Page 87 of Devoted Enough
“We need to sit on them.”
My head lifted, and I looked at Nate and grinned. “You’re brilliant.”
He nodded. “I know.”
With a roll of my eyes, I pushed him away. “You take that side, and I’ll get this side.”
“No amount of planning is going to help you!” Josh cried out. “You can’t beat thirty-six.”
Nate scoffed and said, “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars we can!”
“You kids ready?” Stella asked.
“Let’s do this!” I said, jumping in place and cracking my neck. Nate looked at me and laughed.
Once Stella said go, I dropped to my ass and started sitting on as many of the orange balloons as I could. Pop! Pop! Pop! It was one balloon after another. I could hear cheers coming from all around me. I didn’t dare look at Nate, but from what I could hear, he was popping as many balloons as I was.
“Ten seconds!” Stella called out over the balloons popping. When the whistle blew, I fell back and stared at the sky. I had long since shed my jacket because all the running, jumping, and cheering had overheated me. I rolled to my side and moaned.
“There are only five balloons left!” Tanner called out. “That is forty-five balloons! Nate and Haven are the winners!”
Nate stood over me, a wide grin across his handsome face. “We won.”
I nodded. “I think I broke my tailbone. All that dog walking didn’t prepare me for this battle.”
Nate chuckled and reached down to help me up. When I stood, I winced. “Okay, maybe it’s just a bruise.”
Moving his mouth to my ear, he whispered, “I’ll massage your battered body tonight.”
My lower stomach instantly tightened with the images that popped into my mind. “I would like that.”
He moved his mouth and kissed my forehead. “You’re a trooper. Thank you for doing all of this.”
As Stella said to leave all the popped balloons, everyone started heading back into the house. Hot chocolate, dessert, and a movie were waiting for everyone.
As I started following my mother, Nate stopped me and took my hand. He was holding my jacket.
“Oh, I forgot about that.”
He drew me closer to his warm body, and only then did I feel how cold it was outside. “Thank you.”
Smiling, I asked, “For what?”
His gaze searched my face. “For being you. For fitting in with this crazy family of mine. For cheating at the sack race.”
“I did not cheat!”
Nate raised his brows.
“Fine, I may have cheated a little. I had to win it, Nate.”
His finger came up and traced down my cheek lightly. “I never knew I could be this happy.”
My heart hammered in my chest. “I’m glad you’re happy. I am as well.”
He shook his head. “You know it’s all because of you, right?”
Biting my lip, I looked down at the ground. Nate tipped my chin up so our eyes met. “I…I would love if...”