would someone ever lie about that?”

And then it clicks.

Why Aidan (or Reece) ever tries to lie to his twin brother is beyond me, but Aidan was clearly on to Reece when he told Aidan that he and Kelsey made out after the movies the night we got home from the cabin. Or… he just exaggerated. Either way.

Reece got home that night with a pretty big smile on his face. Similar to the one I’ve been sporting ever since we got back two days ago.

“Just let it go, Aidan, yeah?”

“Why should I? You know he wouldn’t.”

“Fine! I didn’t make out with her, okay? But I did kiss her! Almost on the lips, too.”

“Ha! I knew it.”

“Almost?” I ask, hating to do so but curiosity winning out.

“Well, I sorta missed.”

“Missed what?”

“Her mouth! I went to kiss her and stumbled or something. I don’t know! I was nervous, I can’t help it!”

“So… where did you kiss her?” I ask slowly.

“Kind of like her chin?”

I glance at Aidan, whose eyes are as wide as saucers, and give a subtle headshake.

“What did she do?”

“Just stood there. What was she supposed to do? She probably hates me.”

He plops down onto the couch and reaches over to pick up his brother’s bowl of ice cream. The image is so perfectly cliché that I do let out a chuckle.

“Ice cream? Really?”

He scrunches his eyebrows at me and looks at the bowl. “Yeah? So?”

I shake my head and murmur, “Never mind.”

“So, what do I do?”

“She doesn’t hate you. I was just messing with you. She likes you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Aidan rolls his eyes. “Just don’t stumble next time,” he jokes.

Between the two, even though Reece is far less outspoken and shyer in general, he’s always been more comfortable talking to girls. Aidan has always become a bumbling goof, so I’m sure it threw Reece for a loop a little bit when he botched up things with Kelsey.

“Next time?”

Reece raises an eyebrow at me.

“Duh, Dad. Did you expect your first kiss with Christine to be your last?”

Stone.

That’s how still I sit.

Young man laughter follows.

Punks.

Like the mature adult I am, I roll my eyes, stand up, and walk to the kitchen to text Christine to let her know her ass is going to be planted in my pickup a bit earlier than expected because I’m tired of waiting.

This first date can’t wait any longer.

* * *

I stand off to the side as I watch her throw a baseball at a metal target, trying to knock it over so she can win the giant stuffed panda bear.

I tried to do it, but she looked at me and said, “I got this.”

Fourteen dollars later, and the panda isn’t in her arms.

“Ready for some pointers?”

She huffs adorably. Plants her hands on her waist. She looks beautiful, as usual, in her dark jeans, skin tight and cuffed at the ankle, classic white Chucks on her feet and bright white tank under her army green jacket. Her head drops in defeat.

“Stupid game,” she mumbles while handing me a baseball.

I make a big show of warming up before pitching the ball, hitting the target square in the center. It makes a loud clank before falling over.

“Well, of course it worked now. I’ve been tapping it loose for the last fifteen minutes.”

“Of course.”

“Your prize, sir,” the game attendant says with as much enthusiasm as I have cleaning up vomit.

“The panda!” Christine says, perking up, bouncing on her toes.

He rolls his eyes but hands it over to her.

We wander through the carnival, eating fried food and sipping “real” lemonade, going down the giant slide together.

We take a picture of our feet dangling in the air from the ride that spins us around on a pendulum, almost causing a return of the fried dough we scarfed down earlier.

She shoves the panda on the other side of her after we step into the cage on the Ferris wheel, cuddling close together, I take a selfie then another when she kisses my cheek. Then another without her knowing when she curls into my chest, her head downturned and tucked under my arm stretched out behind her.

“You know, I wasn’t even nervous for tonight.”

I look down at her, and she lifts her face to me, and I see a flicker of vulnerability in those bright green eyes of hers.

“No?”

“No.”

“And why do you suppose that is?” I ask, my voice taking on a husky undertone, even to my own ears.

“Probably because it’s right,” she whispers.

We stare at each other for several long moments, my eyes going back and forth between hers before I lower my mouth to hers, my tongue snaking out to taste her.

She responds immediately, her arm that was wrapped around my waist squeezing me closer.

Sugar from the hot doughnuts we had earlier lingers on her lips. My body responds to the feel of her, making me feel like a teenage kid getting hard in the middle of class.

Her jacket open, her breasts, covered only by the thin tank she’s wearing, press against my t-shirt covered chest. I grip her thigh and bring her leg up to drape over my lap. She grinds against my leg, and I damn near combust.

Still kissing.

Still touching.

I’m positive I’ll never get enough of her.

Round and round we go, coming to a stop every once-in-a-while and I’m sure there’s so much beauty to be seen from the top of the Ferris wheel, but right now? I only see the beauty in us.

“You guys trying to give the kids a show, or what?” The sound of the Ferris wheel worker jars us.

I don’t release Christine yet.

Instead, I trail the tip of my nose along her jawline and suck gently on the skin right below her ear.

“This is far from finished.”

She shudders and nods.

We walk around a little while, her arm wrapped around my waist and her fingers slide into the back pocket of my jeans while my arm is draped over her shoulder.

The possessive nature of her hold on me has my heart beating hard in my chest.

When I hear music filtering through the air, I stop, looking around for where it’s coming from. There’s a makeshift stage and bar set up toward the back of the carnival, a few high tables scattered around and a DJ booth placed off to the side.

“Just thinking out loud here,” I tease and she giggles, her body shaking against my own. “But, I think we need to dance.”

“Here?” she asks like she’s horrified, but the bright smile on her face tells me that she’s not the least bit horrified. “You gonna take me into your loving arms, are you?”

“Yup. Maybe even kiss you under the lights of a thousand stars.”

I drop the panda on the empty chair closest to us and pull her back into my arms.

I twirl her out, arm extending, then spin her back to me. She throws her head back in laughter before shifting her body to align better with mine, fitting together like — corny as it may sound — two pieces of a puzzle. I keep hold of her hand on my chest, her other around my neck and fiddling with my hair. Something I’m learning she loves to do. Our bodies move side to side. “Mmm. I like the sound of that.”

I lean in, kiss her on the lips and wrap a hand around her pony tail.

“Will you still be with me when my memory fades?” I whisper into her ear.

* * *

I gasp.

Not sure if he means what he just said in response to the words filtering through the speakers, but a large part of me hopes he did.

When I told him I wasn’t nervous about tonight, I meant it.

I was jittery, yes. I was afraid Bri was going to slap me earlier. I was ready for our date hours early, anxious to get it started.

“Mom! Stop. You’re driving me crazy.”

“I can’t help it! I just want it to be 5:00 already!”

“Well, calm down.”

I glare at her.

“Need I remind you how whacky you were before your first date with Grady?”

“I’m good.”

“Ha! Right. Don’t throw stones, girl.”

“Whatever. Still, you’re acting like a crazy person.”

“I can’t help it!”

“It’s Andy, Mom! You guys have practically been dating for months now.”

“I know, but we don’t spend a lot of time alone, you know? This is a big deal. You’re sure you’re okay with your mom dating?”

She rolls her eyes.

“Of course, I’m okay with it. I like Andy. A lot. Though, hearing my friends all talk about how hot he is, is rather disturbing.”

I giggle.

“Sorry?”

“Yeah, right. You aren’t sorry in the least.”

I shrug. I’m really not.

And her friends are right.

He is literally the sexiest guy I’ve ever known. And he only gets sexier the more I get to know him.

My phone chimes with a text, and I jump.

Andy: Any chance you’re ready? LOL

Me: Now?

Andy: Yes? I’m…

Me: You’re…

Andy: Excited. Does that make me sound like a creeper?

Me: I’m ready when you are.

Andy: Good. Be ready. Want you next to me.

“By the smile on your face, I assume that was Andy?”

I bite my lip and nod, smiling at Bri. “He wondered if I was ready.”

She throws her head back and laughs. “Not surprised. I don’t know who’s more obsessed with who, you or him. Have fun, Mom. You deserve this,” she says, hugging me tightly.

“Do you think it was part of the plan?” I ask quietly.

“Absolutely.”

Tears prick the back of my eyelids as I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling more content than I have in… well, ever. Being with Andy feels like home.

The song comes to an end, fading into another love song. This one about both knowing our own limitations and needing each other. He rests his forehead on mine.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

“For?”

“Being mine.”

I blow out a breath and glance away before looking at him again. “Am I? Yours?”

“You are,” he says, voice firm. “Just as much as I’m yours.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Me, too.”

“Wanna go take pictures in the picture booth before we leave?”

“Alone with you in a tiny booth? Hell yes,” he says, his eyes shining.

I’m so screwed with this guy.

He says I’m his. And he’s mine.

And all I can think is I hope he means it because my heart? It’s lost to him.