The Outskirts (The Outskirts Duet #1)

“Now go change,” Bebe said, pointing to Critter’s Bar across the street. “The music is about to start. It’s my favorite part.”

I darted off to Critter’s and changed in the bathroom, storing my tank top and shorts in the back-storage closet for safe keeping. Bebe was right. The green of the sundress made my auburn hair seem more red than brown. It was fitted at the waist and flared out, the hem ending several inches above my knee. It even looked great paired with my brown boots. The top showed off a little cleavage which made me question whether I should put my tank top back on underneath, but I took a deep breath and told that voice to shut it. I wasn’t going to let any doubt stand in the way of me having a good time at my first festival ever in a town I’d fallen head over heels in love with.

“Holy shit,” Finn said, appearing in the mirror behind me wearing jeans and a tight white t-shirt. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and pressed his lips behind my ear. “You look incredible.”

I shivered, as warmth stirred in my stomach.

Speaking of falling in love.

“I think THIS will look perfect with your dress,” Finn said, placing a dainty gold necklace around my neck and clasping it in the back under my hair. But it wasn’t just any necklace. It was my mother’s. The sunflower pendant gleamed.

“You found it!” I exclaimed, turning around to Finn and rubbing it between my fingers.

“This morning,” he said. “I know how upset you were when you lost it. I borrowed Miller’s metal detector and found it under some brush in about an inch of water. I polished it up, figured you’d like it better without an inch of mud caked to it.”

“Thank you,” I said, still not believing that I had it back.

The magnetic energy between us hummed. My lips parted. Finn’s eyes darkened.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here before I keep you from experiencing your very first Swamp Yeti Festival,” Finn said, grabbing me by the hand and leading me outside. The instant he touched me that indescribable connection between us took hold.

“You’re coming to the festival?” I asked, my jaw hanging open. “I didn’t think you wanted to come.”

There were a lot more people starting to arrive; when we got out into the light I could no longer see pavement on the street. Just bodies. Finn stopped and pulled me against him in the middle of the street. He kissed my lips softly and looked deeply into my eyes. “I came for you.”

I smiled up at Finn and stood on my tiptoes to press my own kiss against his lips. “Thank you,” I breathed. I was so wrapped up in Finn that it took me a moment to register the many, many faces of the people around us who’d stopped what they were doing to watch us and whisper to one another.

“Why are they staring at us?” I asked without moving my lips.

“Haven’t you heard?” Finn asked, playfully wagging his eyebrows. “Spotting me is rarer than a sighting of the Swamp Yeti.” He smiled and it was big and genuine and I could look at it forever. My heart fluttered in my chest.

On the stage was a man with a guitar singing a slow song. His voice was deep and melodic. The song was about being carried away.

“George Strait,” Finn said when he saw me watching the musician. He swayed his hips to the music with his arms wrapped around me and I followed.

“I don’t exactly know how to dance,” I admitted.

“Doesn’t feel that way to me,” Finn said, flashing me a wink. He twirled me around and I laughed as he pulled me back into him. “Feels like you’ve got moves you don’t even know about yet.” His eyes darkened. “And for the record, I intend to discover each and every one of them.”

I shuddered.

We stayed there in the middle of the crowd dancing and laughing until a new song came on. The woman was singing about being taken back to church.

“What’s your take on religion now? On God?” Finn asked me.

We weren’t so much dancing anymore as holding one another in the middle of the street while couples danced around us.

“I’m not sure what I believe in,” I answered honestly. “I think that whatever someone chooses to believe in it should be something that makes them feel good. Happy. Something that makes their lives better when they think about it. It shouldn’t be something that makes you afraid. Fear shouldn’t be involved in faith. Being a decent human only because you’re afraid of what will happen to you still makes you a bad person, just a bad one pretending to be a good one. It should like…it should be like this!” I exclaimed when a new song began.

Finn looked up to the stage then back to me. “H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line,” he said.

“Yes. It should make you feel like this!” I said as the music grew louder. “Music. Dancing. None of that was allowed. But how did I ever live without it?” I closed my eyes.

Finn chuckled softly as we began to sway again. Midway through the song I’d memorized the chorus and was quietly singing along.

When the music stopped I looked up to Finn whose eyes were on mine. His lips were parted. At first, I thought he was frowning, but then he lifted me into his arms and kissed me. Deeply. Passionately.

Lovingly.

He kissed me like we weren’t in front of the entire town and couldn’t hear the whispers of the people all around us.





Chapter Thirty-Six





Sawyer





Finn was standing by the beer tent with Miller while I distributed the rest of Bebe’s flyers to the crowd.

Anytime I looked in his direction I found him talking to either Miller or Josh but staring at me.

I liked that he watched me. I liked that he looked after me. But I still couldn’t shake the uneasiness I’d been feeling about why he was being so protective.

I’d just handed out my last flyer when the band stopped playing and voices without the backing of instruments filtered through the air. I looked up to the stage to see both men and women on either side of the stage standing on bleacher-style risers.

They were smiling and clapping and singing with a passion and power like I’d never heard before.

I watched their entire performance as if I were in a trance. I was frozen. Mesmerized by the power and conviction of their voices. A man about my age with a military style haircut and perfectly pressed khaki pants, sang his heart out about Jesus and a sparrow while the rest of the group sang softly in the background.

I couldn’t help but smile when they started to sway from side to side. The was clapping the only background music while the young man finished out the song on a high note that grabbed the entire town’s attention.

The applause was loud when they were finished and I clapped right along with everyone else.

“Please put your hands together once again for the Christian Town Center Youth Choir!” the MC said into the microphone. More cheering.

The man went on to introduce the next act, and I went to go find Finn. The crowd was even thicker than before. I couldn’t even see the beer tent anymore through all the bodies blocking the way.