“That bastard,” Zane mutters. “He was trying to get back with you while?—”
“While he was still seeing her on the side. Classic Craig. He did the same thing to me.” Julie gasps.
“You okay?” Autumn asks, studying Julie’s face.
“That could’ve been me,” she whispers, inhaling with her eyes closed. “That could’ve been me.”
I move closer to her. “I’m glad it wasn’t.”
“He traps women,” she says. “Last year, he wanted me to get off my birth control, making me believe we were getting back together.”
“You escaped him. I’m so damn proud of you, Little Red,” I say.
Julie grins. “It’s because I met you. That night”—her voice lowers to a near whisper—“my life changed.”
The words hit me square in the chest because mine did too.
“I’m finally seeing things clearly,” she says.
“I think we’re witnessing something we shouldn’t,” Zane says to Autumn, but his voice is warm, understanding. He wraps his arm around his wife, then spins her around to face the opposite direction. “We’re going to look at more pumpkins. Over there. Far away from you.”
“Subtle,” I call after them.
“We’re giving you privacy,” Autumn calls back.
“I married Captain Obvious!” Zane adds, and Autumn smacks his arm.
As their laughter drifts away, mixing with the sounds of the festival, I lean forward. Julie’s still glowing with this newfound freedom, her cheeks flushed, eyes bright. I close my eyes and slide my lips across hers. She tastes sweet, like apple cider. Our tongues twist together, and I swear the entire world stops spinning on its axis.
When we break apart, we’re breathing hard.
“Thank you,” she whispers against my mouth, eyes still closed.
“For?”
“For being here. For having my back. For helping me be brave.”
“You did that yourself.”
“Maybe.” She kisses me again, quick and sweet. “But you showed me what I should be looking for. What I deserve.”
“Jules—”
“Twenty-two days,” she says.
I know she’s thinking the same thing I am. We have twenty-two days to figure out if this is real or just another beautiful disaster waiting to happen.
“I think we’re on the same page,” I say, studying her.
“I hope we are,” she tells me.
“Now, I think we have a corn maze to discover.”
A wicked smile crosses her face. “I already love where this is heading.”
“Shall we?” I reach for her hand.
She takes mine. “Yes, we fucking shall.”
