Sliding behind the wheel of the Jeep has happiness bubbling up so fast I can barely contain it.
Emmett watches me from the passenger seat with that quiet look he gets sometimes, like seeing me happy does something to him.
He absentmindedly runs his hand over the barely-there dash. It’s only when his hand comes away clean that I realize he didn’t only fix the Jeep but removed the layer of dust and restored the long-lost shine that had faded while it sat unused.
Emotion stings my throat.“It’s so much better than I’d imagined.” All the things I love so much about this car shine. It’s simple—no frills and a little rough. There are faded spots on the interior from decades of love, and a blue scarf that my grandma used to wrap in her hair looped around the passenger grab handle.
I run my thumb over the shifter, remembering the way my grandma’s gold watch used to gleam in the sun when she’d take me for a drive.
It’s the same as it’s always been but so very different.
“Thank you for giving me this,” I say again, my voice cracking with the weight of my gratitude.
His hand lifts to cradle my cheek, but it’s not enough. Not when he did this. Leaning over, I pull him into a hug and hold him tighter than I’ve ever dared. His stubble scrapes against my temple before he turns and kisses the side of my head.
“It was the least I could do.”
“It was literally the most.”
“It kept me sane.”
“God, it’s annoying how badly you take compliments.”
“This is radical, I know, but you could stop giving them before you permanently inflate my ego.”
“Hard pass. Someone has to balance out all your grumpy self-deprecation.” I wrinkle my nose at him. “Otherwise you might never realize you’re actually kind of wonderful.”
“You’re really hell on my reputation.”
“And it would be such a tragedy if that got damaged.”
I press in the clutch and shift the Jeep into reverse. “Besides, I think restoring my dead Jeep bought you at least a few weeks of positive PR around town.”
“Think so?”
“Absolutely. You’re basically a local hero now.”
“Jesus. Don’t say that too loud, or I’ll have to start making eye contact with people at the grocery store.”
Laughing, I back us out of the driveway.
“Speaking of, should we grab some sandwiches and snacks from the General Store before we go?”
He nods once. “It might be good to have them for the drive back tonight. I’d rather be prepared—you never know with crossing the range.”
I point us toward downtown, sunlight pouring through the windshield while Emmett stretches his arm along the back of the bench seat behind me like he’s been riding there forever.
My exhale wedges itself in my sternum, nervous that this is one of thosetoo good to be truemoments.
The Jeep hums and rumbles, vibrating my whole body exactly how I remember.
By the time we park, I’m flying high. It’s nostalgia and some of my favorite childhood memories. All because of Emmett—he gave me this.
The need to kiss him, crawl into his lap and thank him enthusiastically is as erratic as my heartbeat. All of it makes me more ecstatic about our drive together today. I want the breeze in my hair, the fall sun on my face, and my hand is his.
He swings his legs out the open side and steps down. I rush to unbuckle and meet him at the front of the Jeep.
He tugs at his neck, his giant palm rubbing along the back of it like he always does when he’s uncertain. “What’d you think?”
