MandyI'm sick to my stomach with fear and excitement as we pull into the parking lot of the clubhouse. There aren't a lot of vehicles parked, so I'm pretty sure my coming home is low-key; exactly how I wanted it. "I think the only people here is your family and Caelin." He puts the SUV in park, shutting off the engine. "Good, I don't know what I would do with a whole group.""Well, I mean, your family classifies as a whole group," he laughs."True, but I'm comfortable with them.""Hey," he says the word softly. "If at any time you need to leave, whether it's your family or not, you just leave. You don't owe anyone anything."I pull my lip between my teeth and nod. "Why am I so nervous?"He grabs my hands, pulling them over the console. "I was nervous to come get you because I didn't know how you'd feel about coming home. I suspect you're nervous because you don't know how they feel about you coming home. It's all the same nervousness. We just gotta get through it."
MandyI watch as some of the last people leave the clubhouse. The only ones staying behind are Dalton, Walker, Caelin, and myself. I can't deny how much I want to spend time with Dalton, but there's another part of me that needs to make sure Walker knows how much I love him. After all, he saw me through the darkest parts of life so far. "What do you say we get out of here?" I grin at the two of them."Get out of here?" Dalton asks, his eyebrow raised. "Babe, it's after ten.""Yeah, I have to go to bed." Walker frowns."No you don't, not tonight. Tonight's special! Do you remember the letter I wrote you? What I said we'd do on our first night together?"His eyebrows come together in concentration. "You said we'd go to Wet Wanda's to have wings.""I did say that, but there's a catch. If it looks like there's too many people there, we'll take them to go and tailgate. Sound good?"Dalton slightly raises his hand. "What do you mean by too many people?"Tilting my head
Dalton"He's asleep," I say as I walk back up from where the dorm rooms are."He'll probably be out all night, he had a big day." Mandy walks over, putting her arms around my waist."It's been a big day for all of us," I remind her."Glad we had cupcakes, though," Caelin interrupts from the computer room.Almost forgot he was here, but I may as well get used to him hanging around.Who knows when he'll be leaving. He keeps the weirdest hours I've ever seen."I'm gonna go take a shower, see you in a few minutes?" Mandy leans up, giving me a lingering kiss."I'll be there as soon as I close up."Most everything is put away, but I waste a few minutes, making sure the trash is taken out and wiping down the counters. I don't know why, but I'm nervous to be alone with her in my dorm. Maybe it's because of the way we left each other the last time, or maybe this is something else totally different."Don't work all night," I tell him, turning off the lights in the main room.
MandyWalking up to my parents' house, I let the early morning smell wash over me, the sun just starting to rise up over the horizon. The walk is good for me, and I'm glad I decided to take it.My thighs are still sore from the night before last, but I grin to myself because it was totally worth it. Knocking before letting myself in, I see Walker sitting on the couch."Hey, kiddo."He gets up, coming around to hug me tightly."Did you have fun last night?" I ask, ruffling his hair."Yeah, Harley and I made Justice scream. We found a frog."I shiver, I hate nature in the form of amphibians. "That was mean.""But the look on her face?" He grins. "Was worth it. What are you doing here so early?"I shrug. "Was kinda hoping you'd go have breakfast with me. Word has it, Harper is saving some sausage biscuits for us, and Tyler'll be there."He's already getting up to put his shoes on. "C'mon, Mom, let's go!"* * *A few days later I pull my SUV into the parking space o
DaltonWaking up with her in my arms is the best feeling in the world. She's snuggled in next to me, her leg wrapped around my waist, her hand on my chest. The alarm is about to go off.I'd give anything to reach over and keep it from announcing the arrival of a new day. We haven't had enough time to enjoy each other, but I know part of her recovery is getting back into a routine. Her routine includes going back to work with Charity.As far as I know, they haven't spoken with each other, even when we welcomed her home. Charity seemed to keep her distance, and I worry. Worry that the two of them won't be able to find their way back to the friendship they've always had. Their friendship is just as important as mine and Drew's. They need each other, probably more than we do. She stirs and I do my best not to move, but eventually her eyes open."Hey." She grins, her voice full of sleep, her eyes lazy and heavy."Hey." I grin back."Why are you awake? The alarm hasn't gone
MandyThis.This is normal.Driving down Porter Pike, listening to the radio, my window rolled down slightly to inhale the fragrance of the coming season. Grass smells different when it's starting to sprout after being dormant for the winter. It's always been a favorite smell of mine, but somehow, I forgot. So many things I forgot over the past few months.There's dew on the hood and windshield of my SUV, bringing with it a sense of new beginnings. The morning is slightly chilly, but it'll be warm by lunchtime. I wave at one of the farmers who shares this end of Porter Pike with us. He's getting ready to start his season. If we're still at the clubhouse in a few months, I'll have to start planning my mornings earlier.Getting behind a tractor is definitely a thing here in this part of Kentucky. Funny how I'm already looking forward to the future, when before I couldn't even look back at the past.Which tells me more than anything how much better I am. Mandy a few m
DaltonWe've settled into a routine, one I'm familiar with, and approve of. Every morning, I wake up to my wife in bed with me, my kid in the next room. She and I share the bathroom space as we get ready for the day. Something we've never done before, and I'm trying to figure out why we haven't. Maybe because we used to be so focused on leaving the house with enough time to get where we were supposed to be.Now, the one hurrying is Walker, but only when he wants to. Someone takes him to school every morning and picks him up in the afternoon. Try as I might, I can't remember another time when we've been so settled.I'm doing my best not to think the other shoe will drop, but at the same time, I'm aware things can't always be perfect. Which is why I'm not surprised when I walk into the common area of the clubhouse to see Drew and Caelin sitting together. "What happened?""Someone broke into Wet Wanda's last night and stole the cash deposit to be made this morning."Now th
Mandy"Don't scare the teacher."He chuckles darkly in his throat. "I'm not going to scare the teacher.""Dalton," I plead. "There's enough reasons for this teacher to think horribly of us. I don't want to give her any more.""Screw her, she doesn't know what we've been through."I blow a breath through my nose, and it comes out as a modified snort. "I'm pretty sure she probably does know what we've been through and she's more than likely saying screw us. Especially since she's had to deal with our son.""He's perfect." Dalton flashes me a grin, a toothpick lazily going from side to side in his mouth.This time I do snort. "Yeah, okay.""Just like you." He puts his arm around my neck, pulling me into him, before he takes the toothpick out of his mouth and nuzzles me on the forehead. This right here melts my heart. The stuff I missed when I was too damaged to realize there was good in our relationship and lives. I'm still pissed at myself for not seeing it, but now I