Chapter 57:
Jessica's POV:
Nick and I walked, hand in hand, to a shaded area under a tree and sat down. I leaned against him and the tree and closed my eyes. I could feel him breathing hard. We were both still a little out of breath from the chase. I didn't care, though. I just enjoyed being with him.
I remembered that I still needed to talk to him, and the butterflies returned. I opened my eyes and looked at Nick, but his eyes were shut.
"Hey, Nick?" I said, forcing myself to speak before I changed my mind.
"Yes, Jessi?" He opened his eyes and looked at me.
"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Nick looked at me concerned. "What is it?"
I just looked at him for a moment, not sure what to say next.
"I love you so much." I said. The concern on Nick's face vanished. "And the other night when I couldn't sleep, you were there to comfort me. You didn't even hesitate letting me on your bed."
"That's because I love you too. With all my heart." Nick took my hands and I felt a little better.
"I-" I was so nervous, I wasn't sure I could get the next words out. I wasn't sure how he would react. I took a deep breath and quickly continued before I changed my mind. I looked down at our hands. "I think I'm ready to take our relationship to the next step."
I looked up and saw a look on Nick's face that I've never seen before. I didn't know what that look was, but it gave me comfort.
"Jessi, nothing would make me happier." He slowly took his hat off of me and tucked my hair behind my ear. "I love you so much and I want to show you just how much."
I smiled at him and he placed his hand behind my neck, gently pushing me in for a kiss. I put my hands in his hair and deepened the kiss, not wanting it to ever end.
Nick licked the bottom of my lip, asking for entrance. I gladly accepted and our tongues wrestled. I suddenly remembered we were in public and slowly pulled away. Nick pressed his forehead against mine, as if he couldn't stand not touching me. We looked in each others eyes and I smiled. Nick already had a huge grin on his face.
