"I'm gonna walk Annabel outside to meet Prince," Evan said after we finished the ice cream his dad scooped into bowls for us. (Mr. Hunt actually offered me a cone, if you can believe that. What kind of family keeps ice cream cones in their pantry? They claimed they were there for the grandkids, but I just counted it as another example of how amazing they were.)
Evan let the dogs inside when we went out to see Prince, whoever that was.
"Who's Prince?" I asked.
"He's right over here," Evan said, pointing.
It was dark out, so it was difficult to see for sure, but it looked like a water feature of some sort. As we got closer, I could see that a waterfall was cascading over some rocks into a pond. There were ferns and flowers, and it was beautifully built and landscaped.
"My dad made me help him build this years ago when he was trying to convince me I should build koi ponds for a living."
"Are there koi in there?" I asked, even though we weren't quite close enough to peer in.
"Yeah, but we have to come over here first." He tugged on my arm to get me to follow him to a shed that sat in the corner of the yard. He opened the shed door and went inside. I stood in the doorway to let in what little light there was outside. "There's a light in here, but I know what I'm looking for," Evan said, grabbing something off a shelf. He brought down a white, plastic tube and began opening the screw-top lid.
"Food?" I asked, putting the pieces together.
He smiled and nodded as he reached out to take my hand. My heart skipped a beat at his touch despite how brief it was. He poured a small amount of the food into my hand before taking some for himself, screwing on the lid, and stashing the container on the shelf again.
"Prince is either a koi fish or a frog, and I assume we're about to feed him," I said.
"He's a fish, but I like the idea of a frog being named Prince. That's good," Evan said, smiling at me as we walked toward the pond.
"I thought since his name was Prince, he might be one," I said.
He laughed. "That'd be a great name for a pet frog, but this Prince is just an old fish." He stooped down next to the edge of the pond and held out a piece of food between his thumb and forefinger.
Before I knew what was happening, a fish's head emerged from the darkness, and a gaping hole appeared where his mouth opened. I watched in awe as Evan dropped the food into the fish's open mouth. It was gigantic. The round, open mouth could have easily fit a baseball inside. Okay, so maybe not a baseball, but at least a ping-pong ball—easily a ping-pong ball.
It gently opened and closed onto Evan's fingertips as he gave it bits of food. I was so enthralled by watching the fish eat that I hadn't even realized I was holding on to Evan's shoulder. He glanced at my hand and then up to meet my eyes with a smile.
"That thing eats right out of your hand," I said.
He continued smiling as he nodded.
"Does it hurt?" I asked.
"Not at all," he said, "He's really gentle."
I made a face like the whole idea seemed a little scary to me. "I wasn't raised with brothers," I said. "I can handle a dog, but I've never been too keen on fish, or bugs, or lizards. I love him and everything," I said, pointing to Prince, "but I'll just toss the food in from here if it's all the same to y'all."
"Is it all the same to you?" Evan asked, in a completely serious tone, aiming his question at Prince. He stared at the pond for a few seconds as if waiting for Prince's response before glancing back at me with a regretful expression. "He said he'd rather you feed him," Evan said, shaking his head slightly. "I just don't think there's any way to get around it."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Can't you just do it and say it's from me?"
He laughed. "I'm afraid he'll have his feeling's hurt." He stood and positioned me in front of him before guiding my hand to the edge of the pond. He was right behind me, holding my hand in his so that we could do it together. I would have done just about anything to stay in that position, including stick my hand in a hungry fish's mouth.
"I'm scared," I whispered, turning my head into his chest a little as if I couldn’t bear to look.
"Don't be," he said, urging my hand down to the surface of the water.
"Is it gonna hurt?" I whispered, as I anxiously waited for it to be over.
Evan used his free hand to squeeze me. "Would I let you get hurt?" he asked.
I cringed when I first felt it, but he was right, it didn't hurt at all. Prince was an extremely gentle eater. It felt a bit like dropping pellets into a sweet, little, wet vacuum cleaner that opened and closed delicately. I never dreamed I'd be saying this, but I had the most fun feeding that fish out of my hand. I felt like I wanted one of my own after that.
"He's beautiful in the day," Evan said. "You'll have to come back sometime when you can see him."
"I can tell he'd be bright," I said, trying to ignore the half-invitation.
I was thinking about how many countless times I wanted to come back over there when Evan said, "We do have a frog prince back here, though,"
"What?" I asked.
"There's really a frog prince back here."
"You mean like the story?" I asked.
Chapter 14
"Just like the story," Evan said.
There was some light shining into the backyard from the house and the moon, but Evan and I were standing in the shadows on the far side of the pond. The sound of the waterfall did nothing to mask the sound of my heart pounding in my own ears.
I knew what happened in that story, and there was a kiss involved. Judging by the way Evan smiled at me, there was no question that a kiss would be involved in this story, too. I had to think about breathing in and out as I looked at him. I loved his face; that was all there was to it. I wanted so badly to know what his mouth felt like—tasted like. I wanted to kiss his cheeks and his chin, and his nose and forehead. Was that part of the frog prince story?
"So, now you're telling me there really is a frog named Prince back here?" I asked, trying to stay on track and not get lost staring at him.
"Yes," he said, being totally serious. He took a step closer to me and was tall enough that I had to peer up at him.
"He's a big, ugly bullfrog with warts," he added, still smiling.
"I was enchanted for a second until you mentioned the warts," I said, laughing.
"He's got to have warts," Evan said. "If he was handsome there'd be no faith involved when you kiss him."
"Oh, so now I'm kissing this thing?" I asked, giggling.
"Uh-huh," Evan said with a smile as he nodded.
"And he's supposed to turn into a handsome prince, I presume?"
"Yep."
I looked all around us. "Where is he?"
"He's right over there," Evan said with a flick of his head.
I squinted into the darkness, but could see nothing that resembled a frog. I shook my head and took a deep breath as if I was contemplating something serious. "I just don’t know if I’m down for kissing a big bullfrog with warts," I said. "I'm not sure I could do that if I could barely feed a fish."
"That's a shame," Evan said, shaking his head like he was disappointed.
"I'll at least take a look at him," I said.
Evan continued to shake his head in that same disappointed manner, which made me ask, "What? Can't I look at him first before I decide whether or not I want to kiss him?"
"Where's the trust in that?" he asked, shrugging.
"I didn't know there had to be trust involved."
"Sure there does. What do you think turns him into a handsome prince?"
"So, I’m supposed to just kiss this warty old frog without ever seeing him first?" I asked.
"Yep."
"I don't think that's how the story goes," I said. "I think in the story, she talks to the—"
"I’m not talking about that story," he said, not letting me finish. "I'm talking about this other story that's kind of similar to that one."
"I don't think I can do it
," I said, shaking my head seriously like I just couldn't work up the nerve. "I've never been a big fan of frogs. Especially kissing them."
"Even if they turn into princes?" he asked.
"What makes you believe this certain frog in your backyard will do that?"
He shrugged. "Just a hunch."
I let out a long sigh as if the whole decision was weighing heavily on my heart. I was obviously hoping Evan would be the one kissing me, and I thought that might be the case based on the conversation up until now, but there was really no way to say for sure. I knew he was too sweet to do something mean, so I decided to trust him even though I wasn't positive I'd get my desired outcome.
"I'll try it if you promise he's not too warty," I said, somewhat reluctantly.
"He's not," Evan assured me.
"Where's this supposed to take place?" I asked, glancing toward the house to make sure we weren't being watched. It was impossible to tell, but I was sure his parents had better things to do than to spy on us through the window.
"Right here," he said.
"Okay, so what needs to happen?" I asked.
"You close your eyes, and I'll do the rest."
"I really don't care for frogs," I said, cringing a little as I closed my eyes. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, feeling nervous and vulnerable. My nerves had me wanting to smile, but I did my best not to so I wouldn't be tight-lipped when whatever was happening happened. "I'm nervous," I whispered.
I waited for him to answer.
"Don't be," he whispered back. I didn't just hear the words come from his mouth—I felt them. His mouth was so close to mine that I felt little puffs of air hit my lips when he spoke. I waited, with my eyes closed thinking surely he was about to kiss me, but nothing happened for a second or two, which seemed like an eternity. Then suddenly, I felt his lips touch mine. He touched me with great gentleness and let his lips remain perfectly still when they touched me.
I was tempted to open my eyes, but I didn't for fear that if I did, it would make him stop. He only left his lips on mine for a few seconds before they were gone again. I peered up at him through squinted eyes and saw that he had pulled back and his face was now several inches from mine.
"I don't think that was a frog," I said, breathlessly as I opened my eyes.
"What made you think it was gonna be a frog?" he asked in all seriousness.
I smiled. "I thought you said something about me kissing a big bullfrog and him turning into a prince."
He shook his head like he didn't know what I was talking about. "Nope. I'm pretty sure we don't have any frogs back here."
"So, you're saying I've been tricked?"
"I guess you can look at it that way, if you really had your heart set on kissing a big warty bullfrog."
"I didn't care about the frog," I said. "It was the prince I had had my heart set on."
He shrugged and made a regretful expression. "I'm afraid there are no princes back here either."
"Well something just touched my lips," I said. "I know I didn't dream that."
"You didn't," he agreed. "Something did just touch your lips."
"What was it?" I asked wide-eyed and in a manner so serious it was obvious that I was joking.
He pointed at his own mouth and regarded me with a tentative expression that said he was hoping I wouldn't be mad.
"Those kissed me?" I asked, looking distressed by the idea.
He shook his head remorsefully. "I'm sorry I tricked you," he whispered glancing downward.
I sighed, shook my head, and regarded him with a what am I gonna do with you expression. My arms were still crossed from when he kissed me, which only added to my look of disapproval. I could tell he was having a hard time continuing the charade without smiling.
"I promise I won't ever do it again," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. I started to continue joking around, but his last statement hit me like a ton of bricks. Regardless of whether or not he was joking, I hated hearing him say he would never kiss me again enough to break character. I put my hands on my hips and leveled him through narrowed eyes.
"That's a terrible thing to promise," I said, smiling through my squinted eyes.
He let out a little laugh as he reached out and grabbed me. He pulled me into his arms, causing me to step forward until we were standing about a foot apart. He rested his hand on my lower back, which sent shivers up my spine all the way to my head. I glanced up to find that (even in the near-darkness) his face was the perfect distance from mine to let me focus on his features. He smiled at me, and I returned it.
"You're not mad about not getting to kiss a frog that turned into a prince?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"You're not mad that I tricked you into kissing me?" he asked.
I shook my head again.
"Saying things like that is gonna make me do it again," he said, pulling me in and causing me to take another step toward him, closing the distance completely this time. Our bodies were close enough now that they brushed up against each other.
"Then I'll say it again," I said, feeling desperate to have his lips on mine again right that very second. "The only thing frustrating about the whole situation was that it didn't last longer."
He cocked his head at me. "Are you inviting me to kiss you again, Annabel?"
Hearing his voice say my name was too much. I swallowed because I couldn't speak right away. "I'm begging you to," I whispered, finally.
Evan used his free hand to touch the side of my face before letting it come to rest on the back of my head. I was staring into his endless, dark eyes as he smiled down at me. "This was exactly the outcome I was hoping for when I brought you out here to meet Prince," he whispered.
I smiled. "What?"
"This," he said, letting his lips come down on mine with more intention than he used earlier. I tilted my face up to kiss him back, but he pulled away. "And this," he whispered, letting his lips come down on mine again. "And this," he whispered when he pulled back again. He bent to kiss me yet again, but this time I let my mouth crack open, pulling his bottom lip into my mouth for a second before letting it go.
"Oh really?" I heard him ask, whispering against my lips. "Is that what's happening here?"
I barely had time to nod before he brought his lips to mine again, this time he drew my lip into his mouth sucking on it and letting his tongue run along the surface before releasing it again. I felt like we were connected when he brought me into his mouth, and that sent a crippling wave of love or desire or both washing over me. I wanted to tell him all sorts of crazy things like how much I loved him and how I wanted to spend every day of the rest of my life with him.
Thankfully, I was saved by the sound of the back door opening. "She was crying for you!" We heard his mom call from the doorway. We were standing a ways from the door, but she obviously saw our proximity with each other when she looked out because the next words out of her mouth were, "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I didn't know y'all…" she hesitated. "I'm sorry," she repeated ducking back inside the door. "She was crying for you, and I hated to…"
"It's fine, mom," Evan said. I had instinctually pulled back before his mom ever caught us, but Evan held me close using his hand on my back.
Christy glanced at us when he told her it was fine, and again, I flinched and he held me tightly.
"You like my new girl, or what?" he asked his mom from across the yard.
She laughed and shook her head at him. "I love your girl, Evan. She's a good one."
"How about her face?" he asked, turning to stare at me with a smile. "Did you see those dimples?"
I nudged him with my shoulder for putting his mom on the spot like that. How embarrassing.
"Her face is beautiful, son. I've always thought Annabel was a precious girl." She smiled at us over her shoulder as she was on her way into the house. "We'll be inside," she said.
I peered at him through narrowed eyes once the door had closed behind her. Cupcake was tr
ying to get our attention, but we both ignored her. "You're in trouble for making her say all that," I said.
"What?" he asked, laughing and shrugging it off. "I love your face, and I wanted her to talk about it."
I laughed. "You're funny," I said. My smile faded slightly as I stared at him, checking him out. I reached up and ran my fingertips over the line that ran over his eyebrow and cheek. "I love your face, too," I whispered. "I think it's the best face I've ever seen."
"Even all busted up like that?"
"The busted up part is my favorite."
Cupcake sat next to me and pawed at my leg, but I ignored her. Her paw was heavy and it dragged along my leg as she tried to get my attention, but I paid her no mind.
"What about this part?" he asked, bringing my fingertips to his mouth.
He held my hand tracing my fingers along the curves of his mouth. I watched as he did it, and it was perhaps the most wonderful thing I had ever seen and felt at the same time.
"Actually, it's all my favorite part," I said.
Chapter 15
Evan told me about his trip to Haiti when I spent the day with him. He was in Charlotte for three days after that, and we spent all the time we could together, but his trip snuck up on us. Before I knew it, he was gone again. Between his trip to Haiti and their family vacation to Myrtle Beach, he would be out of town for nearly three weeks, which might as well be a lifetime since I was already so attached. Thankfully, it was a busy time of year at the restaurant and the salon, so I had plenty to keep me occupied.
I talked to him every night while he was in Haiti. He told me about their work trying to get clean drinking water to one of the villages there, and I felt proud of him and inspired to do what I could to help people even from right where I was in Charlotte.
I ended up going to a women's shelter one night after work to talk to someone about doing a few free haircuts. I met one of the women while I was there, and she was absolutely thrilled to volunteer to be my first customer. She overheard me talking about what salon I worked at, and she almost cried at the thought of getting an expensive haircut. She told me it had been two years since she last had it done. I was humbled by how excited she was and grateful to Evan for inspiring me to get out of my little box and see what I could do to serve others.
It's About Time (Hunt Family #5) Page 10