Page 28 of Fight for You

"Are you staying for long?" I ask to fill the silence and then peek up at him.

He's watching me this time, a furrow between his brows.

"Didn't plan on it, but who knows?" He shrugs, that furrow growing deeper. His face is so much more severe than it used to be. There's a wild savagery there that I only ever saw once—the day he got into a fight with Corey Love in the park over me.

Then – Age Fifteen

"Where are we going?" I ask Cade.

"It's a surprise." He dangles a sleep mask in front of my face. "I need you to put this on."

"Did you steal that from Ma Lucia?" I ask, eyeing the silky piece of fabric. It's a pale purple color, with little roses all over it. It appears dainty in his work-roughened hands.

He shrugs a shoulder. "I'll give it back to her later. Put it on."

I hold my hair up and let him slip it over my head. He adjusts it over my eyes before slipping my helmet on over it.

"Can you see me?" he asks.

I think about telling him yes to mess with him, but he sounds so serious and excited about whatever he's planned for us today. My birthday was Tuesday, and he's been working hard on his surprise. I don't want to ruin it.

"I can't see a thing," I promise him instead.

"You sure? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Cade!" I laugh. "I promise I can't see anything."

"Okay. Just checking," he mumbles, and I know if I could see him, he'd be blushing.

The thought makes me smile.

We ride for several minutes, my arms around him, his bike vibrating beneath us. I’ve never felt freer than I do when I’m on the back of his bike with my arms around him like this. It’s my favorite place in the world.

Eventually, he pulls to a stop. I have no idea where we are. My sense of direction is not great, especially with a mask on. It seemed like we were going in circles. A couple of seconds later, I feel him turn toward me.

"Gonna carry you," he says, climbing from the bike before slipping my helmet off, being careful to keep the mask on. He lifts me into his arms like I weigh nothing.

I wrap my arms around his neck and lay my head on his shoulder, sighing softly. He's been carrying me around since I was a little girl. I should probably stop him, but I love being in his arms. I feel safe there, like nothing can hurt me. It doesn't hurt that I can feel how his muscles bunch and contract, either. I love feeling his body against mine.

He carries me for a few minutes before he sets me on my feet and turns me how he wants me. Once he's satisfied, he brushes his lips across my cheek and then whispers, "You can look now."

I pull off the sleep mask.

"Happy fifteenth birthday, little monster."

"Cade," I gasp. We're at the park down the street. He laid his old Batman sleeping blanket out in the grass beneath the oak tree by the basketball court. A picnic basket rests on top beside a package wrapped in bright pink paper, a bouquet of wildflowers, and a box of chocolates. It's so sweet; my eyes sting with tears.

"Did you drive in circles so I wouldn't know where we were going?" I ask, smiling so big my cheeks hurt.

"Maybe."

I fling myself at him. He catches me, chuckling when I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze as hard as I can.

"I wanted to surprise you. Do you like it?"

"It's perfect," I whisper.

He cuddles me to his chest for a second and then steps back. "Come on." He kicks his shoes off and settles down on the blanket, patting the space beside him. "Let's eat."