I hit him in the arm, but he doesn’t seem to care as he points to the orchard.
“And this is our first date as us.”
A slow, broad smile graces my face. “Us.”
“Us.” He kisses me and then turns back to Fritz. “Now, my man, you can’t embarrass me with my girl on our fifth first date, so please, show us your finest variety.”
Fritz seems enamored with Jake’s wit. “So, you want the high alcohol content?”
With a point and a wink, he laughs. “You got it.”
“Well, brother, let me give you the full-service treatment. I take it, neither of you has done a cider tasting before?” he asks, and we both shake our heads. “We have to get you guys the entire flight.”
Fritz puts champagne glasses on the table and fills the first two. “Unlike wine, cider is made through various techniques and comes in a huge range of flavors. We’ll start with the least interrupted ciders. This one is fermented from apples only.”
I lift my glass and hold it up to Jake. “To the new champagne.”
He clinks his glass with mine, and we drink them way too quickly.
“Damn, that’s good,” Jake says and motions toward the bottle. “I’ll be taking a bottle of that.”
As we drink our next glass of cider with spices, Fritz tells us—without oversimplifying the chemistry and steps involved—how ciders are made. Jake is fascinated by every word and asks a ton of questions.
Our next glass is barrel-aged cider. I love it so much that Jake tells Fritz we’re taking a case.
We try pear cider and one with honey. Neither of us is a fan, but we still drink the entire glass. By the time we get to the brandy, Jake and Fritz are trading jabs back and forth like they’re longtime friends. He’s not drunk. No, Jake is just personable like that. I know that anywhere I go with him, he’ll see someone he knows or meet someone new. Everyone enjoys his company, and he seems to genuinely like people. I might not be as outgoing as he is, but boy, do I love watching him in action. His demeanor is so easygoing, and his spunk is spot-on.
And even though he’s engrossed in conversation with someone else, he always has his hand on me.
We finish our flight and walk away with way too many bottles of cider. On the way home, we take the scenic route, listening to music and just enjoying the drive. His hand holds mine, tracing small circles on my palm. The lingering touch is soothing and sweet.
He hums along to the song on the radio, and I fall into the seat and sigh, completely distracted by the sunset ahead when something stirs inside me.
It’s like a mini earthquake, where the floor falls from beneath my feet. I have to sit up and grip my chest. I look over at Jake, and he’s just driving with a lazy smile on his face.
He turns to me and tilts his head. “You okay, babe?”
I nod, breathing harshly. I put a bright smile on my face even though my heart is pounding and my hands are clammy.
“Yeah. I think it was the cider. Too many bubbles,” I lie because it’s more like a panic attack.
He laughs and kisses my hand, looking back toward the winding road and enjoying the drive.
Meanwhile, I sit here, confused by this sensation. For a moment there, I thought I was dreaming.
Dreaming of a day where Jake and I were in love.
Dreaming of a forever.
Dreaming with our eyes wide open is dangerous. That’s when people fall apart. It scares the hell out of me.
“Do you mind if we take a detour?” he asks.
I nod even though I thought we were already on one. As if sensing I’m having a moment of unease, he lifts my hand to his lips and places a kiss on the top, giving it a squeeze. His body tilts slightly toward me as he drives. It makes me curl my leg under me and face him fully.
He pulls up to a cliff overlooking the valley. It’s vast and deep, beautiful with the orange glow of the early evening in the horizon. He lowers the windows in the car and opens his door. I do the same and get out, walking toward the edge.
The view is stunning, but I feel the heavy weight in my belly shift up to my heart. I take a deep breath of the sweet lake air.
Behind me, the music from his car is loud. A soulful melody plays, and he closes the door as he walks over to me.
“I’m going to do something super cheesy but ridiculously romantic,” he says, taking my hands.
I look at him quizzically. “Are you warning me for a reason?”
“I’m preparing you.” He pulls me close and wraps my hands around his neck. “To be utterly and tragically enraptured by me.”
I laugh out loud. “I love when you get all cocky on me.”
He kisses my nose. “I know.”
I follow his lead as he sways from side to side. His hands tighten on my lower back as he holds me closely.
“What brought this on?” I ask as we dance in the breeze.
“I just had a feeling you needed an interlude.”
He knows there’s something off with me. It’s comforting and frightening at the same time.
My body feels rigid, even as I mold myself against him. My chest rises as I take in a hard breath and lift my chin. That’s when I see it. The look in his eyes.
Those deep brown eyes are staring at me with an intensity that holds me, wraps me in a warm blanket, and pulls me in closer. There’s a crinkle in his eyes as he
