“Yeah, that’s my first one. The second one…I once tried to make myself go blind in one eye. And third…after my parents got divorced, they both married other people, divorced those guys, and then got back together again.”
“Onlyoneof those is made up?” Braxton asks.
“Only one,” I assure.
“Hmm. So, we’ve got the toothless wonder named Stubs, the wannabe blind-in-one-eye story, and the chain-divorcing parents.”
“That’s right,” I say.
“I’m going to guess that you didnottry to blind yourself in one eye,” he says. “Please say you didn’t attempt that. I don’t need one more reason to fear being a dad one day.”
I laugh. “Sorry, but I did do that. I wanted to be like Nancy Dee. She was cool, and she told me she was blind in one eye.” Igrin as I recall getting busted. “Kirsten walked in on me—I was staring at the light fixture with a hand covering one eye.”
Braxton chuckles heartily under his breath. “Why do kids do such dumb things?”
I join in on the laughter. “I have no idea. That was bizarre of me.”
“It most definitely was.”
“And now you’re more afraid to become a dad one day?”
“Infinitely so. Who will make sure Braxton Jr isn’t staring at the light fixture while I’m at work?”
“Stop it,” I say through more laughter, enjoying the easy feel of being around him. It’s unexpected. I’d been worried that spending so much time with Braxton in a quiet car might be awkward, but the comfortable ease of our conversation has me glad we’ve got the drive ahead of us. It also makes me glad I packed the overnight bag in case we want more time together.
“So what was the lie?” he asks.
“Stubs. He’s made up.”
Braxton tips his head. “You don’t say. I was just starting to feel sorry for him, too. So that means your parents flip-flopped a lot, huh? That’s rough.”
“Kirsten witnessed more of that than I did,” I say. “They’d been married and divorced before I was even born. After they each got divorced for the second time, they got back together long enough to have me, then split up again.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he says thoughtfully.
I shrug. “It’s all I’ve known. I just hope I can give my kids a different experience, you know?”
He nods. “Beau and I are lucky. Our parents are stilltogether, and they’re actually still in love, too, if you can believe it.”
“That’s fortunate,” I say.
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” I urge, “it’s your turn. Give me two truths and one lie.”
“Easy. I played the lead role in our high school musical senior year, I once out-ate all my brothers in a hot wings contest, and I shovel dog poop off my neighbor’s lawn almost every day.”
I take a moment to go over each declaration in my mind. “The only one Idobelieve is the hot wings one.”
Braxton grins. “That’s the one that’s false. Luke took the win on that one. But Iwasthe lead in Footloose my senior year. I juggled theater and football. Wasn’t easy.”
“Wow.” I soak in that for a moment, genuinely impressed. “Footloose? That means you can sing, act, and dance.”
He shrugs. “Means I was better than the other guys who tried out at my school. Or at least better looking,” he adds.
Probably both, but I don’t say it aloud. “Is there a copy of this production someplace? Maybe online?”
Braxton shakes his head. “There were copyright restrictions, but my dad managed to sneak-record the whole thing anyway. He was proud. And it’s funny because I wondered if he’d give me crap for it, you know?
