"Are you there yet?" Finlay asked in my ear.

I laughed and held the phone against my ear with my shoulder. I turned the vent away from me because I was very hot. "I think we're close."

"Me too," she said, and I could hear the sigh in her voice. "Can't I just be transported to where you're at?"

"I told you I would come with you if you needed me to," I said softly. I hoped Joshua wouldn't hear that. "I'll tell him to turn around and -"

"Gracie," she said with as much ferocity as a bird, "no. You have fun."

"You should too," I said, laughing. "Look on the bright side of things."

"Fine," she said.

Darkness surrounded the car as Joshua eased into the driveway of the large house. I couldn't help but notice that the apartment above the bakery could easily fit in it.

"Hey, we made it," I said to her. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Text me when you make it."

"Okay." She paused before saying, "Love you."

"Love you too."

"My family will probably be surprised that I brought someone," Joshua said, letting the car idle.

"Why?"

"I've never brought anyone before."

I was glad for the darkness as the blush spread across my cheeks. Something warm seeped into my bones as I said, "I must be special."

"Definitely."

He rubbed his thumb along my hand and chills ran through my body. Throughout the car ride, we were touching in some way or another. That made me very happy.

But his hand left mine, finding its way along the dash to shut the car off. I followed his movements with bated breath, using only the moon to see. He was beautiful in the moonlight. This was the first time that I really noticed that his eyes weren't as dark as I'd thought. The moon made it look like he had a halo around the iris, a ray of light in the dark.

"What was that?" Joshua asked, breaking me out of my trance.

"What?"

"You didn't hear that?"

"No. What was it?"

"It was -"

The car door flew open, revealing a person with a ski mask on. I yelped and my hand went flying. The pain was the thing that made me realize I actually hit someone.

"Shannon!" Joshua yelled. "Who else is out there?"

Laughter rippled through the air as a girl said, "Most of us are out here. Who do you think we are?"

Joshua grumbled something that I couldn't hear. A light appeared in my face and I used my hand to shield it.

"Who is this?" another girl asked. She sounded older than the first one.

Joshua sighed and said, "A friend."

I deflated a bit at that statement. I wanted our relationship to be more.

"She is hot!" a guy chimed in.

"Hey!" I said, embarrassment flooding my body.

"What? It's true!"

"Eddie, she is much more than just looks. She is nice and funny and amazing."

I smiled as murmurs echoed through the yard. Joshua touched my hand and whispered, "Don't listen to them. They are pretty crazy. Let's just get inside."

I nodded and got out of the car. Shannon closed the door for me and latched onto my arm. She looked about fifteen in the flashlight, but I wasn't sure. The other lady who spoke gave me a smile and said, "Welcome to the King Family Reunion. If Josh told you anything, it's that we are pretty -"

"Crazy. Yeah, he told me."

She laughed as another body stood next to me. His hand found mine and just by that touch, I knew it was Joshua. His hand was warm and enveloped mine.

"Josh, you didn't tell us you were bringing someone," the older lady said, directing her attention to him.

"I didn't think I needed to," he replied smoothly. "If I remember correctly, you smuggled Patrick here without telling anyone until we found you two making out at two in the morning."

She laughed again and pulled Joshua away from me. "It's good to see you."

He begrudgingly hugged her back as I stood with Shannon.

"He has never brought anyone here before," she whispered in my ear. "So you must be something to him. Other than friends."

I shrugged, wanting Joshua to be next to me again. I felt really awkward with that many people staring at me, and he, at least, made me feel welcomed.

"Let's get inside," someone else said. "We have a lot to do tonight."

I frowned as Shannon ushered me inside. What in the world could they possibly do at ten at night?

The light of the house was a stark contrast to driving in the dark for a few hours. The white walls didn't help that either, reflecting the bright lights. Before I could say anything, I was whisked through the mudroom to a hallway with a few doors scattered on the left and right. Shannon opened the first door on the right and said, "You and Josh will share this room."

"Uh -" But Shannon just pushed me in there and shut the door before I could say anything. "Thanks," I whispered.

The room was a little smaller than I thought. Maybe it was the large bed in the center, with two bedside tables next to it. A dresser was next to the door, across from the bed. Another door was attached to it, and I soon realized we had our own bathroom.

"I see Shannon got you here. She's my cousin, if you didn't know. The other one who talked to you was my sister, Jamie."

I turned around and smiled. Josh had both of our bags in his hands. "Thanks."

I grabbed mine, accidentally brushing his hand. I set it on the bed and opened it up. Most of my clothes were comprised of jeans and t-shirts, but I also brought a light brown dress that went to my ankles.

"What are you grabbing?"

"My pajamas."

My hands found them but before I could grab them, his arms wrapped around my waist. I let out a small scream as he lifted me into the air.

"What are you doing?"

"We're not going to bed yet. The night is still young."

He set me down, blocking my path to my beloved pajamas. "I'm exhausted, Joshua. I just want to go to bed."

He smiled but shook his head. "I don't think so."

"I don't think you can control me and my actions." I stepped closer to him and said, "Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to get in my pajamas and go to bed."

He grabbed my hand with his and started pulling me toward the door. "Where are we going?"

He turned to me, a grin spreading across his face. "This is my favorite part of the reunion."

I raised my eyebrows but let him continue pulling me outside to a closed in patio. There were doors that could most likely open to let in the air when it was day. Most of the lights were off, leaving only the hanging ones that were placed sporadically throughout the ceiling. This made me feel as if it was romantic. Especially with Joshua tugging me forward, and no one was outside.

"You see, Grace," Joshua said, glancing at me. We stopped walking and I stood next to him. "Whenever the adults go to bed, all the kids come out here to dance and just have fun."

"Without the adults watching?" I asked him and he nodded. "So it's kinda like Dirty Dancing."

Joshua laughed. "Yeah. That's actually where we got the idea. Jamie had just watched it and she made us all come out here. That first night we had so much fun. We all passed out at one point but it was the best day of my life."

I smiled. "I bet you had the best time."

The look on his face made me so happy. He had a grin drawn across his handsome face, and he was glowing.

"And now I want you to have the best time of your life," Joshua said, facing me. "I want you to have fun. Let loose."

I shook my head. "I don't dance. Especially around other people. Besides, I should just go -"

"Grace." He placed his hands on my shoulders, bringing me closer to him. "Please."

I stared up into his dark eyes and felt myself cave in. There was something about him that made me say yes. That was okay with me because I loved being around him.

"Okay."

"Yes!"

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around me. His strong arms gently held me against his chest, and I joined in on the laughter. He pulled back from me, a serious face replacing his grin. He trailed his finger across my cheek, bringing it to rest against the back of my neck. My heart sped up at the look in his eyes.

"Thank you," Joshua whispered. His breath blew across my face, and I shivered.

"Of course."

His eyes bored into mine and I felt myself meld into him. He was so much more than I could ever imagine. And that was why I felt myself leaning into him.

At first, our lips brushed against each other. But that quickly changed when Joshua actually kissed me. It was as if he was deprived of human touch, and I was the only one who could bring it back. And I would. Whatever he needed, I would do it.

But it was cut short because of the unfortunate need to breathe. My chest heaved, taking in short breaths. My eyes were still closed, imagining his lips against mine again.

"I've been wanting to do that for awhile."

A smile settled onto my face as my eyes opened. "I've been waiting for longer."

I kissed him again, his arms wrapping around my body. Something about him made me more confident in myself. Made me happier, too. That was strange for anyone other than Finlay to make me happy. But maybe it was good that he made me feel like that. Maybe something bigger would happen.