I lean in and kiss Grandma’s cheek. “Thanks for having us, and for not grilling me too hard.”
She pats my arm. “I liked her from the second she walked into that hospital room. Her aura is infectious. Oh,” she adds, “be sure to tell Millie that Cami loved my appleberry pancakes.”
I laugh. “Here we go again. The great appleberry-pancake war of Crystal Cove.”
More hugs are exchanged before Cami and I circle toward the car where Mom’s waiting.
“Text when you get there,” Mom says, pulling me into a hug. “And keep me posted, okay?”
“I will,” I say.
She nods once, like we’ve made a secret deal, then rises on her toes and kisses my cheek.
I climb into the driver’s seat, and Cami’s already buckled in, staring out at the trees like she’s trying to memorize them.
“You okay?” I squeeze her thigh.
She nods, then glances at me. “Didn’t expect to feel so…welcome. Like I’ve been coming here for years.”
“You fit right in,” I say. “They’re already asking when you’ll visit again.”
She smiles and flicks her attention back out the window.
Gravel crunches under the tires as we ease down the drive. I glance in the rearview mirror once. Mom’s still waving.
As I turn onto the main road, the house behind us disappears between rows of trees, and I can’t help but wonder if Cami will still be with me when I come back. Only five minutes into the drive, and Grandpa’s warning lingers in the back of my mind like a hitchhiker who climbed in somewhere between their house and the interstate.Don’t let my grandson overthink things, he told her. And now, here I am, doing exactly that.
Two days have passed since I told her I love her, and she hasn’t said it back, nor do I expect her to.
But last night…
Right as I slid inside her, we locked eyes. She parted her lips, breath catching, and murmured, “Knox, I…”
Then she kissed me like the confession was perched on the edge of her tongue but too dangerous to speak.
Maybe she’s scared to say it.
And I get that. Falling was the one rule she made clear we couldn’t break.
Yet here I am. Already shattered by her.
My sideways glance catches the curve of her mouth, eyes bright as if we didn’t stay up half the night wrapped around each other. God, I’ve never wanted quiet moments to last more than I do with her.
“Your smile looks a little mischievous, Bubble Girl.”
“Well…” She reaches under her seat. “I almost forgot we have something.”
From her bag, she pulls out the deck ofWould You Rather: Couples EditionthatMargo gave us with a wink and a “just in case the road gets too quiet” before we left.
“We’re doing thisnow?”
“Yep,” she says, shuffling. “Seems like the perfect time to find out which one of us is the bigger mystery.”
“I’d say that’s obvious.”
“Mm. We’ll see about that.”
Flipping the first card, she reads the question aloud in her best game-show voice:
