then I got home and wished you were there waiting for me."
"I am waiting for you," he said.
He squeezed me one time before letting go and pulling me toward the end of the dock. Drew went onto the quilt, stooping to crawl once he reached the edge of it. I watched his lean body stretch as he reached out. Evelyn had left two pillows near the basket, and Drew pulled them onto the quilt with him. He placed one behind his own head, relaxing onto his back and crossing his legs casually. He placed the other pillow next to him and patted it as if waiting for me to lie down. I couldn't wait to.
I took off my shoes before stepping onto the quilt. I stooped to my knees and crawled onto the quilt with Drew. Instead of lying beside him, I sat cross-legged with my legs touching his side so that I could stare down at him.
I leaned down and kissed the top of his forehead, and he lifted his chin and stretched upward, bringing his mouth closer to mine. I kissed him again, this time on the mouth, and the sheer desire that rushed through my body caused me to lean in and kiss him a little deeper, to open my mouth a little.
He wrapped his big hands around my arms, pulling me in. I propped my weight onto my hand and rested it on the other side of his shoulder so that I could get better leverage over him. He put his hand on my side, and the combination of that and the taste and feel of his lips… well for goodness sake.
I leaned even closer, getting to a new position where my legs were out to the side rather than crossed. I broke contact with him while I readjusted, but I came right back to him, and I was able to get comfortably closer this time.
He wrapped his arms around me, and we went straight to kissing again. We had missed each other, and our mouths just kept touching over and over. I smiled at him between some of the kisses. A barge passed in the distance. We could hear that and the gentle lapping sound of the water as it hit the dock, but otherwise it was quiet and we were alone.
For the next who-knows-how-long, we barely talked. There was a span of at least a half-hour where we just stayed there on the dock, kissing gently, tenderly, saying nothing. It never got old. I would start to pull back or say something, and then I'd just kiss him again like I couldn't help myself.
He loved it. I could tell by the way he smiled and the way he gripped onto me at certain times during those moments.
We stayed out there on the dock for the next couple of hours. We ate the lovely meal Evelyn had packed. It was all finger foods like bread and cheeses with meat and nuts and fruit. It was delicious, and Drew and I grazed on it while we talked.
Drew wasn't a man to beat around the bush. He asked direct questions, and we talked about what our life might look like after he took the bar and started practicing law. He would need to be in Houston, at least at first. His father's firm was there, and Drew was all set up to practice at it. He would need to get a few years under his belt before he tried to become a judge. We talked about trying to settle in Galveston rather than Houston in the long term, and Drew said he could see us doing that. But really, I didn't care. I would have followed him way farther than Houston.
We took the boat back to the marina before he gave me a ride back to my house. Mac was at my parents' place, so we stopped by there to get him. My brothers were home, and everyone was down in the living room with a basketball game on the television.
My mom headed to the door as soon as we came in. Mac was close on her heels. My brothers stayed where they were, and my dad got up and started coming our way. "Let me see," Mom said, staring straight at my hand.
"See what?" I asked, confused, pretending I had no idea.
Mom glanced at me and then Drew with a wide-eyed expression.
"I'm playing with you," I said quickly.
I stuck out my hand, and my mother grabbed