“And what question is that?” I ask as my mind tries to play catch up.
“Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.” She gives me a quick peck before hopping into the passenger seat.
I stand there with my hand holding the door open, stunned—fucking stupified—at the fact that she said yes. When I asked, I honestly thought there was no chance in hell a girl like her would give a fuckup like me the privilege of calling her mine.
The beautiful sound of her laughter fills the crisp night air, snapping me out of my daze.
Taevin said yes. She’s my girlfriend. I’m someone’s boyfriend—no, not someone,theone.
Shutting the door, I round the back of my truck and pump my fist in the air. “Let’s fucking go!” I shout into the void, to absolutely no one but myself.
I thought after I started my truck maybe I’d come down from cloud nine, but Taevin had other plans. The smile on my face only grows as she slides across the bench seat to tuck herself beneath the arm I had slung over the seat as I reversed out of the parking spot. Two contrasting things happen in that moment—my chest swells with pride at the same time my heart pinches in fear. I barely know this girl, and she’s already turned my world upside down. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I’m going to do everything in my power to not fuck this up.
7
Now
“So, where’s home, J?” Taevin asks me as I grab her bags from where the flight attendant left them on the tarmac.
I hesitate, not knowing how exactly to answer that at first. For one, I haven’t felt a sense of being home since she left me. And secondly, I’m not sure how to explain that I’ve got two places of residence—the condo I purchased from Bennett when he moved in with Scarlett last fall, and my house outside the city. I’ve been working on building the house for the past five years, and it’s more than just a labor of love to me. I’m anxious for her to be in my space after having pictured her there hundreds of times over the years. I haven’t stayed there since construction finished on it because it didn’t feel right without her there.
Instead of elaborating, I just say, “We’re going to make a quick pit stop at my condo in the city so I can grab a few things and then we’ll stay at my house that’s just outside the city.”
“Oh, two places. Look at you making the big bucks,” Tae teases, waggling her eyebrows so the ball cap she has on rises on her forehead.
I scoff at that. “Not at all. I think you have me mistaken for Bennett or Griff. I’m pretty replaceable, but Benny’s the top defenseman and G has been a top goal scorer in the league for the past three seasons. I really thought this was our year to win it all.”
Toeing the ground and refusing to make eye contact with me, Tae murmurs, “I may have noticed Minnesota made it pretty far in the playoffs this year.”
Shaking my head, I playfully shoulder check her to get her attention. It works, and when her gaze locks on mine, I have to fight the urge to pull her into my chest the way I so naturally did once upon a time. Clearing the sudden nerves from my throat, I test out mirroring her teasing tone, “Been keeping tabs on me, Thorn?”
The nickname easily slips from my lips, because at one point calling her that and pulling her into my arms was second nature.
Tae’s spine stiffens but I welcome the thought of her being as affected by me as I am by her. Going from having all of her to her becoming a ghost in my life has fucked with my head for years now, but nothing compares to having her so close physically again while remaining lightyears away emotionally. There’s a void in my heart that will never be filled—years of my life wasted thinking about what could’ve been.
Loving her from a distance all this time was like trying to catch hold of a ghost—my heart felt as hollow as my hands did empty.
I know things are only going to get worse as she enters a space I’ve built from the ground up. Each room in my house was designed with her in mind. Every decision, down to the smallest of details, was made with thoughts of Taevin. I won’t be able to talk my way out of it. As soon as we pull into the drive, she’ll know this is the home she and I dreamed up when we were still practically kids.
I’m so in my own head, I hardly realize we’ve walked out of the airport and through the parking garage until I hear Taevin ask, “Is this . . .?”
I nod when I realize she’s asking if this is my truck. “It is.”
“You’ve still got Frannie girl? How is she still holding up after all this time?” she asks in disbelief.
“She got a bit of a facelift since you last saw her. I could never replace my sweet Frannie, she’s been the best girl to me over the years. And she still has a lot of years left in her, don’t you sweet girl?” I run my fingers across the newly painted tailgate.
“You painted her black?” It comes out more of a question than a remark.
I don’t answer her because the truck color speaks for itself.
“Why?” she asks, though it’s more of a whisper so I don’t know if she actually wants an answer, but I decide to give her one anyways.
“Some things change, while others don’t. Black became my favorite color a decade ago and it stuck.”
She sucks in a shaky breath. “You said you didn’t have a favorite color at the time so you adopted mine.”
Yeah, that, and I became obsessed with the way her black hair looked laying across my chest. But I don’t tell her that, instead I point out, “I said I’d adopt it, not borrow it.”
