“Oh really?” I could hear the delight and amusement in his question. “Well I think it’s time to not make it such a secret.”
I thought about his suggestion, and felt a wave of excitement and fear course through me.
“What are you doing today?” I heard myself ask him.
“Well actually, it happens to be my birthday today, but I hadn’t made any set plans yet.”
“Did you say it’s your birthday?” I wondered if I heard him correctly.
“Yeah. September 7th,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but it’s my birthday today too!”
“No shit!” He chuckled. “Wow, talk about a coincidence.”
“Yeah, I know.” I smiled at this revelation and wondered if this was a sign.
“So…” he paused, “let me guess, Connor probably has something special planned for you two to celebrate?” There was a hint of disappointment in his dry voice.
I frowned at the mention of Connor’s name, and everything that had happened earlier today came back to me. “No, Connor’s not in town right now.” I said flatly.
“Seriously?” I could hear the disbelief in Ethan’s voice. “Are you okay with that?”
“No, I’m not,” I said truthfully. “He was supposed to be here. We were supposed to go to Milburn Orchards. But he got held up in New York City for work.”
“Well that’s just ridiculous.” I could hear the outrage in his voice, and I smiled, feeling a sense of vindication that someone else felt the same outage I felt earlier this morning.
“Yeah.”
“Do you still want to go to Milburn?”
I thought about his question for a second. “No, I don’t.” As much as apple picking had sounded like fun, Connor had tainted the idea and left me with only bad memories of Milburn Orchards.
“Okay, Milburn’s out then.”
“What are you doing for your birthday?” I asked tentatively.
“Hanging out with you, of course,” he answered, his voice full of affection.
I smiled at how easy it was for him to make time for me and make me feel special. “What do you want to do today?”
“How about this? I’ll pick you up in half an hour and we’re going to do something exciting together to celebrate our birthdays.”
“What are we going to do?” I felt a surge of excitement as I wondered what he had in mind.
“I think it’ll be more fun if I surprise you.” I can hear the pleasure in his voice.
“I don’t know about that,” I said with hesitation.
He laughed. “Just trust me. I promise you, we’re going to have the best birthday you’ll remember to date.”
I made a face. “But I don’t remember any of my past birthdays to compare it to,” I reminded him.
“Exactly. So it’ll definitely be the best birthday you’ll remember.” He chuckled on the other end of the receiver. “I told you I’m a man of my word. Am I good or am I good?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his playful personality. As much as I had resisted him before, it was clear to me now why I had never really written him off. There was something comforting and genuine about him. He was straightforward and uncomplicated, and I never had to question how he felt about things. Maybe he’s what I need right now.
I took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay. Pick me up in half an hour.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
When I walked out of the house to meet Ethan thirty minutes later, he was leaning up against his Harley, looking devilishly sexy in his worn leather jacket, simple white t-shirt, and dark-washed jeans. The sexual allure that made him seem so self-confident was almost palpable in the air around him.
His dark brown eyes lit up the moment he saw me, and my breath caught when I saw his eyes roam down my body as I approached him.
“Ready for some fun, birthday girl?” His warm, seductive smile was devastating, feeling more intimate than a kiss.
“Hi.” I nodded, finding it hard to speak.
He outstretched his arms and pulled me into his hard chest for a hug, and as I disappeared into his protective embrace, I inhaled his scent and relaxed in the comfort of his nearness.
He drew in a deep, audible breath. “You smell amazing.” My skin tingled as I felt his breath against my neck.
After a few moments, I started to feel self-conscious and pulled away from him. I cleared my throat before meeting his intent gaze.
“So what are we going to do today?”
“Well it’s not a surprise if I tell you, now is it?” He grinned.
I made an exaggerated frown. “So when exactly am I going to find out then?” I bite my lower lip and wondered if he could detect my nervousness.
“Hop on.” He motioned to the bike. “You’ll find out when we get there.”
Once I got on the bike, he grabbed the extra helmet and put it over my head. Then he paused and stared at me intently. There was something tender about the way he looked at me, as if he was trying to remember every detail of my face before it was too late.
“Ready?” I asked as I shifted in the seat, pretending to not notice his fixed gaze on me.
A warm smile spread across his face. “Do you know how cute you look on a bike?” He tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ears.
“Thanks.” My face grew hot and I forced a smile. I wasn’t sure why I felt so nervous, but I felt my eyes studying the way his lips moved when he spoke.
He got on the bike in front of me and leaned back to check on me one last time. “Ready?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
“Hold on tight. I won’t mind.”
I wrapped my arms around his torso, and my hands felt his powerful well-muscled body as the engine of the bike roared to life.
After about twenty minutes, we turned into a small rough gravel road that led into a wide open field.
I frowned, unsure of why we were here. But then I gasped and a wave of panic instantly paralyzed me when my eyes landed on the sign against the building at the end of the parking lot. Freefall Adventures Skydiving School.
“Surprise!” Ethan parked and got off the bike. He removed his helmet as he turned to look at me.
I stared at him blankly with wide eyes and then back at the sign. My face must have been ghostly pale because Ethan’s smile faded a little as he helped me remove my helmet.
“I know this is completely different from a day of apple picking at Melburn Orchards, but I thought it’d be something that’d be memorable and fun for you to do on your birthday.”
“So…we’re skydiving?” I asked him tentatively.
“Yeah, it’s a little crazy, but it’ll be fun!” He encouraged excitedly. “You can check it off from your bucket list.”
“My bucket list?” I was still dazed from the surprise.
He let out a warm laugh. “Yeah, skydiving’s usually on people’s bucket list of things they want to do before they die.”
Hearing him talk about death made me feel queasy. My chest heaved up and down as I tried to breathe. “I’m not sure, Ethan.” I look at him apologetically. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed them gently. “Don’t worry, Liv,” he reassured me. “I would never pressure you to do anything you didn’t want to do. I just wanted to bring you here as an option. I thought it’d be something you’d really enjoy. I’ve done this a number of times here, and it’s completely safe and I trust the instructors here. You wouldn’t be skydiving on your own. It’d be a tandem jump and you’d be strapped onto an experienced diver, so nothing will go wrong. I’ll even personally prepare and check the parachutes you and your instructor will be using.”
“You will?” I met his tender gaze and tried to think through the paralyzing fear.
“You can trust me. I promise.” He gave a reassuring nod. “I’m a certified diver, and I’ve been coming to this place ever since I moved here five years ago.”
“I…” I felt slightly sick to my stomach at the thought of skydiving. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t sure this was a good idea. It was too sudden, and I wasn’t as adventurous as he seemed to be. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t ready for this.