Me: Hey. We should hang out for dinner.

I smiled at Mom when she came into the kitchen. Practice today was killer as usual. I was taking a much-needed break and drinking an ice-cold glass of fruit water. I texted Zach because I wanted to see him, and I wanted him to feed me something super unhealthy, something I knew I could count on him to do.

“What are you doing?” Mom asked as she stared at the grin on my face. “You seem happy.”

“Just texting Sadie. Remember the girl I told you about? We might hang out later if it’s okay with you and her parents.”

Poor Sadie. I wondered if she would actually like to hang out. I’d have to make a mental note to invite her over sometime. I looked at Mom.

“Of course! We’d love to meet her.”

I nodded. “I’ll make that happen.”

Sadie: What do you want to eat, Tiger?

Me: I want a cheeseburger SO bad.

Sadie: With or without the bun? Do you want me to cook it or buy you one?

Me: I want everything that’s bad for me. Including you. ;)

Sadie: I’m not that kind of girl. Lol. I will put a burger on the grill. I’m at the cabin tonight if you want to meet me there.

Me: Okay. See you soon!

After getting ready, I headed to Zach’s cabin. I had Dane text the real Sadie to let her know I needed her to cover for me. She had no idea about Zach, but Dane said she didn’t ask questions; she just agreed. I owed her so big.

I smiled when I got to the cabin and saw Zach grilling on the deck that overlooked the lake. The breeze was perfect, making the hot Georgia air tolerable. I slid the rubber band off my wrist and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I went up the stairs and stood next to him, peeking at the grill.

“Yum.” I smiled.

He smiled down at me. “They’re almost ready.”

I sat down on a fold-out chair and started picking at the fringe on my holey shorts. “How was your day?”

He made a face. “Okay, I guess. I hired two waitresses and a new manager.” He shrugged. “We’ll see how long they last.” He closed the grill and sat down next to me. “How was your day?”

“Tiring but good. I think I’m finally getting in a good groove with the team. I think we’re going to have a great year.”

“Me too. I wish I hadn’t missed practice the past couple of days. I should be there tomorrow.” He kissed my lips softly then stood and checked on the burgers. He used a spatula to put the burgers on a plate. “Everything is ready inside if you want to go in and eat.” He turned the grill off and closed the lid.

I got up and followed him inside. “Where are the plates?”

“I have everything already out on the table.” He led the way to a table that was set up for two in the kitchen. He put the burgers down on the free space that was left on the small table. “Eventually I should probably get a bigger table.”

I smiled. “It’s perfect.”

The grin that I had only seen once before showed up, giving a hint of his dimple. “I have a surprise for you.” He went to a cabinet and opened it. The inside was filled with boxes of Twinkies.

I raised a brow and smiled. “Did Dane tell you those are my favorite?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” He came back over to the table. “Whatever else you want I can stock here too. I’m usually the only one, besides Dane, that comes here.”

We both sat down at the table and fixed our plates. “Dane really thinks highly of all of you.”

“We think highly of him. He’s like a little brother to us. As far as I’m concerned, he’s family.”

“Have you always lived in Stockbridge?”

“No. We lived here when we were younger, but Elliot’s cancer and my father’s job moved us to New York when I was eleven. I moved back to Stockbridge to go to college.” He frowned. “Or rather play at college. Elliot moved here when our parents died. He went to your high school his senior year.”

“And that’s where he met Millie’s mom?”

“Yeah. He went to school part of the year and then home-schooled to be with Sam every day. They married a couple of months before Millie was born.” His eyes had taken on a sadness I didn’t like.

“I’ve only experienced death once. My grandmother died when I was too young to really understand. I can’t imagine losing someone like you guys have. Your parents, Sam… I think it’s great that you all have each other to keep one another strong.”

He gave me a weak smile. “If we didn’t have each other, we wouldn’t have made it. Sam pulled Elliot out of his depression after our parent’s death. Millie pulled him out of it when Sam died.” He took a bite of his food.

“Sorry for the heavy questions.” I took a bite of the burger.

“It’s okay. It’s part of getting to know someone. You’ll hear about Sam a lot anyway.”

“Is there anything you want to know about me?” I took a drink.

“I want to know everything. What was it like when you lived in Gulfport?” He took a bite of his hamburger and leaned back in his chair. Before I could answer, the chair gave way, and he fell to the floor. He laughed as he laid there.

I burst into laughter. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to lean back in your chair like that?” I teased. I got up and held a hand out to him.

“Yeah, they did.” He took my hand and yanked me down on top of him. “But being on the floor has some advantages.” He gave me his crooked smile.

“Like?” I asked through laughter.

He positioned my legs so that I was straddling his waist. He looked up at me. “It’s easy for you to take advantage of me,” he teased. He moved his hands to my thighs. “You’re beautiful. Did you know that?”

I smiled and leaned down to kiss him. He gripped my thighs then gently rolled us over so he was on top of me. As he kissed me, one of his hands moved under my shirt. I hated how I lost all common sense when it came it Zach. He affected me in ways he’d never understand because even I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Emotions were so fucking unpredictable.

“I’m falling for you, and I’m scared,” I admitted quietly against his lips.

He moved back just enough to look in my eyes. He brushed a piece of hair out of my face. “I’ve already fallen for you, Hales. And it scares me shitless.”

“You have?”

He looked so serious as he nodded. “Yes. I have.”

Emotions I didn’t even know existed surfaced. I kissed him softly and kept my lips barely brushing against his. “Show me,” I whispered.

He locked his eyes on mine as if he was searching for something. He kissed my lips softly and then stood, pulling me to my feet with him. He led me to a room in the back of the cabin. He pulled me in, kissing me as he led me to the bed. “Are you sure?” he asked, pulling back slightly.

My entire body trembled a little. I nodded as I held onto the bottom hem of his shirt.

“Positive.”

He let me pull his shirt off then he moved us to the bed, continuing to kiss me. I put my hand to his chest to keep him at a safe distance.

“Zach?”

“Do we need to stop?” he asked, his voice deeper than before.

I shook my head and kept my eyes on his. “I’m just nervous.”

He smiled the sweetest smile. “It’s okay to be nervous, Tiger.” He ran his hands gently up and down my arms.

I took my hand off his chest and moved it to the back of his neck to pull him back down into a kiss. His hands found the button and zipper on my shorts. He started to slide them down my thighs, and I grabbed his hand to stop him.

“What if I’m bad at this?” I asked, my breathing picking up.

“Then I’ll have no one to blame but myself.” He cupped my face with his hands. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

I nodded and bit my bottom lip as I let go of his hand. He slid my shorts down my legs. “What does that mean? Blame yourself?” I asked, making him stop sliding my panties down mid-thigh. I felt like I might have a panic attack, but at the same time I was okay.

“Because since this is your first time, it will be my job to teach you.” He kissed my bare thigh softly.

Yup. Totally okay.

I nodded again and lifted my legs to help him remove my panties completely. He helped me sit up enough to get my shirt and bra off. I covered my eyes with my arm.

“What if I’m not enough, Zach?”

I was completely exposed and completely freaking out. It obviously wasn’t his first time, and I couldn’t help but think about him comparing me to every other girl he’s ever seen this way. I moved my arm from my eyes to look at him, which was probably the bravest thing I had ever done in my entire life. At least it felt that way.

Zach stopped what he was doing. “You are the first girl I have ever had feelings for, Hales. You’re the first girl that I have ever taken things slow with or spent time with like I have you. If you want to stop, I will. I won’t rush you into anything.” He laid in the bed next to me, his jeans still on. He ran his hand gently over my bare stomach. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he said as his eyes followed the movement of his hands. “You’re perfect, Hales.”

“You’re the first guy to ever see me like this. I’m sorry for freaking out. Just tell me to shut up.”

“I like listening to you talk.” He looked at me seriously. “And I plan on being the last person to ever see you like this.”

I smiled, and hearing those words made me feel more comfortable. “Okay. I won’t say another word.”

He chuckled then kissed me.