“I’m an adult! I can decide where I finish my senior year!” I declare.
“You sure you want to do that?” my mom says again, approachingfrom behind us, a threat behind her words.
No!
I run out into the stifling summer breeze straight past the tire swing that reminds me of my childhood, tears streaming down my face as I sprint towards the lake behind my family's sprawling estate. Cody takes off after me, calling my name and catching me by the arm before I can launch myself into the water.
“Mae, wait. Let me talk to you,” he urges.
“They’re controlling my decisions just like they always have!” I cry as I fall into his arms while he holds me tightly. He’s silent. Too silent for Cody. “What are we going to do?” I ask.
After a long pause and a sigh, he finally responds, the words breaking my heart. “Nothing,” he says.
“Nothing?” I pull back to search his eyes but there’s no hesitation behind them.
“I love you, Mae. It doesn’t matter where you go, or who you love, our love is one that transcends time and distance. I’ll always be somewhere in the world, loving you, wishing I was with you. But your parents are right. If you try to fight them on this, they’ll take everything from you. We’re only eighteen years old. Hardly adults. We need to figure things out. We have a whole life ahead of us. What about college? Your dreams to become a lawyer? If they cut you off financially, you'll resent your decision to choose me someday.”
It's always been my parents' dream for me to become a lawyer, not mine, and Cody knows that. Him saying that causes the words to sting even more so I remain silent.
“I’m sorry, Mae. But they aren’t wrong. This thing that’s between us… it’s intense. It’s, everything. But it’s young love. We can't survive on our own right now. There's no point in destroying your relationship with your family and the support you have over this.”
Over… this? Our love?
He steps towards me, reaching out to grab the hem of my shirt but Istep back, away from his arms. I don’t need to figure anything out. I know what I want but now it sounds like Cody might not.
“There are nine months until we graduate… next summer, before we leave for college, we’ll both be working at the rodeo again. We'll spend that last summer together and then see how we feel.”
See… how we feel?
I stand motionless, trapped in the stifling August heat, my surroundings blurred by the cascading strands of blonde hair and tears that are obscuring my vision.
This wasn't part of the plan. What began as a fleeting summer romance with Cody has unexpectedly transformed into me finding myself outside of the plan my parents have always had and my first experience with true love. Secret escapades under the starry sky, the thrill of rodeos, and the gentle rhythm of horseback riding—all woven into a tapestry of unforgettable moments that I’ll dream about for the rest of my life.
But now, as I stand on the edge of heartbreak, I realize that perhaps this is just the rite of passage one must endure before stepping into the complexities of adulthood.
Are you required to suffer through one unforgettable heartbreak before entering the real world and meeting 'the one'?
With his words hanging heavy in the air, hurtful and resolute, I decide to choose silence. Without a glance back at him, I step away, each footfall a silent farewell to the first boy I’ve ever given my heart to and the woman that I was just starting to discover.
"Goodbye, Cody Cameron," I whisper, "I’ll see you next summer."
Chapter 11: Mae
Present Day
"Mae... did you hear me?" Dexter repeats. "This is the friend I was telling you about, Cody Cameron."
As the haze of memories lift from my mind I come back to reality. I’m in a conference room, many years and hurt later, about to face the first person I ever gave my heart to.
My body moves on instinct, my right hand extending for a shake like it’s a reflex I didn’t think through. But then I remember—too late—that Cody’s left-handed. He reaches out with his left at the exact same moment, and we end up in an awkward almost-fist bump.
Heat flushes my cheeks as I fumble, quickly switching to my left hand, finally managing a proper handshake while trying to avoid making eye contact. “Hi, Mr. Cameron. I’m Mae Sterling, the owner ofSterling Sports Public Relations,” I say, my voice steady even though my stomach feels anything but.
“Sterling?” Cody repeats, a brow lifting as his hand closes around mine in a firm shake.
The moment he touches mine, it hits me—the roughness of his calloused palm, the warmth of his fingers. They’re the same hands I remember so vividly, hands shaped by years of ranch work and rodeo grit. The same hands that once mapped everyinch of my body during that golden, fleeting summer that we fell in love. The hands that memorized the curve of my hip like they belonged there and touched me in places no one else ever had. His thumb used to trace circles against my skin as he whispered words that made me believe in forever and happy-ever-after’s.
Now those hands are polite, distant. A handshake instead of an intimate touch. There’s curiosity behind his eyes at the change in my name, but I can hardly meet his gaze. And yet, my fingers curl instinctively, my left thumb tucking under my pointer and middle fingers to brush against my ring finger—a subconscious habit I didn’t even realize I had until Sienna pointed it out after the divorce from Vance.
