I laughed and pulled her in for a quick side hug. I was lucky to have such a close relationship with my sister, and I couldn't fathom being so far apart. "Jeremy knows. He walked in right after you took off. Don't worry about us. We'll figure it out. We always do."
She sniffled and gave me a watery smile. "I need to find me a Jeremy," she quipped.
As we walked back to the house, silence descended on us. I was pretty sure we were both thinking the same thing, but we didn't voice it.
She'd already found her Jeremy, and he was now gone.
The question was…
Would she ever find him again?
I made a silent prayer right then and there that Lexi would one day find a man who made her as happy as I was. Whether it ended up being Jace McAllister or someone else, I didn’t care. I just wanted her happy, loved, and in love.
What every woman deserves.
The house was strangely silent when we returned from our talk at the gazebo. I wondered where Jeremy had gone, but knowing him, he was already making plans for the future—our future. Even though I didn’t know what was on his mind, I trusted that, whatever it was, it would work out for us. Anything else wasn’t an option. I wanted to go find him. After all, we only had a few short weeks before the big moving day. Dad had to be there by the end of June, and it was already early into the month. Plus, if I wanted to get into college in the fall, I had to make up my mind as soon as possible as to whether I was staying or going.
Lexi entered the kitchen, and I followed. Our parents’ heads were together, and they both looked up from the kitchen table when they heard us come in. Mom was on her feet and quickly crossed the room, drawing Lexi into her arms.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know this is a shock," she said, and the pain was evident in her voice. She didn't like that her daughter was hurting, yet at the same time, she knew that it was important for her husband to be close with his mother for however much time she had left.
Dad rose and joined them. "If there was any other way…" he said, his voice trailing off.
Lexi pulled back and nodded. "I know. I don't like it, but I understand. It's what you have to do." She sighed and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. “We better get season tickets to the Reds for this.”
Dad laughed and kissed the top of Lexi’s head. “You got it, Lexi,” he promised, a glimmer in his eye that told me he was already on it.
As I looked at the three of them, my heart ached. I love my family. We’d always been close, and I couldn’t imagine being far away from them. I also couldn’t imagine being far away from Jeremy or his family.
As if she could read my thoughts, Mom looked over at me. "Are you okay, Sierra?"
I blinked back fresh tears. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, I have a lot of thinking to do. And I need to talk to Jeremy. Did he say anything to you guys before he left? I kinda ran out on him to make sure Lexi was okay."
My parents exchanged a glance that made me curious.
"Umm," Mom stammered. "We did speak. He said to tell you he'd pick you up in a few hours."
I gave her a brief nod then sighed. “Mom, what do I do?” I asked.
Her smile was soft. “Don’t worry about that right now, honey. Wait until you talk to Jeremy. Just know, whatever you choose to do, your father and I love and support you.”
She gave me a kiss on the forehead, and I closed my eyes. Without even talking to Jeremy, I knew what I was going to do.
I’d miss my family like hell, but at least I wouldn’t be missing him.
There was a confidence on Jeremy's face I couldn't quite understand. He’d called the house, asking for me to meet him down at the beach. After practically sprinting there, I found him staring out at the ocean. He must’ve sensed my presence, because he turned as soon as I was near. His smile was soft, causing my heart to flutter as I wondered what he was going to say.
"The one thing I'm really going to miss is this gazebo. It's where I first saw you. Where we first spoke. It's where I fell in love with you, and it's where I first told you. But it's just a place. It's just a structure. It's not my home, Sierra. And, if you're not here, then this gazebo means nothing."
"What…what are you saying?" I asked, breathless. I had a feeling I knew where this was going, but I needed to hear the words. Was Jeremy really not forcing me to choose?
He grasped my hands and pulled me to him until our chests were pressed together. Then he dropped our hands and wove his arms around my waist, holding me close. The moonlight illuminated his handsome face as he gazed down at me.
"What I'm saying, Sierra, is that you're not moving." He said it so matter-of-factly.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he dipped his head and captured my lips, effectively shutting me up.
"We—we're moving. I'm coming with you. I discussed with your parents—and with mine. And, when they realized I was coming with or without their blessings, they gave them to me. In fact, your dad—after threatening me within an inch of my life—offered to let me stay with you guys until I can find a job and get on my feet since out-of-state tuition will be a bitch."
My eyes widened as my heart nearly leapt into my throat. That's what he'd talked to my parents about? And they'd agreed? I wanted to jump in his arms, both thrilled and excited at the prospect, but I hesitated. It all seemed so perfect, but was he sure? Was that really what he wanted?
"I can't ask you to do that, Jeremy. Just pack up and leave your whole life behind? What about school? Football? Your family?” I protested even though I didn’t want to. I had to give him that: the chance to back out so he didn’t have to uproot his entire life for me.
"Don't you get it, Sierra? You are my whole life. You are my family. Without you, I'm nothing. If you tell me to stay here, then you're packing up and taking my whole life with you. I'd be just a shell, and a pretty damn miserable one. So please. Take me with you. Or stay here with me. Just don't…just don't leave me. You promised you wouldn’t."
"Are you sure?" Even though I didn't want to, I gave him one last out, as halfhearted as it was.
"Sierra, the only reason I'm not on one knee right now is because we just graduated high school and your dad might rescind his offer if I did so. But rest assured. As soon as I'm on my feet and I think we're ready, there will be a ring on that finger. I'm never letting you go."
His impassioned plea was my undoing. It might have been selfish, but I wasn't going to argue with him. I was going to take what he was offering and not look back.
"Ever?" I asked, my heart soaring at the idea of being Mrs. Jeremy Banks.
Sure, I might have barely been out of high school and I had my whole life ahead of me, but I couldn't imagine Jeremy not being a part of said life. We'd been the only two peas in our pod for so long that I no longer knew where he ended and I began. I didn't want to find out.
He leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to the tip of my nose. "Not in this lifetime, or any other. You're it for me. You're not Tod or Joey or anything else. You're my Sierra, and you always will be."
I slid my arms up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. Lifting up on my tip toes, I placed my lips on his. "Because, after all…where you go…”
"I go."
And, as we entered the next chapter of our lives, we were doing it together. Just like we’d done everything else.
Once it was all said and done, I did what any respectable man who was being threatened with the loss of the love of his life would do. I packed my room up, loaded my car, and declined my scholarship, and as soon as the Sullivans hit the road, so did I.