A Measure of Love (13 page)

“You know you can ask me anything, right?” Tate offered in that calm voice Riley unexpectedly realized he missed.

Riley put his bowl down and nodded. “Yeah.”

“And you’re gonna be safe, right?”

Riley scoffed. “I’m not stupid.”

“Hey,” Tate said firmly. “I know you’re not stupid, Ri. You’re anything but. I just want to make sure you’re okay, that you’re ready.”

Riley gazed out of the window toward the yard fence, struck with the memory of building it with his dad and how hurt he’d been that day knowing Lex was going to the dance with Blake fuckin’ Richards. He smiled. How far they’d come.

“I’m
so
ready, man.” Riley turned to his brother. “I don’t mean that in the way it sounded. I mean it because . . .” The words pushed their way up his throat. “I love her.”

Tate’s lips lifted at the corners. “I know you do.” He clapped a hand to Riley’s shoulder and squeezed. “Little brother growin’ up.”

Riley shoved him off with a laugh. “Shut up.”

“Enjoy,” Tate added as he threw the truck keys at Riley, left the kitchen, and launched himself up the stairs.

The rest of the day was filled with getting everything ready. Riley managed to convince his mom to cook a couple of Lexie’s favorite foods, which she placed lovingly into Tupperware tubs before leaving them in the fridge. Riley packed what he needed into the bed of Tate’s truck and drove as close as he could to a spot in the woods that he knew would give them the utmost privacy. It was a spot he and Lexie had discovered once when they were ten-year-old space explorers and it had always stuck with Riley as one of his favorite memories. He doubted Lexie would remember, but there was a part of the forest canopy that opened up, showing millions of stars. Lexie had tried to name every one.

Riley set about making everything perfect,
needing
it to be perfect. His cell phone chirped with a text message in his pocket. He pulled out his Nokia 3100 and smiled at the screen. Lexie.

Did you know it’s my birthday?

Yes, I did. Even though I texted you at a minute past midnight: Happy birthday!

Thank you. Again. Where are you?

Doing some stuff :)

Stuff? When can I see you?

I’ll pick you up at six as planned.

Can’t wait.

With an extra spring in his step, Riley surveyed his work one last time and jumped back into the truck, hightailing it home for a cool shower and some serious chill time. He was about ready to jump out of his skin and the closer it got to six o’clock, the more anxious he became, which was . . . ridiculous, really. Lexie was the one person in the whole world Riley trusted most. Sharing such a private, intimate part of himself with her should be simple, easy, natural even. But that didn’t stop his heart from fluttering like a swarm of damned butterflies as he pulled up at her parents’ house and honked the horn.

The door opened, and Lexie appeared in a pair of shorts and a pink tank top printed with varying-sized stars of deeper pink. With the summer heat, she’d ditched the usual Docs in favor of a pair of pink flip-flops and had tied her hair up into a messy bun. God, Riley loved her hair like that. He liked the shape of her neck and the fact that he could kiss that part of her. But he also loved knowing that with one tug, her hair would fall down her back and he could lose himself in its smell.

Mr. Pierce stood in the doorway watching Lexie with the eye of a father who suspected his seventeen-year-old daughter’s boyfriend was up to no good. Riley tried to smile, but it fell flat when Mr. Pierce glared in reply.
Shit.
Even after nine years, the man still called Riley “that boy” and barely spoke to him when he was at Lexie’s house. Lexie laughed about it and maintained that Mr. Pierce actually liked Riley—that his bluster was all a façade. But Riley didn’t believe that shit one iota. Lexie was a bona fide daddy’s girl and the man was scary as hell. For one split second, with Mr. Pierce’s all-knowing stare needling him across the twenty feet of the front yard, Riley reconsidered what he’d planned.

“Hey!” Lexie grinned as she jumped into the truck, slammed the door, and leaned over to kiss Riley’s cheek. “I missed you.”

With those three words, all of Riley’s fears and doubts flew out the window as Lexie waved at her father. “I missed you, too,” he admitted, putting the truck in drive and setting off.

Lexie clapped her hands together. “So what’s the big surprise? Where are you taking me? What’s the plan?”

Riley laughed. “Wait. Were you seventeen today or seven?”

“What?” she protested. “I’m excited. Sue me.”

Riley reached across the truck seat and grabbed her hand. Pulling it to his mouth, he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckle. “I’m glad you’re excited and we’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

She beamed at him and jumped a little in her seat. She was too adorable when she was like that. As they got closer to the part of the forest where Riley had set everything up, he noticed that Lexie seemed confused. He smirked. “You okay over there? Don’t you remember?”

Lexie leaned closer to the window, as if that would help her realize where she was, and her mouth dropped open. “Oh my God, is this where we counted the stars?”

“And you tried to name them all.”

“How the hell did you find this place again? What were we, like, twelve?”

“Ten. And why wouldn’t I remember?” He turned his head to look at her. “I was with you.”

Lexie’s face softened as a small smile played across her gorgeous mouth. Riley had always thought Lexie pretty, from the very first moment he saw her. But, over the years, she’d become so beautiful he’d catch himself staring at her just because he could.

“Riley,” she whispered. His heart fluttered when she spoke his name and his skin was set on fire when she reached out to run her hand around his neck.

He did his best to focus on the dirt path and finally pulled the truck up to where he needed it. Turning it off, he threw a wide smile at Lexie before jumping out of the truck and moving to her side. He held the door open and closed it behind her when Lexie was next to him. He took a step away, but her hand on his wrist stopped him. He looked at her curiously.

“Come here,” she said in that soft, breathy voice that never failed to get Riley’s blood pumping.

He did as she asked, dipping his face to hers so they could kiss. Jesus, they’d gotten good at kissing since that first one all that time ago. They knew exactly how to get each other going. Lexie would do this thing where she’d nibble on Riley’s bottom lip. When she was really into it and clothes had come off, the nibbles would turn to bites. It drove Riley insane.

They broke apart and Riley rested his forehead against hers. “What was that for?”

Lexie placed her hands on his face. “It was to say that, no matter what happens tonight, you’ve already made it the best birthday ever.”

And didn’t those words just make Riley’s heart soar? “Come on,” he murmured when he found his voice. He pecked at her mouth. “Let’s eat.”

“Eat?” Lexie asked with an incredulous laugh that got lost on the evening’s breeze when she finally saw what he’d done.

Riley had placed a large picnic blanket on the forest floor, directly under the canopy opening so once it got dark, their view of the stars would be brilliant. He’d found some lanterns, just like those from their junior dance, and hung them on the closest trees ready to be lit, next to pink balloons and pink streamers hanging off branches and leaves. He’d brought a couple of extra blankets in case the temperature dropped later, and there were plates, covered fruit and bread, and the food Riley’s mom had prepared still in their Tupperware containers.

Lexie was quiet for so long, Riley started to become nervous. “Do you like it?”

“It’s . . . perfect,” she gasped, placing a hand to her chest. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

It still blew Riley’s mind that Lexie struggled to grasp just what she meant to him. It shouldn’t have, considering they’d not ever really said the “I love yous,” but honestly, there’d never been a need. It was unspoken between them, residing in their nine-year friendship, fleeting glances, kisses, and touches.

They sat together on the blanket and Riley set about plating the food. “Your mom made this?” Lexie asked. Riley smiled as he passed her the lasagne that was still a little warm. “She’s a legend.”

“Like mother, like son,” he commented and wiggled his eyebrows, causing Lexie to laugh.

The food was awesome, and, once they’d had their fill, Riley lit the lanterns and tea lights he’d stashed. They lay back on the blanket and watched the blue sky turn indigo, talking about everything and nothing until indigo turned to black. Their conversations were filled with laughter and truth, echoing through the woods, while the silences were anything but uncomfortable. She laid her head on his chest, smiling as she listened to his heartbeat and he played with her hair. She pointed at stars and told him stories about them and he listened as intently as he always did. Riley wasn’t sure what he loved more—when she was chatty and enthused or when she was quiet and smiling. Not that it mattered; she was perfect either way.

Riley bit into a strawberry she held over his mouth, sucking her fingers as he did.

“Where do you want to be in ten years?”

Riley blinked at Lexie’s question and swallowed the strawberry down. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, work, life.” She wiped her hands on a napkin. “We have to start thinking about college for next year. You still want to go to NYU?”

With his head resting on his arm beneath it, he turned to look at her. “I want a business degree. Dad says it’d be the best thing for me for the future. You know Dad wants me to take over the shop. I work there enough for him and none of the others want it.”

“But is it what you want?”

“Sure,” he answered truthfully. “I’m good at it and I enjoy working with cars. But I want to push myself. NYU Stern has the best business program. I’d be able to learn the financial side of running a successful business, more than what I could learn just with my dad. He’s happy to pay the bill, so I’m lucky. Plus, with this degree I could have my
own
business one day. Have a chain of places, a franchise, or even go into something bigger, like parts manufacturing maybe. That’s what I’d really want.”

Lexie propped herself on an elbow at his side. She watched him carefully, trailing a finger over his Green Lantern T-shirt.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m still undecided.” Riley smirked, knowing that she’d been turning herself inside out with her indecision. “I’d like to do something . . . maybe astronomy.”

“Really?” Riley sat up, taking her by surprise. “Because, honestly, that’d be awesome! You’d crush it.”

Lexie snickered. “You think?”

“I know! Seriously”—he waved a hand towards the sky—“you know all the names and everything. No one knows more about the solar system than you.”

Lexie huffed and lay back down. “Now you’re mocking me.”

Riley leaned over her. “I’m not.” He dipped his head and kissed the tip of her shoulder. “You’re like Stephen Hawking or . . .” He thought for a moment, drawing a blank. “Whoever else is really good at space stuff.” Her body vibrated under his mouth as she giggled. “I think it’d be amazing,” he offered, looking up at her. “No bullshit.”

Her annoyed expression softened. “You know, there’s an amazing Physics program I’ve seen,” she murmured. Riley hummed into her skin, loving the taste of her skin on his lips. “They do cosmology and, well . . . it’s at NYU, too.”

Riley froze for a moment before lifting his head. His eyes traveled over her face, knowing every freckle, dip, and small scar by heart. “What?”

“The course. It’s at NYU,” she repeated, her voice cautious.

Riley drew his head back a little, so he could see all of her. “You’d go to NYU?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I have the grades to get financial aid and it’s an amazing school, but . . . more importantly, you’d be there.”

Riley tried to swallow past the huge lump of exhilaration and emotion that abruptly lodged in his throat. “You’d come with me. To New York?”

She raised a hand and ran it through his hair, making his eyes roll back into his head. “I’d go anywhere with you.”

“Lex,” her name escaped his lips before they crashed down onto hers.

Jesus.
Riley had never heard news so good and his chest almost burst with relief. He’d worried so much about leaving Michigan to go to college—even considering options closer to home—but he’d all but pushed it to the back of his mind, not wanting to consider what it would do to his heart to be separated from his Lexie. But now? Now all he wanted to do was lose himself to her, and then show her what her words meant to him.

She opened her legs and he dropped carefully between them, wanting her to feel what she did to his body. He was seventeen and, at this point, more than a little familiar with his dick and his hard-ons, but fuck, he was never as hard as he was when he was with Lexie this way. He tilted his hips and pushed against her, the way he knew she loved. They’d made each other come so many times like this, and each time was incredible. She gasped into his mouth and pulled him closer, her fingertips pinching the skin of his neck and shoulders as his mouth traveled from hers to her cheek to her chin and her throat. He was ravenous.