Page 121 of Autumn on My Mind

I nod eagerly, threading my fingers through his. The bed of his Ford is perfect for lounging and stargazing—and stealing kisses. “Where?” I say.

He tuts at my question. “You have to ask?”

“The Ridge?”

“Of course.”

Our feet crunch over brown leaves as we head back to the car, and although it’s getting chillier each day, our steps are slow and ambling. “I’ll buy a pumpkin roll to take along if you bring an extra blanket,” I say, shivering slightly.

“Done,” he says. “We leave at ten.” We reach the car, and he lets go of me to open the passenger door.

I give him a quick kiss before sliding in. “It’s a date.”

FIVE YEARS LATER

I can always tell when Dominic is home because the clang of his footsteps on the metal stairs echo up through the stairwell and into our little apartment.

Today, though, there’s a rush to his steps that isn’t normally there.

“Hang on, baby,” I say to Bella, who at two years old is trying to crawl up into my lap. I shift her gently aside, letting her hold onto the couch for support instead as I stand.

I reach the door right as Dominic opens it. He steps inside with bright eyes, a large, flat box in his hands.

“Look what came,” he says with a grin.

My eyes widen. “Is that⁠—”

“Yep. I think so.”

He passes me the box and then drops his tool bag by the door, after which he swoops toward Bella and picks her up. She shrieks with laughter as he tickles her, kicking her tiny feet in her footie pajamas while I hurry into the kitchen for a pair of scissors.

I set the box down on our scratched, slightly sticky dining table and open it with trembling fingers. Some wrestling with the box is required, but after a slight struggle I emerge with my prize: a framed diploma with my name on it.

Reese Berkeley Harper has officially earned a degree in English language arts, with an emphasis in technical writing. I’m in my thirties, but it’s never too late to get an education, is it?

Of course not.

“So who all is coming tomorrow?” Dom says, trailing over to me with Bella in his arms. He smiles as he looks down at the diploma. “It looks great.”

“Rosie and Dean are coming, and Emma and Carson and your dad,” I tell him. “Nathan probably won’t make it but he said he’d do his best, and Ari and Wade and Liv and Tate will be there⁠—”

“Ben and Maven; Archer and Juliet,” Dom adds, and I nod.

“Yep, and Sadie and James. And…”

When Dominic lifts his eyebrows at me, waiting, I sigh.

“I don’t know yet,” I say, and he holds up one hand.

“Your call,” he says quickly. “I was just wondering. It’s a big deal, graduating college. You might want her there for your party.”

“Or I might not,” I counter.

“Or you might not,” he says with a nod. He leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”

“It’s not even a party, really,” I go on. “It’s just…dinner.”

Dom scoffs at this and sets Bella down. “Just dinner,” he says. “It will be a dinner party. I know for a fact my dad is bringing pumpkin cupcakes.”