Until December (Until Her/Him #8)(48)



“I don’t mind getting up early,” she says, and I sigh.

“Then it’s set. You two can drop the boys off to me on your way back home from Nashville, and we’ll meet you in the morning for breakfast.”

“Great,” I agree, and I know I sound as annoyed as I feel. “Boys, hug your grandma then go pack your overnight bags. We need to hit the road.” They both do as ordered then hurry down the hall.

“Have fun today,” Mom says, leaning up to kiss my cheek, and then she looks at December. “Don’t let them talk you into anything, and I’ll see you two for breakfast.” She grins when December laughs.

Once she’s gone, I tighten my fingers on the hand still held in mine. “We need to work on our silent communication skills.”

“What?” she asks, and I turn her to face me.

“Agreeing to go to breakfast.”

“It’s not a big deal. I love Pfunky… or I did when I went there years ago.”

“Yeah, and I would’ve loved to have you to myself tonight and in the morning without having to worry about waking you up in time to leave before the boys find you.”

“Oh.” Her eyes round. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that when you agreed to go to breakfast in the morning, which is gonna be early,” I say, and she bites her lip, looking away. “You owe me huge for this, and just so you know, I’m looking forward to making you pay,” I growl near her ear, and pink touches her cheeks, making me feel a little better.

_______________

“How in the world did I let you guys talk me into this?” December cries, tightening her arms around the log that is shooting up through the platform we’re standing on.

“Babe, I got you. Just relax and take a breath.”

“Don’t tell me to relax and take a breath, Gareth,” she pants, resting her forehead against the log and squeezing her eyes closed.

“You can do it, December!” Max shouts, and she opens her eyes and turns her head to look at where he and Mitchell are standing on the next platform.

“You totally got this,” Mitchell calls, giving her a smile.

“See? The boys know you’ve got this. And I won’t let anything happen to you,” I say, rubbing her back.

“Promise?” She moves only her eyes to look at me, and my heart squeezes.

Christ, this woman has no idea. “I promise, baby. Just trust me.” I lean back and hold out my hand. She studies it for a long moment before she puts her hand in mine, and when she does, I release the breath I was holding and look across to my boys.

“Max, move to the next platform. Mitchell, I’m gonna send December over to you,” I call out, and Max quickly swings himself onto the next platform while I adjust her rope overhead so it’s clear of mine. “Baby, you’re gonna jump to Mitchell,” I instruct, and she eyes me warily. “I’m not going to leave you here alone. It’s better if you jump to him, he jumps to the next platform, and I come over next.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” I touch her cheek with my gloved hand then ask, “Ready?”

“Not really, but yes.”

“You’ve got this. Get into position then I want you to jump. It’s not far.”

“You mean it’s not far across,” she grumbles, making my lips twitch.

“On three.” I count her off, and she jumps across the open space then squeaks when she lands on the wide platform. Both boys cheer, and Mitchell hugs her, making her laugh. “All right, I’m coming over. Mitchell, go on ahead,” I say, and he jumps to where his brother is, and Max moves on. We continue on like that through that part of the aerial obstacle course, and I listen to her let out a relieved breath when she jumps down to a large wooden deck.

“This is my favorite part,” Mitchell says as I jump down and land next to her.

When she turns to see what he’s talking about, I see her face pale.

“This just gets worse and worse,” she hisses, taking a tentative step to the edge to look out at the floating log bridge, which is basically a long row of logs tied individually, making them completely unstable.

“I’m going first,” Max says, attaching himself to the catch rope, and then he quickly makes his way across without stopping once. Mitchell is right behind him, and the boys high-five on the other side.

“You know how you said I owe you huge for agreeing to go to breakfast with your mom?” December asks as I attach her to the catch rope at the top of the bridge. “I think we are beyond even. Actually, I’m pretty sure you owe me now.”

“You’re probably right,” I agree. “That said, you’ve got this.”

“I don’t have a choice but to have it, since I can’t go backward, and I’m for sure not jumping from here.”

“True.” I kiss the tip of her nose that is scrunched in annoyance, leaving out that there is a ladder to get down. I can tell, even if this is freaking her out a bit, that she’s starting to enjoy herself. And what is the point of life if you’re not living it?

“Here goes nothing.” She sighs then grabs hold of both side of the bridge. Stepping onto the first log that swings under her weight, she lets out a scream and the boys laugh. She lifts her head, and I’m sure she’s glaring at them. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay you guys back for this, but just know I will be plotting my revenge.”

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