“I’m sorry, Bobby.”
“Me too.”
We pass a large sign that says Welcome to Cambridge.
Large houses are set back from the road, and there are endless fields of wheat. The sky is clear without a cloud in sight. I lean forward, but not enough that Bobby’s hand falls from the back of my neck. I stare at the rolling hills and the stretch of winding road.
“Beautiful, right?”
I like the happiness in his voice more than the sadness from when he brought up his parents.
“It is.” I lean back with a smile. “Would you ever live out here?” I sweep out my arm at the view.
“I’d miss the city.”
“What do you like about Alexandria?”
“Anonymity. Everyone knows about everyone’s business in small towns. They’re a minefield for gossip and hard feelings. It isn’t easy to get away from that. In a big city, no one cares. They’re too busy dealing with big-city problems like making enough to afford big-city living.”
“Is this from experience?”
“Something like that.” He tightens his hold on my neck. “What about you? If you had to choose, would you move back to Montgomery?”
I shrug. “Big cities are nice. So is Dumas. To be honest, I’m not sure.”
He squeezes my neck, then lets go. “And that’s okay. You have your whole life in front of you. Why settle?”
Yes, why settle? Except my chest hurts when I think about being far away from Bobby, with the world as my playground, while he’s settling down in Alexandria with a beautiful wife and a family.
“You see your father, or does he only call you from prison?”
“My earliest memory of him was when I was ten,” I admit. “The prison my dad’s at is in Ravenna, and that was a long drive for my mom. Her car wasn’t reliable, so . . .” I shrug. “We saw him once a month.” Then a new SUV appeared in the driveway, and we saw Dad once a week.
Back then, I didn’t understand what a dangerous and important man my father was. Mom said work gave her a bonus for doing a great job, and she used the money as a down payment for the SUV. That’s what I overheard her telling Ty.
“And now?”
Bobby glances out his window. We’re passing by Delridge’s town center. His lips quirk at the corner. Is he recalling our time there, visiting the shops and Sweet Creations Two? I sure am. I lean my head on his shoulder. He drops his gaze to me. His smile widens.
“I try to see him every other week when I’m in school. I see him more often during breaks.”
“Does your brother go with?”
“Separate. It’s a longer drive for him from Montgomery than me from Dumas, and he has a busier life between running his tattoo business and taking on shifts at Red Dahlia.”
“Do you wish you saw him more?”
“I have brunch with him and his friends every other Sunday. That’s enough.”
“Because he’s persistent and likes to bring up your shortcomings?”
I evade his question using his line. “Something like that.”
Bobby laughs. “Nice, Ever. Very nice, sweetness.”
I straighten my spine and smile. I love making Bobby laugh.
For the rest of our drive to Bryne, we’re quiet, each in our own thoughts. When we finally pull up to the farmers market, I know I made the right decision.
