Damage Control

Chapter 78

"Of course, my love," he murmured, planting a quick kiss on my forehead before standing up for his turn.

As soon as he grabbed his ball, he wasted no time swinging his arm back and tossing the ball down the lane with perfect bowling form, watching as it knocked down every single pin that stood. Once he got his hands on another ball, he did the same thing, knocking down every pin. On his third attempt, I'm convinced he purposely messed up, seeing that the ball went directly into the gutter as if he didn't try this time around for my sake.

"You didn't have to miss on purpose, Creed; now I'm definitely gonna win."

His eyebrows shot up in amusement as he walked towards me wearing a smirk. "Is that so?"

"Watch and see," I winked, sauntering past him.

I hit three strikes in a row during my next turn and smiled brightly when I looked over at Nathaniel, who had an impressed look on his face. We continued going back and forth, hitting strike after strike, but halfway through our match, Nathaniel had to take an important phone call that couldn't wait until our date was over, and during that time, I ended up on the phone with Stella chatting about her wedding taking place in two weeks. Nathaniel eventually came back profusely apologizing, but I quickly forgave him, wanting to happily continue our game as if nothing happened.

"I told you I'd win," I smirked once we were settled in the car on our way home after our intense match.

"You got lucky."

"Did I?"

"You did," he mumbled, reaching out and interlocking our fingers together as he continued driving with one hand.

"Whatever you say, Creed," I rolled my eyes playfully.

"What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," I whispered, gazing over at him with a soft smile.

The following two weeks were hands down the best time of my life, truly the happiest I've ever been. We went to different amusement parks, went kayaking, hiking, took long walks in parks, and had a picnic, I even took him to his first baseball game, which he didn't enjoy, but we ended up making bets on the outcome of the game which made it fun. We also went to a drive-in movie which almost ended in us having sex in the car again, but we chose against it when an elderly couple decided to park directly beside us. We even visited a wildlife sanctuary, something I always wanted to do, and it was the most amazing and rewarding thing I ever experienced.

During the late nights, we would drive around blasting music while I sang at the top of my lungs as Nathaniel watched me, enjoying the free concert. Other nights we would find random playgrounds and swing on the swings until we eventually got too tired to continue. When we weren't at playgrounds or riding around, Nathaniel would take me to small empty diners around town where his mother used to take him when he was younger, and we'd eat, laugh, and dance to whatever slow music was playing from the jukebox that night, cherishing each and every moment we spent together.

The memories Nathaniel and I created over the last two weeks were simply magical and enough to last me lifetimes.

It was now the night before Stella's wedding, and we were currently in Nathaniel's backyard laid out on a thick blanket on the ground, staring up at the beautiful starry night sky. My eyes fluttered shut as the warm night breeze blew through my hair gently, whipping past me and rustling the leaves on the trees above. I continued laying there in pure bliss, thinking about how perfect my life was now. I had amazing friends, an amazing job, and the most amazing, loving, and caring boyfriend I could ever ask for. After I lost Faye Industries, I thought it was the end, but in reality, it was just the beginning, the beginning of the life I longed for since I was younger.