Tag You're Mine

by Catherine Charles

  A smile spreads wide across my face, and I know it must reach from ear to ear. “Did you really?” She nods and kisses my chest.

  “I can't stand the idea of going to school without you. Please tell me you’re happy about this.”

  “Pres I’m ecstatic! I never expected you to even consider it.”

  Rolling her on her back, I straddle her hips. I lean my body over hers, cupping her face and peppering kisses on her cheeks and down her neck. She giggles, pulling Kringle out of his sleep, and soon he joins in on the fun too, hopping back and forth between the two of us, placing rough puppy kisses on both our faces. This may honestly be one of the best days of my life.

  “Come on, you two. Breakfast.”

  Kringle hops off he bed and waits by the door; Presley stares up at me as I drink her in. “Let’s go. It’s only a matter of time before one of them comes in here.”

  *****

  After breakfast, Robert and I excuse ourselves and move into the living room. Kringle is curled up in a ball next to the fireplace while our mothers and Gram start preparing stuff to take over to Diane’s for tonight’s dinner.

  “Take a walk with me?” I whisper.

  “Everything okay?”

  I nod. “Yea, I want to talk to you away from listening ears.” If one thing has become clear, it’s we’re never alone. Robert follows my gaze to the kitchen and nods his understanding.

  “Go, get dressed, and I’ll meet you outside.”

  I pet Kringle and quickly get changed: skinny jeans, with calf-high fur-lined snow boots, a red pullover thermal, my heavy military green down jacket, and a red knit beanie. I’ve learned my lesson about going out in the woods unprepared for the sudden weather changes this area is known for.

  Linking my arm through his, we head off into the woods following a wide horse trail. “So, about this morning. Our mothers. It’s weird, right?”

  Robert doesn’t say anything. The crunch of snow underfoot is the only sound.

  “I mean, we couldn’t actually end up marrying each other, could we?”

  Again another hesitation. Step by step, it seems as if a huge weight has been placed upon us before he stops, standing in front of me, looking unsure of himself. “Why couldn’t we?”

  “Robert, come on. We’re eighteen.”

  “So? Do you know how old Gramps was when he figured out Grams was it for him?”

  I don’t know much about my grandparents’ relationship, so I shake my head no.

  “He was five, Presley. Five. No one is saying we get married now, but someday. That it’s a possibility for us.”

  “But what about school and making our own way in the world. Do you have any idea how much we’ll change in the next few years? We won't be the same people we are now. There’s so much neither one of us has gotten to do yet. There are things I want to do before I decide to settle down, Robert. And if I’m being honest, all this talk of grandpups and marriage, the way you hold me in front of them, the way they let us do whatever we want whenever we want, is kinda freaking me out. Other parents have rules and there are boundaries.”

  “We have rules, Presley.”

  “Yeah. Don’t get pregnant because we aren’t raising your kid for you. It’s not exactly a rule, but more of an action consequence type thing.”

  “I’m sorry I got you the dog, Presley. I’ll take him back with me if you aren’t ready for him.”

  “No!” He turns away from me and I’m left kicking myself. Why couldn’t I have left it alone? “Robert, I love Kringle, it’s, it’s a lot to grasp my mind around.” I know he’s upset, but he’s still here, and we’re having this discussion.

  “Presley,” he turns back to face me. “Tell me why we can’t try those new things together? Why do you feel like you need to be alone to do them?”

  I don’t have an answer for him.

  “And I’m sorry if I’m overly affectionate towards you. If it bothers you that much, then I’ll stop. But you have to know when I thought I lost you, I knew I never wanted to spend another day without you. I’m in this a hundred and ten percent. I even told Coach to put South Carolina on my scout roster.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t say anything because I don’t know if anything will come of it, but like you, the thought of going to school without you is something I can't do. It’s something I won't do. And look, our mothers concocted this crazy plan back when we were three, not knowing we would be forced apart. But we found each other, Presley. That has to have some merit. If it doesn’t work out, then we can at least say we tried. But if it does—we’ll have one hell of a story to tell our kids and our grandkids and if we’re lucky enough, our great grandkids.”

  “Our moms aren’t stupid women, and if Gramps is on board with it, then they might actually be onto something, because let’s face it, he can be scary as hell. Yes, it’s strange and unconventional, but it could also be the absolute best thing to happen to either of us.”

  I stand there staring at him before starting my way back towards the house.

  “Are you gonna say something?” he shouts after me causing me to freeze. He’s right on so many levels, but I don’t know how to process everything he’s told me. I hear his boots crunch on the snow making their way towards me. His hands grip my shoulders, running slowly down my arms before turning me around.

  “I’m processing everything,” I can't manage more than a whisper.

  His lips meet mine, his tongue strokes along my bottom lip, begging me to open. Timidly I break the seal, allowing him full access to my mouth. His tongue is thrust into me as he pulls me closer to him, holding my head in his hands as if it were a glass bowl, delicately, urging our kiss to move deeper. He is gentle and loving, emotions spilling from every pore on my body. My head swirls, my eyes water, a smile plays on my lips as my knees give out. I cling tightly to his jacket, and he pulls back from me to capture this moment, one too large for words.

  “Tell me you don’t feel it too, Presley.” His eyes frantically searching mine. As much as I want to pretend it didn’t have a searing effect on me, I can't. Admitting my growing feelings towards him only makes this situation more real.

  “You feel like home.” I whisper.

  He sips at my lips, and again I lose all strength. He is my forever.

  “Come on. We should probably get back. I’m sure they’re wondering where we are.”

  Leaning into him, we slowly make our way back to the house. My arms wrapped tightly around his, and my head rests on his shoulders. I can feel his smile against my skin each time he attempts to kiss my forehead.

  “So, are you really still a virgin?” A perfect moment ruined once again by my mother.

  I let go of Robert and quicken my pace. He chuckles behind me, his walk turning into a jog.

  “Woman, will you quit running away from me.” I feel his sturdy hand wrap around my wrist as he spins me around towards him. I can't hold his gaze out of embarrassment. Finding a spot in the snow, I fixate on it. “Pres, it’s not a bad thing. I just want to know what I’m getting into with you.”

  “Getting into? Geeze you make it sound as if I have some kind of disease, Robert. I’m a virgin, not a leopard. You know not every girl has the need or the desire to give it up to any guy who pays her a compliment and makes her feel special.” I roll my eyes at him while crossing my arms against my chest. Forget the openness I felt with him.

  “Pres, you know that’s not what I meant. I want to make sure I do this right. That we do this right. Knowing you saved that part of yourself is actually a huge turn on, but also a little intimidating. It’s a lot of pressure for a guy. I want to be the one making you feel things you’ve never felt before. I want to be the one curling your toes and leaving you panting for air. Not just some guy you slept with once. I don’t want your first time to be forgettable.”

  Oh, my heart. My ovaries. He’s thought about this moment between us and what it means to me, and I suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious. “
I’m sorry I won't be as experienced as the others you’ve had.”

  “Others?”

  “It’s fine, Robert. I don’t want to know about them or your number. I mean, you’re the captain of a championship baseball team. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of girls throwing themselves at you over the years.”

  He takes a deep breath and holds my attention. “Yes, they have, but I haven’t slept with any of them. Just like you, I was waiting for something more.” I’m slightly shocked. “We’ll do this thing together when the time is right for us both.”

  Placing the tiniest kiss on my nose, I trust him. There may have been other girls, and other things may have happened between them, but I believe him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  School started back up, and Senioritis is in full force. Everyone has a countdown of some kind going. For some, it’s spring break, for others, it’s graduation. For Robert, it’s the first game of the season and for Liv, it’s prom and coordinating outfits.

  I’d been smart my entire high school career, pushing myself hard for the first seven semesters, so in my final semester, I could relax and take it easy. Baseball season is about to start in a couple of weeks, which means Robert usually has practice after school. I take the bus home most afternoons, occasionally, Liv will give me a ride.

  “So double date on Friday night? Trey and I have yet to do anything. The big goof asked me out but has yet to actually take me out.”

  “Yea. Sounds fun. Where do you want to go?”

  “Who knows. Anywhere would be fun, but I actually want Trey to plan something. You know, put a little effort into this relationship. Are you and Brice going to winter formal?”

  “He hasn’t mentioned anything to me about it.”

  She laughs at me, and I’m baffled. “Girl you ask him to formal. It’s a Sadie Hawkins dance. And you better do it soon. It’s in two weeks. Haven’t you seen all the proposals going around?”

  “I guess I haven’t paid attention to them. How did you ask Trey? I’m assuming you did ask him.”

  She grinned and became all sorts of giddy. “I filled his car with balloons and then wrote it out on his front window, ‘Trey, will you go to formal with me?’” her arm arcs across a make-believe windshield. “Then, I only gave him one option. I put a large check here box with the word yes next to it. I wasn’t giving him the option of saying no.” She laughed. It was perfect Olivia. “Any ideas on how you’re gonna ask Brice?”

  “Well, since you told me about it two seconds ago, I haven’t had time to think of something elaborate, but I have an idea I think he’ll love.”

  “Okay, well, let me know if you want any help. Gotta get to class. See you in choir.” She waves goodbye and heads off down the hall.

  I quickly send Robert a text to find out if he has practice tonight, asking if it would be okay to stay and watch him. He sends back a smiley face emoji and says he’ll drive me home afterward and lets me know how much he misses me. We spent every day together over break and now we only get a chance to see each other during lunch. It’s been an adjustment not getting to see him as often. “I miss you too. See you soon.” Step one of my plan is in motion.

  I finish out my classes and then make my way down to the baseball fields, picking a spot in the bleachers to sit and watch him practice pitching. I don’t know much about baseball, but it’s easy to tell he’s terrific.

  After practice is over, he puts his stuff away, and we walk to his truck together.

  “You looked really good out there.”

  “You’re being sweet cause you think I’m hot.” He laughs as he bumps into my shoulder. I can't believe how self-assured he is.

  “Get over yourself!” I push away from him, but he holds me firmly against his side.

  “Coach seems to think we should do really well this season.”

  He opens my door, and I climb inside the truck, lifting the center console and sliding into the middle seat while he gets in on the driver’s side. It’s these little moments where I realize just how much I miss him, his touch, his smell, and I find myself thinking about him way more than I probably should. He hasn’t been by the house since school started back up, except on the weekends, but I need him to come inside if my plan’s gonna work.

  “You know I’m not the only one who misses you. Kringle misses you too. Do you have time to come in and play with him?”

  He sighs and puts the truck in drive. “Just for a little bit. I’ve got a history test tomorrow I need to study for.”

  “You know if you need help, I could always tutor you.”

  “I might just take you up on your offer; however I’m not sure how much studying would actually get done.” He waggles his eyebrows, and I can't even be serious with this man as he shoots me a mischievous grin.

  “God! Do you ever stop thinking about sex?”

  Laughing, he replies, “What! I’m a horny teenage guy with a hot ass girlfriend. If I didn’t think about it, I would think something was wrong with me. So yes, I think about sex and baseball, of course.”

  “Oh, of course.” I roll my eyes but can't quite stop blushing at his response.

  “You know I love it when you blush.” A smile creeps across my face, and the heat in my cheeks only intensifies as I snuggle in against him for the rest of the drive.

  “Kringle. Come here, boy.” Puppy paws skid down the hallway as Kringle races straight towards me, turning the second he sees Robert and jumps all over him.

  “Hey boy, I missed you too. Are you taking good care of your momma?” Kringle barks back as if he knows exactly what Robert is saying. “Good boy.” He scratches him behind the ears, and they head outside.

  “I’ll go get his ball.” Making my way back to my bedroom, I grab Kringle’s ball and write, “Winter Formal?” on it before going outside, making sure my palm is over the writing.

  “What took so long? I was about to come find you.”

  “It was under my bed.” I hold the ball up, getting Kringle’s attention before throwing it. “Go get it, boy.”

  Kringle runs at full speed, chasing the ball. “Bring it here, boy.” I’m fortunate enough to have a dog who listens incredibly well. Robert helped me train him over the break. He is such a smart puppy.

  I watch as Robert bends down and takes the ball out of Kringle’s mouth. As he prepares to throw it, he stops mid-throw and notices the writing on it. He looks back at me as I chew on my thumb, trying to contain my smile.

  “Pres, you know I would love to go with you.” Kringle looks at Robert and then to the ball almost as if he is willing it to go sailing through the air so he can chase it. Robert moves towards me, kisses me with such longing, I feel as if my heart is about to break. “I really have missed you; you know that right? This isn’t just hard on you, but me too.”

  “I know. We’re both busy right now. You have baseball, and soon I’ll have choir competitions and extra rehearsals. But you’re here now, so let’s enjoy the time we have.”

  We play with Kringle for a few more minutes, Robert’s arms wrapped firmly around my waist as my head and back rest against his chest. I’ve gotten used to being more affectionate towards him in front of our parents, and now being away from him doesn’t seem normal.

  “Hey, you two. Come on in. I brought dinner home.” I hadn’t even realized Mom had come home early.

  “Sounds great, Mrs. D. Be right there.” He kisses my temple before we head inside.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Olivia is spending the weekend out at the ranch with me while her parents go out of town. Today we’re finally going on our double date, and though the guys haven’t told us where they’re taking us, they did ask us to dress warm and to be ready by nine in the morning. We had the day off from school and decided to put it to good use. The thought of spending the entire day with Robert sent butterflies soaring in my stomach.

  Liv looked in the mirror one final time to check her outfit. “How do I look? She’s in a cream V-neck thermal swea
ter, black skinny jeans with calf-high grey fur-trimmed snow boots, and army green utility parka. The fur trimming the hood of her jacket matches the fur on her boots, and she’s lightly curled her blond hair. She is snow bunny perfection. “I can’t believe it’s an outside date. I hate the cold. Do you know what it could be?”

  “No clue. Brice hasn’t told me anything, but I trust him. Think of it this way—the colder you get, the more you’ll get to snuggle up next to Trey.”

  Her eyes light up at the prospect of getting closer to Trey. “At this rate, I’ll be in his clothes after an hour. You do know it’s like twenty degrees outside right now. And snowing.” She looks outside and a frown forms on her pretty little face.

  I am silently laughing at her misfortune. “Liv, trust him, and try to have fun today.”

  I finish getting ready just in time to hear Robert’s truck pull up the gravel drive. Pulling on my long black parka and white knit beanie with a brown fur poof ball on top, I follow Kringle down the hall and out the front door. I’m not sure which one of us is happier to see him. Kringle runs to Robert before I even get outside and I watch as they play together.

  “Hey boy,” he laughs as Kringle hops on his hind legs trying to give kisses. Robert squats down and roughly rubs his fur, baby talking to him while I take in the sight before me. “I’ll play with you later tonight, but right now, I’ve gotta spend some time with your momma, alright?” Kringle whines, looking back at me and then back to Robert, his head tilted off the side as he paws at Robert’s feet. “I know. But she had my heart first.” He looks at me and gives me a smile causing the already present butterflies to multiply.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He stretches his hand out to me, pulling me into his chest before placing a tender kiss on my cheek.

  “Aww. Mommy and Daddy are so perfect.”

  I instantly feel my cheeks heat up as I bury my face into Robert’s chest, his arm casually draped across my back. A deep thwack causes me to turn my head in time to see her backhand Trey in the chest.