from it. They’re just good at keeping their shit under lock and key.”
“I guess we all have our family secrets,” she whispers, staring out at the fluffy clouds where they kiss the horizon, the sun peeking out every so often.
“I know they seem cool, calm, and collected, but when shit goes sideways, they’re all animals.”
Arlo chuckles in my arms, tipping her head back to rest on my shoulder, giving me complete access to her neck. “I can’t imagine them that way.”
“Stick around long enough, and you’ll see for yourself.”
“Mello?” she whispers.
I freeze, my lips planted firmly against her skin, and my stomach plummets from her tone. “Yeah?”
“Are you happy?” she repeats my question to her back to me.
“Completely,” I answer with no hesitation.
I don’t remember the last time I was this happy, but I know it was before the wreck. Afterward, nothing tasted as sweet or felt as good until Arlo walked into my world, turning everything upside down.
“You sure?”
I tighten my arm around her upper body, snaking my other one over her abdomen. “Absolutely, sugar.”
There’s a comfortable silence between us as I nip at her neck but keep my eyes on the horizon. Arlo is the first woman I’ve ever been with who doesn’t need to fill the silence with words, and my mind is still and peaceful.
“Are you okay after talking to my dad?”
I’d given Arlo time alone with my father, letting her confide in him what she wanted to about her past.
“Your dad is easy to talk to, Mello. He’s a great listener, like you.”
I smile against her skin. “I haven’t always been.”
“Shocking,” she teases. “But yes, I felt like a weight had been lifted after talking to him. He said he’d do whatever he could to find my birth parents.”
“Ar?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did your parents name you Arlo? Were they hippies or something?”
She shrugs. “They loved sixties music. They named me after Arlo Guthrie. It would’ve been nice if they’d named me after a woman, like Janis Joplin or something, but…”
“It’s unique and fits you perfectly.”
“I guess so, but I got into a lot of fights as a kid for having a different name.”
“Has anything in life been easy for you?”
“This,” she whispers. “This has been easy.”
“Besides us.”
She lifts her head and stares at the water. “My face made things easier, but not easy, and besides that, nothing has been even close to easy since my parents died.”
I hold her a little tighter, wishing I could take away all the bad that’s touched her. “I never realized I took my family for granted until I met you. I mean, I knew I was lucky, but I didn’t understand how lucky I’ve been. I’m so sorry, Arlo.”
“It’s normal, Mello. I don’t want anyone to know what it feels like to have no home and for the only family you’ve ever known to die or be taken from you. Be thankful you’ve had the life you had. I would give anything to have grown up surrounded by all the goodness of your family.”
“I am blessed.”
“Your face doesn’t hurt either,” she says with a hint of laughter. “You could’ve been a model.”
I scrunch my nose. “I would’ve been a shit model, babe. It ain’t in me to smile.”
“You would’ve nailed the moody, brooding photo shoots. You have that look down pat.”
I playfully bite down on the tight muscle between her neck and shoulder, and she giggles, squirming against my dick.
“I don’t have a moody look.”
Her hands come up to my arms, holding on to me and giving in to the way my mouth moves against her neck. “You are a mood unto yourself,” she tells me, continuing to laugh.
I was right about what I said not that long ago about Arlo. She isn’t the type of woman you forget or wipe clean from your soul after she works her way inside. She’s unforgettable, leaving an imprint with her sweet laughter, kind smile, and stormy eyes.
“Five years from now, where do you see yourself?” I ask her, fishing for information.
We haven’t been dating long…real dating…but I know I can’t picture a future without her somewhere in it. Even if she no longer wanted to be with me, I’d have to find a way to keep her as a friend, even if it means seeing her happy with someone else.
“Sitting right here like we are now,” she breathes out with a small smile. “You?”
My heart skips and then picks up the pace, her words finally seeping in deep. “Same,” I whisper against her