Perfect Summer by Bethany Lopez
Faith
The night was absolutely perfect.
And that dance had solidified it. I am totally falling in love with Mitch again.
After our slow dance with Hope, my mom waved us over and said they were ready to head home. There was a slight protest, but eventually they were able to coax Hope away from the fun with the promise of ice cream.
But I’d bet a hundred dollars my little bear will be passed out before they reached the Town Square.
Once it was just the two of us, we grabbed another drink and then danced to every slow song. I even got Mitch to join in on a couple line dances, which had me laughing so hard my eyes began to water.
Nothing was like the feeling of being in his arms, though.
Gliding around the dance floor, his fingers grasping my waist and his eyes locked on mine … It was the best kind of foreplay for the rest of the night.
By the time we were ready to leave, my feet were delightfully sore, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. We said our goodbyes to the people who were still left and walked hand in hand to Mitch’s truck.
“I had such a good time tonight,” Mitch said as he opened the passenger door for me.
“Me, too.”
I waited until he got in and started to drive before I continued, “I forgot how much I loved barn dances. This one was even better than I remembered … such a lovely evening.”
“Hope had a blast,” Mitch said with a grin.
I chuckled. “My girl loves a good dance party, that’s for sure. She should sleep good tonight.”
“She’s so special,” he said, turning to glance at me before looking back at the road. “You really won the lottery with that one.”
“Believe me, I know it,” I said, leaning back with a contented sigh. “She was the light in my darkness for the longest time.”
As we drove the rest of the way to his cabin, I replayed the events of the night in my mind. I could hear Tucker singing George Strait as Mitch two-stepped with me around the floor, his face lit up from something I’d said.
Before I knew it, we were pulling up alongside Mitch’s place and he was taking my overnight bag out of the backseat.
A mixture of nerves and excitement danced in my stomach as I followed him up to his door to go inside. I couldn’t believe it was really happening. It had been so long … not just since I’d been with Mitch, but since I’d been with anyone, and I realized I had no idea what his track record was … He could be the Mason Creek lothario for all I know.
Mitch placed my bag on a chair and turned to me slowly. The fact that he was wringing his hands clued me in to the fact that he was feeling just as nervous as I was, which, funnily enough, eased my nerves completely.
“Would you like a drink? I bought champagne,” he said, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.
“That sounds great,” I replied easily, picking up my bag. “Do you mind if I get changed?”
Mitch blinked and seemed to pause, then found his voice and said, “Of course. Mi casa es su casa.”
Leaving him to pop the champagne, I went into his bathroom and unzipped my bag and removed the items I’d brought to sleep in. Once I’d changed into the lingerie, I pulled on the matching robe I’d gone back and bought the day before.
I was generally pretty confident, but the last time Mitch saw my body without clothes, I’d been a nubile eighteen-year-old. I felt more comfortable with the added layer of the robe.
I brushed out my hair, then my teeth, and freshened up my makeup. When I was satisfied with the overall effect, I took a deep breath and opened the door, then went to go find Mitch.
I found him sitting on the couch in the living room, two high ball glasses of champagne on the table in front of him. He must have heard me open the door, because he hadn’t turned around, but said, “Sorry. I don’t have any actual champagne glasses.”
I smiled and said, “Those are fine.”
He turned then, and when his eyes widened so big I feared they may pop out of his head, I started laughing.
“Whoa,” Mitch exclaimed as he stood up and checked me out.
I stopped and preened a little, unable to help myself when his expression was so full of awe and appreciation.
“You like it?” I asked unnecessarily, since it was obvious he did. “This is what I’d bought that day we ran into each other.”
“Remind me to send Liv a thank-you card.”
I chuckled and moved to join him on the couch.
“I hope it’s okay for me to ask,” I began, picking up the glass closest to me. “Have you been with a lot of women? For me it’s only been you and Jed, and no one since I left him, so it’s been quite a few years since I’ve had sex at all.”
I took a drink for fortification as I waited for his response.
Mitch leaned back against the couch and laid one arm along the back, while he rested his glass on his leg, seemingly unaffected by my question or admission.
“I’ve been with about a dozen women over the years,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving mine. “Most of those were in my early twenties. As I grew older, and the town grew more interested in my love life, I became more selective. I knew I wasn’t looking for anything serious, and most of the women my age were looking for marriage, so I mostly chose previous clients from outside the county limits.”
I nodded, thinking it could have been a lot worse, considering how gorgeous Mitch was, and how active our sex life had been, even though we’d barely known what we were doing.
“And it’s been over a year for me, so we’re on a similar page there.”
“Okay,” I said, happy he was willing to be so open. “And, just so you know, obviously I’m older, and I had Hope, so my body isn’t what it once was … There are stretch marks, and I breastfed…”
Mitch reached out and took my hand in his, “Faith, I don’t care about any of that. You are beautiful inside and out and it’s an honor that you’re even considering sharing yourself with me. I promise being with you makes me feel like I’ve won the lottery for the second time in my life.”
God, he was good with words.
“In that case, what do you say we move this little party to the bedroom,” I suggested in what I hoped was a sexy tone.