Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Gigi and Dad bound off enthusiastically to participate without hesitation, and a moment later, Max plops down next to me on the blanket.
“They’re seriously gonna race?” Max says.
“They seemed excited about it.”
“They’re so damned cute.”
“Where’s Ripley?”
Max points to my daughter across the lawn, where she’s twirling with another little girl and a camp counselor.
The announcer says, “We’ve still got room at the starting line for the adult race. Are there any other teams of two? Come on over.”
Max nudges my leg. “What do you say, Red? Should we try to beat our parents to a three-legged pulp?”
I giggle. “Let’s do it. My father never let me win anything as a kid past the age of ten. I had to earn it, every time.”
“Now, that’s a good daddy. Exactly the kind I’m gonna be one day.”
What the fuck? It’s the first I’ve heard Max say anything that confirms he definitely plans to become a father one day. If he’d said, “That’s the kind of father I’d be,” I wouldn’t feel quite as shocked, but that’s not what he said. As Max pulls me up and off the blanket, I look around for Mr. Walters or his wife nearby, but they’re nowhere to be found. So why the heck did Max make that shocking comment? Who was he trying to impress?
I don’t have time to think about it. Suddenly I’m standing at the starting line with my leg tied to Max’s, talking smack with Gigi and Dad next to us.
“On your marks!” the announcer booms. “Get set . . . Go!”
And we’re off. Or at least, I am. Max has a different idea. Without warning, he leans to his side and lifts me up off the ground and onto his hip, at which point he sprints to the finish line with me on his hip, giggling my ass off without my feet ever touching the grass. Not surprisingly, by the time Max and I cross the finish line, we’ve left every other team in the dust, including Dad and Gigi, and we’re both laughing hysterically.
When it’s clear we’ve won the race, we tumble onto the grass in a mutual fit of laughter. One minute, he’s on top of me laughing and I’m underneath him, giggling and feeling light-headed, and the next, we’re kissing. Did Max lean down or did I lean up? I have no idea. All I know is I’m enjoying the most electrifying kiss of my life with the man I love, while the rest of the world melts away.
To my surprise, Max doesn’t quickly pull away from our kiss like he’s touched a hot stove. Even after he’s had ample time to realize what we’re doing, he deepens the kiss. Revels in it. Savors it. He brushes his fingertips against my cheek as his mouth devours mine. And then rakes his fingertips through my hair. And I let him do all of it because I’m weak and stupid and totally caught up in the moment.
“Mommy?” Ripley’s little voice says. “Can Fantasia and I get cotton candy?”
Aw, fuck.
Max and I break apart and scramble to get disentangled. But since we’re still bound together at the leg, we’re not remotely successful. While Max unties our legs, I stammer my reply to Ripley. “No, honey. You already had ice cream, remember?”
Ripley looks from Max to me. “Why were you kissing Maxy?”
“Because we won the race. We were so happy we won the race, we gave each other a little kiss to celebrate.”
“Oh.” Ripley looks disappointed.
Gigi quickly swoops in and grabs Ripley’s hand. “Hey, honey. Guess what time it is? It’s time for the Pony Parade!”
Ripley shrieks with excitement, and it’s clear all thoughts of my kiss with Max have left her head.
“I’ll take her with you,” Dad says to Gigi. He flashes me a pointed look that tells me he’s purposefully giving me the chance to speak to Max in private.
“I’m so sorry,” Max says when the others are gone. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“It came over me, too. She’ll forget about it, soon enough. She probably already has.”
Max runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Marnie.”
“I did it, as much as you did.”
“Hellooo!” Mrs. Walters says, as she, her husband, and Max’s boss, Scott, and his wife, approach. “Are you ready for the Pony Parade?”
“So ready!” I say, matching her energy.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Mrs. Walters says in a joking stage whisper, as she comes to a stop in front of Max and me. “But the very best place to watch the pony parade is over there. Care to join us?”
“Of course!” I chirp. I practically sprint to join Mr. and Mrs. Walters as they start walking toward the designated spot, leaving Max several steps behind me to chat with Scott and his wife. What was I thinking? Why didn’t I pull back from that kiss? And the biggest question of all, did that kiss actually mean something to Max? Did he cross that line because he’s developed feelings for me, or was it nothing but an impulsive mistake?