Lovesick -- A Rocky Lynch Story

Chapter 10

Avie threw her ballet flats across the bedroom and huffed, crossing her arms and staring at the ground with an angry expression on her face. "Excuse me!" I raised my voice slightly. "Avelyn Lynch, do not throw things!" My eyebrows were raised and my hands were on my hips.

"Sorry mommy," she said defeatedly. She slid off the side of the bed and picked up the shoes she had tossed and put them back into her shoe organizer in the closet. Then she returned to her spot on the bed.

"I know you like those shoes," I told her. Her feet rested on my knees and I rubbed them gently. "But you can't wear them hiking. They would get dirty and hurt your feet." I tied her hiking shoes tightly, double knotting them. When I looked back up at her little face, I saw her lip quivering. "I love you, muffin," I said as I got up off of the floor. I lifted her up onto my hip and kissed her cheek like I used to when she was Mason's age, but she had grown so much. "Let's go see how daddy is doing."

I bounced down the stairs with Avie in my arms to find Rocky in the kitchen with our boys. Carter was helping make sandwiches for our lunch while Rocky packed water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray, diapers, and other essentials into our backpack. He was humming a song that was stuck in his head from the party the night before. Mason was in his high chair, completely dressed for our little adventure. "Are we ready to go?" I asked.

"Carter, go help Avie into the car please," Rocky said as he handed our son the backpack. He struggled at first, but swung the bag onto his back and made his way out the door with Avie tailing behind. When they were out, Rocky turned his attention to me. "Are those pants new?" he asked, running his hands over my hips before reaching around to squeeze my ass.

"This old thing?" I asked with a laugh. "I got these years ago! I can't believe they fit me again. I only got to wear them a few times before I got pregnant with Avie." Rocky was wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a muscle tank that revealed his strong arms and sculpted body. I couldn't resist running my hands along his shoulders and biceps. "Isn't it a bit chilly for this?" My fingers traced over a couple of his tattoos. "Not that I'm complaining."

He picked his phone and the keys up off of the counter before grabbing Mason. "It's actually a lot warmer than it has been. A perfect day for this task." Just as he was heading for the door, we heard Ryland's bedroom door slam and heavy feet moving quickly. "Don't tell me you're late for your date," Rocky sighed at his brother. "Come on, man."

"Not late!" Ry responded. He grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and ripped it open, eating it in two bites. He fixed his hair in the reflection of the toaster before grabbing a bottle of water and running past us to the door.

"You're lying!" Rocky yelled. "Don't screw this up!" We followed him out the door and locked it behind us. Ryland swung the rental car door open and patted his pockets, realizing he didn't have keys. He cursed under his breath and ran back to the house. When he found out the door was locked, he turned around and pleaded to us.

Shaking my head, I unlocked the door and waited while he flew through the house and back with keys this time. "Seriously, don't screw this up," I warned him.

"Not late!" he repeated. He slammed his car door shut and peeled out of the driveway.

"That," I said to Rocky, pointing to Ryland's car as it sped down the street, "doesn't worry me at all!" He laughed at my sarcasm and kissed my cheek before we both got into our own car.

It was a bit of a long drive north to the trails. Avelyn wanted to listen to her Disney Princess CD, but no one else was in agreement. We settled on a pop station and she seemed perfectly satisfied. I had no idea that she knew any of the songs that were playing, let alone memorized them. "Sound's like she's going to have a promising music career," I joked to my husband. He placed his hand on my thigh and rubbed lightly with his thumb. The smile on his face reminded me of the one he always wore so many years ago. He was at peace and perfectly content. He didn't look tired or stressed out anymore. Maybe this day trip is exactly what we all needed.

Mason got restless after about a half hour, but Carter took it into his own hands. I told Rocky to pull over at the next stop, but Carter shook his head. "It's okay, mom," he assured me. He took a sippy cup out of the backpack and handed it to his baby brother. "He's just thirsty."

We got to the trails after another half hour, and the memories started to come back to me. "Look at this!" I giggled when I got out of the car. "They still haven't replaced this pole!" In front of our car, marking the parking spot, was a dented yellow pole. "This is the spot!"

Carter and Avie hopped out of the car while Rocky strapped the baby carrier onto his back. I lifted Mason into the carrier and watched Rocky adjust the straps until the weight was distributed perfectly. "Would you look at that," he chuckled when he saw what I was talking about. "It's just a metal stick," Avie shrugged.

"Your mom and I parked in this spot exactly eleven years ago," he explained. Both kids oohed. "It was the first -- and last -- time I ever let her drive my Cadillac. She pulled into this parking space too quickly and ran right into the pole. I can't believe they haven't replaced that."

"I don't think I want mommy to drive us anymore," our daughter said matter-of-factly with her hands on her hips. "That's not safe."

"Hey!" I laughed. "I am a lot better now."

"Which way are we going?" Carter asked as he stared at the multiple paths that led to different trails.

"Follow me," Rocky said as he started towards the furthest right path.

The hike was a lot more difficult than I remembered it being all those years ago. There were steep hills and muddy spots. Some sharp rocks and sticks stuck up from the ground, making it difficult to navigate. On one side of me, Avie clung onto my hand and flinched every time a bug flew near her. On the other side, Carter walked confidently, using a large stick he found along the trail as a walking stick. I made faces at Mason, who was strapped securely to Rocky's back. He giggled and mimicked me. "Are we almost there?" Avie whined. "My feet hurt."

"Aren't you glad you didn't wear those pretty shoes?" I teased her. She stuck her tongue out at me. "It's not too far, is it honey?"

"We are very close," he confirmed. "You see that opening ahead of us?" he asked her, pointing to a sunny clearing. "That's where we're going." Avie ran ahead of him, trying to get there before us. "Be careful!" he called after her. "So much for her feet hurting."

When we finally caught up to her, we found Avie laying in a patch of grass underneath a shady tree. She had beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. I unzipped the backpack and handed her a bottle of water. "The view! It's still breathtaking," I told Rocky.

"Why is this place so special?" Carter asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Rocky said. He pulled a blanket out of the backpack and spread it on top of the grass before asking me to get Mason off of his back. I laid the baby on the blanket with Avie. "This is where I first asked your mommy to marry me. Before any of you kids were born yet."

"We took a walk together and when we got up here, the sun was perfectly shining over that lake over there," I added, pointing off to the horizon. "It was just beautiful. Your daddy had a picnic lunch ready for us and we sat overlooking everything. I felt like I was on top of the world."

Rocky wrapped his arms around me from behind and we swayed gently as we looked over the same scenery. "It's beauty could never compare to you," he whispered. I got goosebumps. He started to raise his voice again to continue the story. "After lunch, we laid on a blanket and stared at the sky, talking about the future. And that's when I asked her."

"What did she say?" Avie asked curiously, rolling onto her stomach and propping her head up with her hands.

"What do you think?" Rocky asked with a bit of sass.

"I think I'm hungry," she responded. "Can I have a sandwich, daddy?"

We sat down on the blanket with them and passed out the sandwiches. We ate quickly in near silence while we all regained our energy for the walk back to the car.

"I'm glad you said yes," Carter told me with a hug once he finished.

"Me too," I smiled.