“I’m lucky,” I tell him suddenly. And he looks down at me in surprise.
“Why is that?”
“Because I’ve got my very own American Cowboy.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “I’ve told you. You don’t have to keep calling me that. Awesome One will do.”
I roll my eyes.
But he is awesome. I’m just never going to admit that to him. He’s cocky enough as it is… but that’s just the way I like him.
The sun beats down on our shoulders as we walk down to a pier. The sea laps softly at the wood and I stare down at the clear water.
I tell him again the mechanics of swimming.
And he nods.
“Got it,” he tells me. “Keep my head up, relax and float. I can do it.”
I nod. “Yes, you can. And I’ll be right there with you.”
He laughs. “I think we’ve established this, Mi. You can’t save me. You’re half my size.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’ve saved you already,” I tell him. “I’ve saved you from an empty life without me in it.”
I’m totally joking, of course, but he nods. He seems thoughtful.
“Mia,” he says huskily, as he pulls me to him. “I was just wondering about something. Remember a couple of months ago…you said you were falling for me. Then you said you weren’t quite there. You were going to let me know when you were, but you’ve never said anything.”
He pauses.
And pauses.
And looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
I sigh happily. And smile.
“I’m there,” I tell him. “I love you, Quinn McKeyen. I thought you already knew.”
He grins and my knees weaken.
“I do,” he admits. “I’ve known all along. I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“I love you,” I tell him softly. Then I lean up on my tiptoes and whisper into his ear. “I love you. Forever and ever and ever.”
He grins and grabs my hand.
“Forever and ever and ever?” He raises an eyebrow now.
I nod. “Yep. I told you—this is our own personal fairy tale.”
He laughs and I squeeze his hand.
“On three, okay?”
He nods.
We count to three.
And then we jump.
The End