And, afterwards, we lay in silence on the blanket, listening to the sounds of nature and staring up at the stars. Side by side, we held hands, half clothed, whole hearted. He’d thrown his shorts on, and I’d put my T-shirt on, but that was as far as we’d gotten before collapsing back onto the blanket in a post-sex fog. Thankfully, he’d packed a second blanket, so we were covered from prying eyes and cool temperatures.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked, finally breaking the silence. His voice was laced with worry.

I shifted until I was resting on his chest, gazing up at him. His eyebrows were drawn tight, and his jaw was clenched. It was endearing.

“Honestly? A little bit. Especially at first. I mean, you’ve been using your fingers for two years.” I took his hand and toyed with his fingers. “And these things are pretty big. But they have nothing on your cock, so yeah, it hurt a little bit. But it didn’t last long.”

“My what?” he asked.

“Your cock.”

“What?” he repeated. “I couldn’t hear you over the waves.”

I grinned. “More like you couldn’t hear me over the size of your ego swelling.”

“Actually, I just really wanted to hear you say cock again. It’s sexy as hell, Sierra. Where’ve you been hiding that dirty mouth?”

I leaned up to kiss him. “I guess you just bring the best out of me,” I whispered. “And now that you’ve officially made me a woman, who knows what’s going to happen next?”

He pressed a kiss to my lips then rolled us until we were on our sides. His arm slipped around my waist, and he held me close to him. “Lucky for me, I have the rest of my life to find out.” His expression softened, and his eyes darted back and forth between mine. “Thank you, Sierra.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you thanking me?” I asked, because after the way he had made me feel that night, I should’ve been the one thanking him.

“For having good taste in mutant reptiles.”

I laughed, snuggling up to him to steal some of his warmth. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

“I love you, Jeremy. More than I ever thought possible.”

“I love you, too, baby. I have from the moment you stood on the top of that step. I’ve never stopped. I never will.”

We held each other close as sleep overtook us.

Jeremy was right. Even though we’d spent a decade loving each other, our lives were about to begin, and they’d never be the same. And they were going to twist and turn and change in ways we’d never imagine. But, if we held on to each other, held on to our love, we could get through anything. There was no question about it.

I mean, we were Jeremy and Sierra. I loved all of those fictional characters, but the truth was no one had anything on us. And they never would.

WHEN I WAS EIGHT years old, I met the girl I knew I was going to marry. You’ve heard this already a time or two, so I’ll save you the long-winded speech about how pretty I thought her freckles were or how excited I was to meet a girl who liked Michelangelo as much as I did.

What I hadn’t known was that, ten years later, I’d be making love to that girl in the very spot in which we’d met.

What I hadn’t known was how terrified I’d be when that moment finally came.

What I’d had no clue of was that, as soon as I sank into Sierra’s sweet depths, I would be a man renewed.

I’d had hopes of going all the way with Sierra on graduation night. Not because it was a momentous occasion, but because she’d been dropping me hints here and there. So I’d packed up a picnic basket filled with champagne, fruit, and my boom box, ready to spend the night with my girl listening to the smooth sounds of soulful ’90s R&B music that could put anyone in the mood. And in the mood, it put us.

As soon as Sierra’s tight walls clamped around my dick, I knew that this is what I’d been waiting for. I hadn’t wanted a quick, frantic fuck in my bedroom, hurrying to be done before our parents got home. I hadn’t wanted the cliché hotel room on prom night, with fumbling fingers. I hadn’t known what I wanted.

I knew now.

It was Sierra telling me that she was ready, that she wanted to give herself to me. All of herself. It was holding the tip of my erection just inside her, gazing down into the depths of her beautiful eyes as I tried to convey just how much I loved her. Words would never have been enough. I had to show her with my actions, and even still, I was so frantic with worry that I’d hurt her that I had a hard time moving forward.

At least, I did until my sweet Sierra slid her fingertips up my spine and asked me to make love to her.

So I did.

I went as slowly as possible even though I had the primal urge to slam into her over and over and over again. The time would come for that, but at that point in time, there was no way in hell I was doing anything to hurt her.

Eventually, her whimpers turned into soft moans, and it wasn’t long before I was releasing into the condom, my face in her neck as I muttered her name.

The fond memory was one I’d always remember. It had been three weeks since we’d lost our virginities to each other, and the following three weeks were equally as, if not more, incredible than that first night. Sierra had needed a few days before she was ready to go again, and I can proudly announce that, during our second time together, my name was on her lips when she came. Since then, she’d become ravenous, as if she were trying to make up for lost time whenever we could sneak down to the beach or found ourselves alone in one of our houses.

I didn’t mind one bit. In fact, I was on my way to get her so we could take an overnight camping trip to Defuniak Springs, where I was looking forward to making love to Sierra in the very tent we used to sleep in when we were kids.

What could I say? She’d unleashed a monster.

As I crossed the yard to Sierra's house, I was nearly plowed over by a tear-stained and grief-stricken Lexi. When I called out to her to try to stop her, the only response was a hiccupping sob. A frown formed on my lips as she took off in a full sprint towards the neighborhood gazebo.

With a shrug, I turned back to the house and gave a short knock before entering. The second I walked in, I knew something was wrong. At the time, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the reaction from Lexi and the blanched, guilty looks on Sierra's parents’ faces caused my heart to skip a beat—and not in a good way.

Sierra was sitting on the edge of the couch, biting her lip. She wasn't looking at me. In fact, no one was. It was as if I'd interrupted some sort of family meeting.

"Who died?" I asked jovially, trying to make light of whatever I'd just walked into.

Only, this time, no one laughed. Hell, I didn't even get a smile. Not one crack. Instead, Sierra's lower lip trembled and a wave of unease washed over me.

Fuck. Had someone actually died?

My eyes raced from my girlfriend to her parents, hoping for some sort of tell. I got nothing. They still weren’t looking at me.

"Okay, Sullivans. You're freaking me out a little bit. What's going on?" I asked.

Sierra sighed deeply and swallowed hard before rising to her feet. Her eyes flicked to her parents and then back to me. She had the same tear stains on her face.

"We're moving."

Talk about ripping the Band-Aid off.

I blinked.

I swallowed.

I blinked again.

All the while my heart was racing and my blood pressure was rising.

Sierra bit her cheek as she watched me, waiting for my response.

Well. Hell.

This was certainly unexpected.

"We are?" I finally asked, not missing the way both of her parents’ heads snapped in my direction. They obviously hadn’t been expecting that response.