Page 89 of Pinch of Love

Sleeping with Maya had only made it clearer for me. Maya’s energy and spirit blew me away, but her body fit perfectly with mine.

The way she shyly came up to me in the morning like she wasn’t sure we should have done what we did... the thought made me hard just thinking about her.

When she’d let herself be vulnerable, it was a truly beautiful thing.

And I had to tell her that.

She needed to hear from me that the last few weeks have been incredible, and maybe today, we could move forward as something other than me being a distraction.

And that was what the meet sweet was all about. Our first romantic encounter with the possibility for a future.

I rolled into the parking lot at the lake and found a spot to park. I jumped out of my Jeep and reached for a bracelet I’d found in one of the stores locally to give her. I scooped Chewie into my other hand.

When I’d made my way to the covered picnic area, I saw Grace and Maya pull into the parking lot. I scanned the table that the florist had sprinkled rose petals all over, along with a trail leading from the path to the picnic table. White LED lights hung from the ceiling, which would be perfect if we lasted until evening. Hopefully, if all she wanted in life was a distraction, I wouldn’t just send her straight to the airport.

I looped Chewie’s leash to the picnic bench, and she curled up on her pink blanket I’d grabbed from the Jeep.

Dinner was set to be delivered in about thirty minutes from the lodge with her favorite fried cheese curds with aioli.

I glanced toward Grace’s car to see Maya walking over alone, putting her hand up to her eyes to shield the glare of the sun. She waved when she spotted me.

Everything I wanted to say disappeared from my mind when I saw her. I couldn’t speak.

She was gorgeous, but she wasn’t mine.

Would I scare her away with this?

I looked around and suddenly wished I’d waited until after the camping trip. Was I pushing it too far, too fast?

Maya got closer, and her walk slowed as she took in everything surrounding her. She stopped and stared at the red and pink rose petals at her feet before she slowly brought her gaze to mine.

“What?” She stopped herself. “What is going on?”

I swallowed my worry and knew I had to tell her how I felt. She needed to know. Or maybe I just needed to know how she felt.

Maya slowly stepped onto the concrete and made her way over, smiling.

“I’m worried. I’m so used to seeing your smile,” she said softly. “And it has completely disappeared, only to be replaced by beautiful flowers.”

I held out my arms and chuckled as she made her way toward me. She came in for a hug, pressing her head against my chest.

“So, what have you been up to?”

I smiled wider and held her close.

“Is this to celebrate that Mr. Wicked Witch of North Carolina has gone back home?” she asked, taking a step back.

“Something like that.”

She stood taking everything in when her attention went to the lake. “Remember our day in the water?”

I chuckled. “I think about it every single day.”

Maya rolled her eyes. “Such a guy thing to say.”

“Well, having your legs wrapped around my waist...” I shook my head. “Nothing like it.”

“Whatever you’ve got going on here is quite lovely. Beautiful.”