Page 112 of Game Plan

“Her girlfriend is a big football fan. We all do crazy things to impress the ones we lo—the ones who are important to us.”

I didn’t miss the slip of his tongue. Another surge of warmth spread through me.

“I’m important to you?”

He kissed me, caressing my tongue with slow strokes of his own. “The most.”

“Good.”

“Am I forgiven?” he asked, and I lost myself in the feel of us.

“Yes.” A whimper passed the rim of my lips when he brushed a loose strand of my hair back, massaging my scalp with his fingertips. “Let’s go inside.”

“Will you let me feed you?”

I pushed him back, laughing my heart out. “Such a pig.”

“Just for you, love.”

The way he said love sounded a lot like I love you. For now, I would withhold the words. What Mason and I shared was love, even though I felt it was too soon to exchange the words officially. In some ways, I’d always known it, and maybe that was one of the reasons I had pushed him away last year. Because it was scary to think you had met your person when you were just a kid and could tell from that day something unique, almost like a force greater than life itself, existed between the two of you.

After dinner, we drove out to an empty field and lay on a blanket Mason kept in his car. He had lit up a trail of paper lanterns, and lying on our backs, we watched the stars. I rested my hand on his chest, and he covered it with his like it belonged there.

“Do you think there’s life out there?” I asked.

“Yeah. I believe we’re not alone in the universe. It’s way too big for only one planet. And I’m sure that for every Mason out there, there’s a Melinda who possesses his heart. I swear none of them would want it any other way.”

I propped myself up on my elbow and stole a kiss. “All the Melindas wouldn’t want it any other way either.”

“Girl, you’re gonna ruin me. I’ll enjoy every minute of it and won’t ever stand in the way.” He molded his lips against mine, and once again, time stopped as we lost ourselves in the magic of us.

Mason pressed his lips together, trying to reel in his smile as we stepped in through the back door of a brownstone building. Fairy lights had been hung from the ceiling, and soft music played from a small speaker set on a folding table covered with a navy-blue and golden tablecloth, Elk River High varsity colors. In one corner, cushions and containers filled with snacks were lined up on the floor, facing a projector. It reminded me of our very first date in his backyard, back when we were kids.

“Wow, it’s beautiful. What is it?” I asked.

We were on date number two. Mason had planned tonight but hadn’t revealed anything other than I had to dress up. I had opted for a knee-length black dress with an open back under a blush-pink cardigan with black suede heels. Mason looked sharp in his black trousers and white shirt. He had left the top three buttons undone, and I thought he was the sexiest thing I’d ever laid eyes on.

“Winter Formal do-over. We never had a chance to go together. I will forever regret how things turned out that day. We’re having a second chance at every event we missed during our senior year.”

“Does it mean we’ll go to prom together?”

He nodded. “And we’ll go on a camping trip right after.” The senior camping trip Paige organized—the one I’d missed.

“Oh, Mase. I love it. Did you do this all by yourself?”

“Nah, Craig and Rutherford helped me with the decor. Amber borrowed the projector from the student center and got us the swooniest romantic comedy she could find.”

A cocktail of emotions filled me as I admired the entire setup and blinked to prevent tears from building up in my eyes.

“Melinda Shepard, will you save me this dance?” Mason asked, holding out a hand.

“The last time we danced together was at Homecoming, and you didn’t kiss me. Will you kiss me tonight?”

“You bet. If only you knew how much restraint I had to use that night not to claim you as mine in front of everyone. I think I had a hard-on for three days afterward. You looked so perfect.” With a step forward, he closed the gap separating our bodies.

I watched him watching me and grinned. “I heard from a reputable source we’re having do-overs for everything we didn’t do right the first time. It might be your chance to set things right.”

Pressed together and swaying to the music, we kissed until our lips stung and we had to lean back to catch some fresh air.