Why didn’t I do this sooner?
“She agreed to meet me, and we went up into this old treehouse behind the house that my sister and her ex-boyfriend—who is her husband now, as you know—would sneak off to sometimes. I remember the ladder cracking under my weight as I climbed, but it didn’t break. Lacey was already there, waiting for me. She had this blank expression on her face, and I could only see it because of the sliver of moonlight shining through the open windows. I wish I hadn’t.
“I asked her once again to give me the truth, and she said words that still haunt me sometimes. She said, ‘I can’t marry a man who is younger than I am, even if it’s only by a few months, and can’t present me with a diamond ring. That’s not a real man. I don’t think I ever truly loved you, Stone. You’re not enough for me.’ Then she left after throwing that huge beanball at me. I never bothered to tell her that I saved up enough money to buy her a diamond ring by working jobs around the neighborhood on top of my full-time school and sports schedules.”
Lucy and I stare at each other for a solid minute. She slowly chews on a french fry, and I attempt to work out the “why” behind not feeling shameful and emasculated as I often felt when I recalled that moment of my life.
Suddenly, Lucy grins and tosses the darkened end of the french fry onto her plate. “Please tell me you went and spent the money on some flashy watch for yourself or maybe put it toward a new vehicle or motorcycle. And tell me you flaunted it in front of her.”
Laughter overtakes me and all the uneasiness I felt at sharing this story with her vanishes. I bite my bottom lip before admitting to what I used the money for. “Lucy May, I pocketed that moneyand it became the foundation of the start-up funds for the Juniper Grove Community Center.”
This gets a reaction out of her.
Her lips part and eyes widen as her cup halts midair, her straw inches from her face.
I reach across the table and guide her drink to her mouth. She swats me away with a sound of disbelief. “Really? You kept it that long. You didn’t even try to get even with her or show her what a mistake she made?”
I smirk. “I think she might have had an inkling that she made a mistake when she saw the pretty redhead on my arm over a couple of months ago. And again when I brought her home. What do you think?”
The compliment seems to go over her as she hums. “Yeah, probably so. Her reaction to you makes so much sense now. And how she watched you at the wedding. Watched us. It all makes sense.” She takes a sip of her water with lemon. “And I’m sorry I joked about our two-year age gap. I swear it was all in good fun. That truly doesn’t matter to me.”
I wave her off, knowing good and well she didn’t mean any harm by it. I know her to be above that kind of nonsense.
But I still want to know more about her…
“All right, Little Lion. I’ve told you about my past and scars. It’s your turn. I promise not to beanball you with the information you tell me tonight.”
Her shoulders raise just a hair, and she presses her lips together as if in thought. “I’m not too worried you will use it against me. I’m more worried you’ll throw me in the psych ward.”
“Baby girl, if I put you in the psych ward, I’ll be rooming with you.” She laughs and rolls her eyes at my words. “Go on. Tell me what’s worrying your pretty little head.”
Lucy takes a sip of her drink before clearing her throat. “It’s stupid, really. Ever since Hadley went and got married, Karoline got married and moved, and now my sister moved and is about to tie the knot in December, I feel left behind. Rejected. Burdensome.” She pauses, but by her contemplative expression, I know she’s not finished. After a few seconds, she huffs and meets my eyes. “Lonely. I’m very lonely. Not to mention Hadley is now pregnant. It’s like everyone’s life is moving forward except mine.”
For the sake of not knowing what to do with her admission or what to do with the emptiness in her eyes, I feign being stabbed in the heart. “Oof, Lucy May. You’re lonely even while dating me?” Maybe I was too preemptive. I thought she might be upset over something not working out with her writing career or friend drama. I didn’t think it would be this deep. And not going to lie, it kind of stings that she’s lonely even while dating me.
Lucy adjusts the light beige shirt she’s wearing, then places one arm across her chest, holding on to the elbow of her other arm. She looks down, not bothering to laugh at my joke. I can’t blame her. After what she confessed to me, that definitely wasn’t the appropriate response.
But I don’t know what is, so… humor attempts it is.
“Actually, the loneliness hasn’t been so bad since we startedthis.” She gestures between us with a small grin that still doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “So thank you for your wacky suggestion to beeach other’s designated date. It’s led to something I never expected with you. Never allowed myself to hope for.”
Her words warm me to my core, but they also terrify me. What if I mess it all up? The feelings I have for her only seem to be growing stronger, and what if I can’t be enough?
Shaking the thoughts off, I lean back in my chair and place my hands behind my head, making sure I flex. She had a male character do this in a book, and now it’s time to see if it works in real life.
It does.
Her eyes immediately land on my arm before shifting to look at the other. She blushes but then stifles a giggle, covering her mouth with one hand.
“What is it, Lucy May?” I ask in a deep, flirty tone.
She stares me right in the eyes as she smirks and says, “Nice pit stains you’ve got going on there.”
I drop my arms, hitting the edge of the wooden seat with one hand when I do. I hold back from making a pained noise, but when her giggle gives way to a full-blown laugh, I decide I’ll sport pit stains every single day if it means she’ll smile like that.
Full white teeth. Crinkles in the corners of her eyes. A boisterous sound emerging from somewhere within the depths of her belly.
I may not be able to emotionally meet her right now because I need time to process the depth of what she told me, but if I can at least make her smile and laugh when she’s feeling so low, then I’ll take the win.
