Walk With Me

45. Walk With Me

The first stop on my Tommy-filled adventure is a very adorable Mom-and-Pop candy shop called Sugar Oaks. Get it? Oakwood...sugar? Adorable. Okay, maybe it's not that impressive but when you're on a Tommy-high, everything is extra cute, including the look on his face as he spins through the unicorn lollipops. Why is this so freaking cute? Because there's only one little girl who is currently obsessed with unicorns and the fact that he already has a bag in hand ready to fill it with sugary sweets for Mia, makes all the fuzzies take flight inside me.

"Should we get Mia just the pink and purple rock candy or should we get a rainbow of colors to go with the unicorn?"

I mean, come on. Am I the only one swooning here?

I take a step closer now, placing my arm in his as I take a better look at the options in front of me. "I love the idea of a rainbow," I smile, watching him ask the woman behind the counter for the array of colors.

She smiles sweetly, looking between the two of us. "How old is your daughter?"

I pull back slightly, glancing up to see Tommy's reaction. His eyes are already on mine as a small smile forms on his face. And there it is again...the fuzzies. He's not scared of that question, he's not tense or nervous, he's...happy.

I smile back, unable to keep it from taking a newfound residence on my face as I turn to look at the woman. "She just turned five."

"Oh, what a fun age!" she beams. "I'm going to throw in a few of our one of a kind lollipops. I use a secret ingredient that my grandkids absolutely love!"

She continues to tell us all about each and every grandchild as well as every candy she named after all of them. All the while, I can't seem to stop thinking about the way my arm feels linked with Tommy's. Or the way he laughs at the woman's jokes and adds a few of his own. How he continues to add to Mia's bag and pick out a few special treats for his nieces. He even gets a small box of chocolate for his mom. I know, right?

Once we have our bags, and I'm just about drooling from the sweet smells of sugar mixed with the hormones firing on all cylinders, we head down the sidewalk, stopping in front of a theater. It's one of the older theaters in town, full of more historical importance than actual curb appeal. The neon sign above spells out the word Oaks, and just below that are those letters that someone had to actually climb up and slide in, the words Top Gun displayed.

My eyes light up as I turn to Tommy. "Please tell me we're going there!" I shout like a schoolgirl.

He smiles, laughing at the giddy child falling out of me. "Yes, we're going there."

I do some ridiculous jump, because well, I'm embracing the high school giddiness, okay? It's called letting loose, having a good time. Oh, who am I kidding? It's called falling for a very handsome man who just so happens to be extremely talented with his hands, even more of an expert with his tongue, and we won't get into details on the other specialties he possesses. But more than that, he makes me laugh, makes me feel desired, like I'm the only girl he sees. And that means more to me than any searing passion burning inside me right now.

I watch as he buys the tickets, never once letting me go. It appears he's as glued to me as I am to him. Something I most definitely do not have an issue with.

Once in the empty theater, completely empty I might add, I pop open my bag full of candy, sorting through the best first option.

"So," I begin, taking a bite of licorice. "What is it about Top Gun that drew you in?"

His eyes flicker to mine, the thoughts and memories flashing across his eyes. Movies that hold your heart, that capture you in ways that you connect with on levels deeper than the top layer usually carry a more profound meaning. It's not just the humor or drama of a film, but something below the surface that you can relate to. I know what my reason is, and now I want to know his.