Adore Me

Damian hands Aiden his drink as Peyton walks into the room.

She looks gorgeous.

Damian is staring at her, mesmerized. When she smiles the blazing love god smile, I see the same dreamy look in Damian’s eyes that I suspect is in my own when I look at Aiden.

Speaking of Aiden. He looks gorgeous too. His hair is slicked back, making it look darker. The scruff on his face is looking sexy as hell over his ta

Damian holds out his elbow to Peyton, whispers something in her ear that makes her blush, and then escorts her into the dining room.

Di

Him.

Aiden grabs my hand, gives me a kiss, and leads me into the dining room.

We invite Inga and Sven to join us for di

As Sven pours us each a cool glass of Pinot Grigio to compliment the turkey, he says, “Mr. Damian, I assume you will keep with tradition and do your father’s usual toast?”

Damian looks at me and smiles. “Keats, I think you should do it.”

“Um, okay.” I stand up, smooth down the front of my dress, and raise my glass into the air. “It’s times like these that we stop to reflect on our lives and the things we have to be thankful for. The great Thornton Wilder wrote, ‘We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.’ In other words, look at the friends gathered around you, at the food sitting before you, and the beauty that is around you. Happy Thanksgiving!”

We clink glasses and everyone says, Happy Thanksgiving.

“That’s a beautiful quote,” Peyton says. “What’s it from?”

“It’s from the play, The Woman of Andros,” I tell her. “It’s about what’s precious in life and how harsh the world can be. Wilder revisited that theme again in Our Town, when Emily dies and asks if anyone ever realizes what they have in life, while they are living it.”

Aiden and Peyton both look teary-eyed. I know they’re thinking about their mom and how even though she is with them, she’s not with them. In a way, cancer was sort of their Vincent, bringing chaos into their normal lives. “I’m very thankful to be here,” Peyton says. “Thanks so much for having us.”

“So, do you both like football?” I ask.

“Well, my parents are both originally from Georgia, but my mom went to college at Alabama and Dad went to Ole Miss. They’re big SEC rivals, so football is a dangerous subject at our house,” Aiden says with a grin. “It’s always fu

“How did they meet?” Damian asks.

“Dad interviewed Mom for a job. Their ru

“What’d she say?”

“That she’d rather have the job,” Peyton says with an easy laugh.

“The Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving day. Do you like them?” I ask. “My grandpa lives in Texas and is a huge Cowboys fan.”

“I just like stuffing myself with turkey and then relaxing on the couch and watching any game,” Aiden says. “Although, here, I think I’d rather hang out on the beach.”

“You two enjoy,” Damian says, before stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes. “I’m going to take Peyton into town after di

“Are you going shopping?” I ask, my ears perking up.

“Just some exploring and then we have our date,” Damian says very vaguely.

I get the distinct impression that I’m not invited.

“Exploring, where?” Aiden asks.

“Just into town.”

“Somewhere safe?”

“Um, yeah, of course.”

Aiden nods and says, “Okay.”

Very quickly, we’re stuffed, and Aiden and Damian are both moaning that they couldn’t possibly eat another bite.

Until Inga offers them a piece of pecan pie and they both are like, Oh, maybe just a little slice.

Peyton and I help clear the table, but Inga shoos us out of her kitchen.

Damian grabs Peyton’s hand. “Don’t wait up,” he tells me with a big grin on his face.

Aiden smiles at me, rubs his tight stomach, and pulls me into a hug. “Alone at last.”

“Do you want to go down to the little beach cabana? It’s shaded and has a comfortable bed that’s great for naps.”

“That sounds perfect,” he replies.

We walk hand in hand to the beach and snuggle up on the raised platform bed filled with brightly colored pillows. I lean on Aiden’s chest and stare out at the water in a happy food coma.

Your lips on mine.

8:45pm

“Hey, Boots,” Aiden says, waking me up.

“Oh, wow. Did you fall asleep too?”

“Absolutely.”

I snuggle into his arms, my ear on his chest, hearing the beat of the heart I'm going to break along with my own in just two days.

“We were up early.”

“And we played hard,” he says with a grin.

“What time is it?”

He glances at his watch. “Almost nine.”

“Oh my gosh, we slept forever.”

“And believe it or not, I’m hungry again.”

“Let’s get a snack and take it back to my room.”

He touches the strings of my halter. “I was serious when I said I wanted to undress you.”

I hold my breath as he touches my shoulder. There’s a huge part of me that wants to skip the snack but, yet, I want to take it slow. Enjoy the whole night. The whole experience. Savor it like it’s my last meal.

We head to the kitchen to make turkey sandwiches and grab one of the fruit and cheese trays that Inga always leaves for late night snacking.

“Do you want some wine?” he asks.

“Sure, pick something out.”

We walk to the turret, into my room, and then set everything up on the desk.

I throw open the windows, so we can hear the sounds of the ocean, and light the candles.

“I really liked your toast today,” Aiden says.

“Thanks, I didn’t make it up or anything but I think it’s a good thing to hear on Thanksgiving. It helps put your life in perspective. I think it’s easy to get so caught up in the everyday stuff that we forget to look at what’s really important.”

“What’s really important to you?”

“Same as everyone, I guess. Health, family, love.”

“I agree. Although I might add a few things to that list.”

“Like what?”

“The sound of the ocean, watching the sun set, a good glass of wine, and your lips on mine.”

“The simple things in life are the best.”

“As long at it includes a castle on the beach, Little Mermaid?”

“I don’t really need a castle, Aiden, but I do need the ocean every so often. The waves calm me and make me feel peaceful—centered, almost.”

“You seem like that in your loft too.”

“I do,” I say with regret, knowing I won't ever be going back there. That I'll be hiring people to pack up everything and put it in storage. Except for two things. The book of Keats poetry, which has Aiden’s four-leaf clover pressed in it, and the shoes I wore to my birthday party. Those will be sent to wherever I am. “Really, I'm comfortable lots of places. I love the vibrancy of cities like New York and Paris just as much as the ease of a house on the beach or in the country. I don't really know where I want to live.”

Or even if I'll live.

“What's that?” Aiden asks, holding up his hand and walking over to the window.

“What's what?” I ask, following him.

“Shhh.”

I listen quietly and then hear it. Giggling.

“Where's it coming from?” I whisper.

Aiden nods in the direction of the beach.

I peer out into the moonlight and see Peyton and Damian stripping off their clothes and ru