Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
“Do me a favor and leave some things around. If you don’t, I’ll have to accept that most of the mess was me.”
“Most of the mess was always you.”
“But you don’t have to make me aware of it. I’m too old to manage things like that.”
We shared a laugh.
“What are you gonna be doing while we’re gone?”
“Mope.”
A fucking lie. “Are you pretending Perry McGraw isn’t going to be over here all the time? The reason you aren’t coming to dinner tonight?”
He had this guilty gleam in his eyes, the sort that told me everything. He’d met Perry on Tinder during the free time his recovery had granted him, and gradually, the more time Perry spent over there, the more comfortable James and I had gotten with spending our time at James’s house once again.
“I think someone’s crushing on this guy.”
“Maybe a little. Not as whipped as you, though.” He winked.
“I don’t know that it would be very healthy for anyone to be as whipped as me,” I confessed.
“I’m good now. You guys can get away for a weekend,” he assured me, surely working to soothe the lingering uneasiness making me worry even when I’d spend nights over at James’s.
It was for the best. I had to get used to allowing Tex to be on his own again, but that didn’t make it any easier.
“Come on, Kylie. I’m the one who’s supposed to be worried about how you’re going to go off and fuck up your life as you try to sort it all out.”
He put his arm around me and planted a familiar kiss on my forehead. I fell into his hug, throwing my arms around him and pulling him close. I didn’t take any of these hugs for granted. I wouldn’t allow myself to ever do that again.
“Just make sure to come back,” he whispered.
“You know I’ll be right back. You’re not finished getting better. James and I will be over here plenty—”
“For now, but eventually you won’t be anymore. We both know it. You’re growing up now, finding your own way in the world.”
“I don’t want to leave.” I was clearly more worked up than I realized, because I had to strain to get the words out as tears filled my eyes.
“But you don’t want to stay either, Kylie. It’s not how life works. And this bed will always be here if you need it. Well, unless Perry and I decide to have kids. If we start now, they’ll be able to take care of me in my nineties. Don’t tell him just yet, though.”
I laughed through a sniffle.
“I’ll be the one taking care of you in your nineties, so don’t you dare let anything happen to you in the meantime, okay?”
“If things work out right, something should be happening to me before it happens to you. We had an amazing time, and now you gotta get on to new adventures.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, kid. Don’t forget you always have your phone, and it’ll be all right.”
It was something I’d had to remind myself of far too many times.
We held each other, both of us seeming to realize that this moment didn’t have much to do with James and our weekend camping trip. This was the beginning of a shift in our lives, an inevitable future that would lead us further from one another.
Once we finished hugging, he helped me pack. We chatted about the usual—shows and our men. He caught me up on what gossip he’d managed to get into with the guys from the retirement center. Things were getting back to a sort of normal, but not the same.
There was no turning back to the way things were before, and I never would have wanted that, since it would have meant I’d never have met the special man who changed my world.
The man I was on my way to see after finally leaving Tex’s.
We had a dinner date with friends at his place. It would be similar to those dinners we’d shared when it was just the two of us in his kitchen.
I texted to see if he needed anything, but he was already at the store, so I swung by unannounced to see if I could catch him before he checked out. I discovered my nerd in the fruits & vegetables section, collecting Brussels sprouts into a plastic bag. As I approached, he turned, with that almost psychic instinct, as though he could sense my very presence. The corners of his lips tugged into a smile, and I hooked my arm around him, kissing his cheek, the scruff of his beard soft against my lips.
I noticed a woman by the melons, glaring at us. Samantha Brewer or Braun—a parishioner of my father’s church—one of the many who had likely been scandalized when news about James Warner and his former student had penetrated town gossip.