“Two and a half.” I corrected him.
“I’m a way better driver now. I’ve had my license for over a year.”
Some of that was a learner’s permit, but I didn’t bother pointing it out. To him, it was all the same. Instead, I said, “Having your own car is a lot of responsibility.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled, reaching for the ignition.
“Hey,” I said, leaning over to grasp his arm.
He shook me off.
“Travis,” I said in a much firmer tone, my hand going back to his arm.
“What?” he answered, impatient.
“You know what.”
He said nothing.
“Son.”
He blew out a breath. “Don’t drive angry.” He repeated what I’d told him many times before. He glanced at me, then away. “It clouds your judgment and makes you do stupid things.”
“Just like drinking and driving,” I added.
He rolled his eyes. “I know.”
I deserved it, but I gotta be his dad, not his friend. Even though I really wanted to be his friend. My son was hella cool.
“We know you want your own car. We just want to make sure you’re ready. We want you to be safe.”
“I’ll be safe, Dad.” He met my eyes. “I swear.”
A lump formed in my throat. It felt like just yesterday he called me Dad for the first time, and now I was teaching him to drive and trying to hold on to him just a little longer. I was good with speed, but damn, time went by too fast.
“How about you drive us up to the main house?” I said, motioning to the dirt track Trent and I made deep in the property on our family compound. It was originally for the ATVs, but it turned out it was also great for all the up-and-coming teens in this fam learning to drive. “If we’re late for pancake Sunday, you won’t need a car because your aunts will murder us,” I joked.
Trav drove us across the compound until the dirt road met the paved one and the main house came into view. He didn’t drive fast or do any stunts, and he used his turn signal everytime even though we were the only car out here. I knew he was showing me he was a good driver and capable of being responsible. My head already knew he was ready. My heart, though… In my heart, he was still a little boy running around with my phone, catching Pokémon.
Trent was standing on the wide steps of the front porch when Travis pulled up. My eyes went to him immediately, the tension coiling inside me loosening at just the sight of him.
We’d been together over a decade, but the way he always affected me felt brand new. All those years ago, in the beginning, it was a tight bond of friendship, of being comfortable with someone and knowing he had my back. Then our bond deepened into something more possessive, something intense I didn’t want to share. Suddenly, his presence gave me butterflies and a hum of anticipation beneath my skin. I still think about that first kiss and the way he slid his hand down my arm, acknowledging the way I trembled as he laced our fingers. That kiss changed my entire life, turning our friendship into something stronger, something I knew I would never live without.
And then came death.
I learned I wouldn’t die without him either.
We became fate. Inevitable in every way, in every scenario. There will never be a tomorrow when we aren’t together because that day could never exist.
Cheesy as fuck, I know. But not even I could deny it when I saw him standing there waiting.
Travis parked the Fastback a few feet from the steps, cut the engine, and tugged the keys from the ignition. Forcing my eyes from my husband, I turned toward our son.
“You did good today.”
“How good?” he needled, handing me the keys.
I shook my head, amused. “I’ll talk to your dad, okay?”
