Page 50 of XOXO, Summer
“I was right next door.” Her smile shines light into the darker corners of my heart like I’m seeing the sun rise for the first time.Sunshine.
“I’m starting to think you’re heaven-sent.” I lift to kiss her once. It’s gentle like she is and as sweet as the taste of her.
And then she kisses me, letting her lips linger against mine. When she leans back, she says, “I’ve been right here all along.”
The urge to kiss her again, to deepen it, and run my hand over her body to make her come again is potent. The need to be inside her and claim her in ways that make her mine is even stronger.
As much as I want to make love to her, I can still hear one of her sisters’ electric toothbrushes buzzing from the bathroom down the hall. Another just arrived home, and tiptoeing apparently isn’t a thing around here. Every noise is an echo for someone else’s ears. I don’t want to be quiet with Summer. I want to feel every inch of her and hear each moan and my name falling from her lips from ecstasy.
When she can’t conceal a yawn, I slide down the mattress, bringing her with me until we’re lying down again. I can’t make love to her, but I have the privilege of spending the night holding her.
Cuddled into the crook of my arm, she says, “It won’t be hard to act like your girlfriend for the cameras.”
I peek at her out of the corner of my eye. “You don’t think so?”
“No. It’ll be like we are right now. No acting required.”
I don’t remember the last time I had a girlfriend. Mia and I never got there. There might have been one or two in college, but after that, they were more of a distraction than a benefit to my life, especially as my career was taking off.
With Summer in my arms, this feels right.Right timing. Right place. Right girl.She’s right. “I like that.”
“What’s that?”
“The no acting required.” God, I love her smile. I kiss her forehead and say, “Sweet dreams, Summer Sky.”
“Sweet dreams. Wait . . .” Popping back up on her elbow, she says, “I don’t know your middle name.”
I’ve been dreading this. “Don’t laugh.”
“I’ll give you the same courtesy you gave me.”
Chuckling, I scrub my hand over my face. “I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass one day.” It’s not like she can’t find it online. I glance at her and just say it. “Stanley.”
She mulls the name, as if it doesn’t quite make sense. “I don’t get it.” Her eyes widen. “Oh, is that your trophy? The chalice?”
My laughter is louder than I intend, but God, I hope she never fucking changes. “Yeah. The Stanley Chalice.” Still chuckling, I hold her closer. Kissing her head once more. “Good night.”
“Good night, Daniel Stanley.”
I’m still smiling after I reach over and turn out the lamp on the nightstand. Settling in with her, I ask, “Are you tired?”
She bursts out laughing. “I am. Go to sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I close my eyes, but I open them again, waiting for them to adjust to the dark so I can take another look at this woman. I can’t think of anything I did to deserve her, the grace she’s given me, or the way she sees me as everything I’ve not been. I’d been thinking I was sent here as a punishment. It’s a reward.She is. And holding her now is an honor I didn’t earn. But I will. “Are you asleep?” I tease.
“Daniel.” She giggles right after, and her arm tightens over me. “Good night.”
“Summer? Summer.”
I open my eyes to the sound of my son and swirls of paint on the ceiling I didn’t see last night. They’re pale yellow and vibrant in the daylight. He calls her again, his voice too distant to be in the house. I sit up and look around.
The bed next to me is empty, made up like no one slept there. The room is clean, not too much clutter, but things are here and there—a desk with necklaces hanging off a mirror’s edge, and makeup in a bin propped on top. A leather journal and black mother-of-pearl-looking pen. I bought my mom a pair of earrings with that same design one time.
“Your turn.” Roman’s giggles stream through the window with sheer curtains and a chain of stained glass green leaves hanging from the top of it. Flipping the covers off, I go to look out in time to catch Summer flying off the swing under the tree near the water. She makes a perfect landing as my kid cheers. He makes everyone feel like a hero.
Resting my palms on the sill, I feel different, like a switch inside me was flipped.
It could have been making her come in the tub. I take pride that I ended that drought, though I’m not sure if that’s the only dry spell she meant.
