Page 103 of Grasp The Moment

“We were so loud last night, Mamá thinks the neighbors might’ve heard.”

Georgia lets out a mortified sound, gripping my waist tighter, “What neighbors? I don’t see?—”

“They’re about a mile and a half down the road,” I respond, holding a laugh in as she lightly smacks my arm.

When we arrive at the clearing, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I help Georgia off Nora, happy to be able to touch her before she slips away from me entirely. I lead her to a part of the clearing and put down our blanket.

The clearing reminds me of a forbidden faerie grotto with whimsical willow trees that let the sun creep through the cracks between leaves. There’s a huge waterfall in the middle of the clearing, and land surrounds it. When Georgia takes note of her surroundings, a gasp escapes her lips.

“Where are we?” she asks, her hands covering her mouth as I smile.

“The Forbidden Hollow,” I announce, twisting with myarms out like a showman announcing his acts for the night as she grins.

“What is this place?” she questions, her eyes rounding around the edges as I take her hand and pull her down to the ground with me, placing a sunflower behind her ear. My breath hitches as my finger lingers, caressing the smooth skin near her cheek.

“This is where we’ll make up. I want to give you the whole world, Georgia, but I know that I’ll have to earn back your trust.”

She opens her mouth to speak, “You’ve got twenty minutes.”

I move quickly, taking the very first item out of the picnic basket, placing it on her lap.

Georgia tenses up at the small box on her lap before she looks up at me. The look she sends me takes my breath away. Her beautiful eyes are almost soft, the flecks of brown in them warming as she slowly opens the box and gasps.

“We didn’t do this whole thing sequentially, but I want to date you. I want to know who you are and for you to know me. This necklace is the start.” I speak softly, taking the necklace from the box. I’m careful, sighing as her perfume engulfs me in a warm hug as I clamp the necklace around her neck, smiling as I admire the colors bouncing off her golden skin.

Georgia’s lip wobbles a bit. She looks up at me over her shoulder, “It matches my ring…”

I play dumb, looking around the clearing with a dorky smile on my face. “Does it? I thought it seemed familiar…”

She chuckles softly, her fingers twirling the necklace as thought number two comes to mind.

“Hungry?”

She nods, passing the basket to me. In less than a minute, I have all our food placed down and ready for us to eat. Georgiais silent as she forks her chicken and waffles into her mouth, her grin bright as her eyes widen.

I let out a breath of relief as she eats. I thought I may have been wrong about breakfast at first. I’d never cooked chicken and waffles for the girls, but I’ve been seeing Georgia’s reposts on social media about them and assumed she’d want some.

That could’ve been a hit-or-miss, and considering Sienna is officially ignoring me, I had to make an executive decision.

Georgia chews her food carefully, humming.

I take a bite of my own food and sigh; the chicken is the perfect mix of sweet and savory, especially with the special sauce I created. When I take a bite of the waffle, it feels like an orgasmic bomb has gone off in my mouth.

“Send my thanks to the chef.”

My cheeks heat instantly, and I duck my head to hide my blush from her. Georgia chuckles softly, taking another bite of her food, her eyes wide as she looks at the wooden carving sticking out of the basket.

She tilts her head, pointing at the carving with pouty lips.

I wasn’t ready for her to see it yet, but now that she has… I feel ready to show her. Her eyes are bright as she eyes the carving.

“You made this?” she asks, twisting it in her palms as I nod.

“Derek…”

I shake my head, turning to the basket once again and pulling out the small container at the very bottom.

“Did you bake for me too?!” She looks up at me, her eyes wide, her shoulders softening as she takes the container into her hands, her shoulders slumping. She rolls her lips in, pouting as she opens the cupcake container and takes a bite of the strawberry cupcake made specially for her.