“Where are we going?” Scout wonders after we leave the mountain and pass most of Driftwood.
“It’s a surprise. You will like it,” I tell her as I aim the truck for the highway.
We sit in a comfortable silence beside her, humming along with the radio. Every few songs, she switches the dial, bouncing between old country and new pop. It just gives me a little more insight into her. As we near the state border, she seems to grow anxious.
“We’re almost there, honey,” I tell her with a squeeze of her hand.
Moments later, I see the turnoff I am headed for. We take the dark turn that winds through thick forests to a secluded pond. It’s a place I found by mistake a few years ago. It’s surrounded by mature fringe trees, full of thick white flowering branches. It could be a place out of a fantasy, it’s so pretty. I have come here a few times to just sit and be, and I wanted to share the place with Scout.
“Oh wow,” she breathes as it all comes into view. “This is magical!”
Smiling proudly, I nod in agreement. Parking on the thick grass, I lead her to the water’s edge. Going back to the truck, I grab the blanket and picnic basket I tucked there earlier. When I come back, she is waiting, giving me a look of approval.
“Very nice, lumberjack,” she teases with a grin as we set the picnic up.
“I found this place by accident. I thought of the best place to take you on a proper date. This was the first place I thought of. I figured you might appreciate it the way I do.”
Settling back against the tree, I pull her down to sit between my outstretched legs. Kicking off her shoes, she sits, snuggling back against my chest and pulling my arms closed around her front. Dipping my head, I kiss her throat, her shoulder, and her jaw. Then we just sit there in the moment, taking the beauty in.
“This place is stunning,” she whispers softly, brushing her fingers through the thick grass. “Sometimes on my trips, I would just find a place to sit and be quiet. To remind myself that even if I felt all alone out there, I wasn’t. We’re never alone. Even if I was lonely, if I believed I was out there on my own, I wasn’t. Because you were out there, my mom is up there, I just had to do a few things on my own. Now I don’t have to.”
“I told myself I was never lonely before,” I whisper gruffly. “It was a lie I had to believe to get by. To get through another day. I thought I had no one, but I chose that. I never let the guys at the landing in. I wasn’t alone, why did I need them? But you were out there and now you’re here. Now I realize how lonely I was before.”
“Well, we don’t have to be anymore, do we, baby?”
“No, we don’t. Not just because I have you,” I admit, dropping another kiss to her shoulder. “I want to let those guys in. They’re all good guys. Hell, what if one of them is alone the way I was? I’m just making it harder for no damn reason.”
“That is called personal growth. I stayed on the road for a long time, because if I kept moving, I could forget I lost my mom. If I didn’t take too long to look at my blood sugar or any of that, it meant I was beating it. Staying here means I have to face it and manage it, but I am ready.”
“Besides, you got me. I will learn all I can about it. To help manage it. Truth or dare, honey?”
Scout laughs, tilting a look my way. “Truth.”
“Driftwood is your home now, ain’t it? I’m your home, right?”
Scout turns to kneel between my legs, cupping my face in her hands. Nodding, she doesn’t speak. Lowering her head, she just kisses me. It is all the truth I need. Cradling her close, I kiss her back, getting lost in the sweetness that has driven me mad from the very first taste.
Not letting her get me off track, I lay out the picnic spread I put together for us. Besides a tray of veggies I picked from my garden at the cabin, there are olives, meats, and some crackers. All of it is low carb and raw, both things good for her blood sugar. I spent all day putting it together after lots of research.
We eat and drink the fresh lemonade I let her know I made with raw sugar. Our game of truth or dare that started that night at the bar picks up, as it often does. Only as the night darkens and the skies twinkle with stars, do I feel something is not right.
“Truth or dare, honey,” I repeat the question I’ve asked a dozen times.
Sitting up, Scout pulls at some grass, weaving it through her fingers. There is obvious tension in her posture. I want to fix whatever has gone wrong, but I am clueless. Glancing at me, she hits me with it.
“Truth. I will just give you some truth,” she cuts me off before I can even think of a question. “I have diabetes, but I am not...I am notsick. I am not frail or unwell. I can live a full life because I manage it well. I do not need...no one has to cater to my illness.”
Blinking at her in surprise, I sit up too. Taking her hands as she twists the grass over and over, I hold them both in my hand. Tipping her jaw up, I cradle her face in my hands. It feels as if my chest cracks when I see tears in her beautiful eyes.
“Honey, I know you can take care of yourself. When you’re with someone, when you want to stick it out, when you want it to be good and last, you take care of each other. It is just natural for me to take care of you.”
Nodding, she swipes at her tears as they fall. “I am just...I am not looking to be fixed or feel as if there is something wrong with me.”
“I am not looking to fix what isnotbroken, Scout.”
Those turn out to be words I will regret.
Chapter Eight
