Page 25 of My Best Years
Fuck it.
I’m playing a song that always makes me think of Birdie. It might as well be her song.
The iconic beat ofMy Girlby The Temptations starts flowing through the shitty phone speaker as I bend down and place it on the curb. When I stand up and meet Birdie’s eyes, she’s grinning from ear to ear.
God, I love that smile more than anything.
“May I have this dance?” I ask, my tone gravelly as I hold my hand out to her.
She nods and places her palm in mine.
Still holding her hand, I wrap my free arm around her waist, and she folds hers around my neck. We’re so close that our breaths mingle in the night air, providing a bit of warmth from the cold.
Birdie’s lip quivers, and then I realize she’s not wearing a jacket. I feel like a jackass for not immediately offering her mine.
I release her hand and quickly step back, causing her face to fall with disappointment.
“Cal–”
“Here,” I rush out, slipping my arms from the sleeves of my suit. “Take my jacket.”
Her eyes soften as I hand her my coat.
“Oh, uh…” she stammers. “Are you sure? Won’t you be cold?”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure her, my lips curving up in an easy smile.
“Thank you,” she shivers, quickly sliding her arms into the oversized sleeves.
Anything for you. Anything.
When I pull Birdie back in, she wraps her arms around my neck, and I hold her waist in both of my arms.
I’mholdingBirdie.
Not just hugging her or being there for her when she’s sad. I’m actually holding her. Swaying back and forth with my girl in my arms.
I never want to let her go. Her heart beating against mine is the safest, most secure I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Since the day I met her, Birdie has been my lighthouse. My harbor in the middle of a howling storm.
The cloud-covered moon sparkles against the glitter in her hair—hair that always smells like coconut and citrus.
“You look pretty, Birdie,” I finally confess, breaking our quiet bubble. “Really pretty.”
Her long eyelashes flutter, and her cheeks turn pink.
“Thank you,” she grins up at me. “You look pretty, too—I mean, handsome,” she corrects herself while shaking her head.
“Hey,” I chuckle, “if I look as pretty as you do tonight, that’s a compliment in my book.”
Her skin flushes to a deep crimson as she chews on her bottom lip. She diverts her eyes, looking down at her dress before meeting my gaze again.
Christ, she has the most mesmerizing eyes. Swirls of silver, gray, and blue.
“What made you pick this song?” she utters hesitantly.
“You don’t like it?”
“No,” she retorts. “I love it. But out of a million songs, why this one?”