My Girlfriend Bites (Young Adult Paranormal Werewolf Romance)

Chapter 46

Aiden

A robin sings, perched on some random tree in this random forest that has no name. I only know it as the forest I tried to kill myself in with a yellow rope and a broken heart. Fingers of sunlight pour through the green leaves. Velvet-soft grass brushes between my toes as I walk barefoot. A second pair of feet keep pace with mine as I hold Bree's hand. Today is an anniversary of sorts. A remembrance of the past and a celebration of the future. Our future.

I lay the picnic basket next to the rotted tree trunk I wobbled on top of during the worst night of my life. I can still feel that rope clinging to my neck, ready to bite the moment I jumped off.

Today, I didn't bring any rope.

Bree snaps a white table-cloth that we picked up at the dollar store. She drapes it across the trunk, covering the decay underneath. I grab two plates and put them on top of the trunk. It's a tight fit, but it'll work for our little celebration. We sit on the grass, taking out two bowls of salad we made up before coming out here. I squeeze a packet of blue cheese dressing all over mine. Bree's salad is filled with fresh spinach...on top of a pile of ham and bacon bits. After our salads, I bring out the box of chicken tenders we bought through the drive-thru at Ragin' Cajun. I've turned Bree into a fan of chicken, believe it or not. She can eat the tenders if she smothers them in sweet barbecue sauce.

It's a start.

"You know something? I don't think I've ever thanked you...for that night." I gesture to the branch that held the yellow rope.

Bree licks barbecue sauce from her lips, thinks about it, and brightens. "I should thank you. You're the dude who saved my whole family. Me and you are even." She tosses a small piece of chicken that bounces off my nose.

I flick a crouton at her. Bree catches it in mid-air. Gotta love those animal reflexes. Her eyes narrow. The wolf comes out to play. She tosses it at me, and it bounces off my forehead.

"Ouch." I joke.

"Like that hurt."

"Don't make me chase you through these woods."

She stretches her legs. "Like you could catch me."

"I bet I could."

Her eyebrows perk up as a devious smile curls up her lips. "Try it."

She's messing with me. The second I move, Bree will be halfway to the car. Still, it'll be fun to keep Bree honest.

I jump to my feet, hop over the stump, and fall on top of Bree.

What? She didn't even move!

I pin her down to the ground. Her amber eyes watch me with this fire inside them.

"Did I seriously surprise you?" I ask.

"Not at all. But you were assuming I didn't want to be caught." Bree relaxes as I keep her down.

Suddenly those wolf eyes give me flashbacks from that night in her bedroom when she wouldn't let me get up. I release her arms and roll over on my back, feeling the cool grass under my T-shirt. Bree snuggles against me. Her nails skate aimlessly across my chest. Her touch is the most soothing thing in the world.

And we lay there for a while.

Listening to the grass and the trees sway with the wind.

The sweet smell of spring fills the air as the warm sun coats our clothes and skin.

And I want it to last forever.

I want us to last forever.