Autumn Awakening (7 page)

When our alarm clock goes off the next morning, I am overjoyed to climb out of bed. And that’s pretty much the opposite reaction I have on any other morning. I sit up and throw the blankets off me and then lean over to Jace’s nightstand and turn of his phone alarm. He’s already in the bathroom, brushing his teeth.

“Good morning,” he says, walking out of the bathroom in nothing but his boxers.

“Happy anniversary,” I say, grinning as his arms slide around my waist and he pulls me in for a hug.

“Happy anniversary,” he whispers back, his lips on mine. He tastes minty and perfect and we kiss a few more times before I pull away. “I have something for you.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow.

Jace reaches under his side of the bed and pulls out a small box wrapped in golden paper and tied with a bright purple ribbon. He hands it to me. “Thanks for being my wife for two years.”

“Jace!” I take the box, which is so beautifully wrapped that I kind of don’t want to mess it up. “Your present was taking me to Dallas. I don’t need anything else.”

“You needed this,” he says, his lips twisting into a smile. “Go on, open it.”

I peel off the paper carefully and find a black velvet box inside. Expecting jewelry, I am not surprised when I see a white gold chain necklace with a heart pendant. But the surprise comes in what’s on the pendant. I pick up the heart and run my thumb across the ridges in the metal.

“Is this . . . ?” I say.

“Fingerprints,” Jace supplies the word for me. He points to the left side of the heart. “That’s mine, and the other side is Jett’s.”

My eyes get watery. “You put your fingerprints into metal for me?”

He nods, a cheesy grin on his face. “We went to a jeweler. He cast our fingerprints in clay and then made a mold of it for the gold pendant. Cool, huh?”

I clutch the necklace in my hand and bring it to my chest. “This is so perfect. Your present is so much better than mine. I don’t even want to give it to you now.”

“Let’s see it,” he says. “I bet it rocks.”

I shake my head. “You’ll have to get dressed to see your present. It’s at the track.”

“Awesome,” he says, tugging on a pair of jeans. “Let’s get going.”

Since Jett is still asleep when we’re ready to leave, I just give him a kiss on the head and don’t bother waking him up. Julie swears he will be fine and I’ll just have to believe her. But with the way his grandparents spoil him, I don’t think he’ll even notice we’re gone.

Once we’re in the truck, I can’t stop touching the heart around my neck and thinking about how those two fingerprints belong to the two people I love the most in this world.

But as we near the track, I start getting nervous about revealing my present to Jace. It’s nothing compared to a personalized necklace but I guess I should have known all along that nothing I do can compare to his thoughtful gifts.

“Okay, I wish you could close your eyes but you’re driving so . . .” I say as we turn onto the county road where the track is located.

“Can I see it from the road?” Jace asks, lifting an eyebrow.

I nod. “Yep. That’s kind of the idea of the whole gift.”

“Now I’m intrigued,” he says, narrowing his eyes as he tries to focus into the distance.

I see the present before he does, because I know what to look for. My breath catches in my throat and a few seconds later, Jace gasps. He leans forward over the steering wheel as he gazes off to the side of the road. The truck slows down and his mouth falls open.

“Oh my god,” he says. “No way.”

We pull to a stop on the side of the road. In front of us, marking the gravel driveway of our new business is a massive white sign that’s been professionally designed and printed.

The Track – Motocross Training
is printed in a kickass rugged font. Below it are Park and Jace’s names and photos along with our website address and phone number.

I look over at him, trying to discern if he’s happy or not. “Do you like it?”

“Did you do this?” he asks, his eyes shining in the early morning sun.

I nod. “Happy anniversary.”

Jace’s seatbelt flies off and he slides over next to me. His strong hand wraps around my neck and he pulls me in for a kiss that’s passionate and crazy and perfect.

“I love it,” he says, cupping my face in his hands. “And I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” I gaze into his eyes and think of all the ways I’m grateful to have this man in my life.

Jace’s eyes close and he pulls me in for another hug. “I never want to live a day without you, Bayleigh Adams.”

“No worries,” I say, wrapping my arms around him. “You won’t have to.”

***

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Amy Sparling is the author of The Summer Unplugged Series, The Devin and Tobey Series, Deadbeat & other awesome books for younger teens. She also writes books for older teens and adults under the name Cheyanne Young.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

About the Author