Ben Thrustin
Since I have you in the wilderness pretty much every night and haven’t killed you yet, I think you’re safe.
Am I?
Ben Thrustin
Care to take a chance?
Yes, yes, I do. Which is stupid. I could tell him no, say I don’t want that, and we need to stick to the rules we set.
I could, but you know, that’s just clearly not what I’m willing to do when it comes to anything regarding Tristan.
What do you have in mind?
Ben Thrustin
Pack a bag and come away for the night.
I read that text six times to make sure I’m not seeing words that aren’t there, but no, that’s what it says.
You want me to come away with you?
Ben Thrustin
Yes, leave your car at Mary Lou’s and I’ll pick you up there at five.
All right…
I’m not sure what the heck any of this is, but at the same time, there’s no way I’ll say no.
Mary Lou is back in Montana, so that seems like a great place to leave my car so no one will notice. Not sure what I’m going to tell my family, but Carter will arrive soon, and I doubt they’ll care, since it’s all about him anyway.
Still, I fret for the rest of the day about it all. I worry about what to wear, where we’re going, what we’re going to do.
Each time I check the clock and it’s been only fifteen minutes instead of the hour it feels like, I start to go a little crazy.
Finally, around four, I put the horses up and find Momma in the kitchen.
“Hi, love.”
I smile and kiss her cheek. “Hi, Mom. Just so you know, I’m going to see Mary Lou tonight, and I’ll be home sometime tomorrow.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh? Did you mention that before?”
“No, she called and asked me to come up. I miss her, so…”
“Of course, honey. Have fun.”
“I will. I’m going to shower and head out.”
Momma smiles. “All right.”
I rush upstairs to my room and hop in the shower, stressing the entire time I wash the day off. I try not to shake as I’m shaving my legs—and other places. This is kind of exciting and totally out of character. Still, a night away with Tristan where we’re not worried about bugs or horses or sneaking out is going to be kind of amazing.
As I’m washing the conditioner out of my hair, a new worry hits me. What the hell do I pack?
Gah! All of this is too much.
