Until the night of the concert, when I realized how idiotic I’d been to lose her.
And then the meeting at the radio station had proven something bigger was at work here, as if a higher power was trying to bring us together against all odds.
“Fuck it. I’m not running away this time, CC. I’ll fight for you.”
I began typing on the phone’s text app.
Me: I was hoping I’d hear from you.
CC: Who is this?
Me: Peter Pan.
A minute ticked by while I waited for the three little dots to light up. When they did, I let out a pent-up breath.
CC: Lol. Soooo original.
Me: My record label is ironing out the details of our first official album so I’m taking a week-long break here in Mesa Palms.
CC: Pax…
I gripped the phone tighter, my stomach knotted into a tight ball of steel.
Me: Yeah?
CC: I’m truly glad you’ve got your shit together. You deserve a good life after everything you went through, but…how do I put this?
Me: Give me one day, please? After that, if you want to run away, I’ll never bother you again.
Five more minutes flew past as I sat there, hunched over the phone in the early morning sunshine streaming through the open curtains.
Outside, in the hallway, doors shut and voices murmured as people probably headed toward breakfast or out to start their day.
Me: Please, CC. Let me make this right.
CC: I guess I could use some closure on our past.
Pausing, I re-read her last text. Closure? I didn’t like the sound of that word. At all.
Me: Can you meet me at this address tonight around 6?
I forwarded the address, which Google showed as a scrubby field on the outskirts of town.
CC: What’s there?
Me: A surprise. Just trust me.
CC: Just so you know, I’m a blackbelt, so if you turned into some kind of serial killer, I’ll kick your ass if you try anything funny.
A deep rumble of laughter burst from my chest, and that queasy feeling in my stomach lightened.
Me: Lol. I’m still your Paxton. Maybe a little older, a lot less wiser, but still yours. Still that same boy who cried on your shoulder, the same boy who couldn’t keep his eyes off you, who wants a chance to redeem himself.
CC: Pax…
Me: Bring Lana, too, if she wants to come. I’d love to see her again.
CC: I’ll ask her. See you tonight.
