“You asked me what I would do if it were only you and me—no past, just a blank slate.”
“I did,” he replies with an even tone.
“Do you want to know my answer?”
“Yes.” His eyes soften as he watches me, but his jaw stays clenched, steeling himself for whatever my answer may be.
My fingers curl into the waistband of his jeans, and I rise up onto my toes. Nose to nose, I’m close enough to feel his short, ragged breaths dance across my cheek.
I look straight into his eyes and lick my trembling lips. “I’d spend the rest of my life loving you,” I whisper.
He doesn’t speak. His eyes go liquid, and he runs his thumb softly across my cheek … down my neck … across my collarbone. My pulse dances beneath his touch.
“I know I don’t deserve you,” I stammer. “I know I’ve hurt you, and I’m so sorry. You have every right to ask me to leave and never come back. There are things in my life that are … difficult … but I won’t let them rule me anymore. I’ll knock down every road block in hopes that one day you’ll give me another chance.”
“Celia, stop,” he says, covering my lips with his fingers. He grabs the back of his neck and lowers his head with a smirk. “You’ve got either the shittiest or most impeccable timing of anyone I know, I’m just not sure which. I’m actually on my way out.”
“Oh … okay?”
I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up here today. I don’t forgive you and you need to leave. Definitely a possibility. I love you, too, Tink. A girl can hope. I’m actually on my way out. What the hell am I supposed to make of that?
Cain darts inside the apartment and comes back, keys and phone in hand. He holds up a finger as he dials the phone and places it to his ear.
“Hey, there’s been a change of plans. Celia’s here with me,” he says into the phone, then he pauses. “I think it’s time, don’t you?” Another pause. “Just ask, okay?”
Moments pass, and Cain paces the length of the porch, gripping the phone in one hand and nervously tapping his leg with the other. He stops abruptly and listens. With a fist pump and a silent “Yes”, he grins and looks over at me.
“On our way,” he says as he lowers the phone.
He spins his keys on his finger and places a nudging hand on my lower back. I shuffle forward, my face morphing into a confused frown. He smirks at me and touches his lips to my forehead.
“Come on, Tink, you and I have somewhere to be.”
A quiet anticipation hangs in the air as we drive through the streets of Providence. I turn and look at Cain, and his lip twitches when he notices my stare. I touch my forehead to his shoulder and suppress a giggle, downright giddy at being this close to him after all this time.
When I got into his truck for our journey to the unknown, he looked across the cab at me and tapped the seat beside him.
“C’mere, Celia,” he said gruffly. “I need you close.”
Needless to say, I scooted my behind across that seat at lightning speed. Now, the heat from his thigh creeps through the thin material of my sundress, heating me from the outside in and I don’t mind it one bit.
Cain squashes every attempt by me to find out where we’re headed, so I’m content to sit back and just be. It’s an easy thing to do with him by my side. Natural.
When he steers the truck into the grass at his family’s fishing pond, I’m more than a little confused. Nothing seems out of place, and we are the only ones here.
“Uh … so we’re fishing today?” I ask without even attempting to hide my bewilderment.
“Yep.” He grins, swings open the door, and jumps out.
Cain reaches into the truck bed and retrieves a handful of poles and a tackle box. I slide out of the truck and stare at him blankly. He hands the poles and box to me.
“Could you hold these for me while I grab the ice chest?”
I count four poles in my hand. Cain retrieves a huge ice chest from the truck and sets it down near the water.
“Um, you do realize there are only two of us here, right? Who are the extra poles for?”
Before I finish my sentence, I hear the faint sound of crunching gravel underneath tires. I turn and see a familiar blue car turning into the grass.
What is Audrey doing here? And who the hell is in the passenger seat?
When the passenger door opens, my hands drop to my sides, and the poles fall with a clatter at my feet. This can’t be real. My mind must be playing a cruel joke.
“Hey, Celia,” Lucas calls out with a wave, greeting me with a boyish grin that signifies he sees no reason why this would be strange.
I feel a nudge at my back. I turn my head toward Cain, and he gives me a nod of approval before he pushes me forward again. I maneuver through the maze of poles and meet Lucas halfway. We come face to face, separated by an invisible wall. My trembling hands dance over the outline of his body without ever touching, afraid he’ll vanish into thin air if I make contact. I linger over his newly trimmed hair, down to his crystal clear eyes. I skate over his arms, his wringing hands, all the way down to his shoes, still held together with hospital issued duct tape.
“You look pale,” I blurt out before thinking, then slam my hand over my mouth.
“Years in an institution will do that to a person,” he says with a laugh, and then opens his arms to me. “It’s good to see you too, Cece.”
I waste no time throwing my arms around him. I bury my head in his chest as the sobs wash over me. I didn’t believe in this day anymore.
I wipe my snotty face across his now rumpled shirt and push away to get another look at him. Lucas surveys his ruined shirt with a wince, and I shrug my apology.
“How are you here right now? I don’t understand.”
He peers over my shoulder with a smile. “It turns out Audrey and Cain are quite the team. Mom and Dad never stood a chance. Those two are a force.”
I look over my shoulder and treasure the sight. Audrey is teary-eyed and smiling, and Cain’s arm is draped over her shoulder. Cain beams with affection and understanding.
“How in the world?” I ask with a shake of my head.
Cain releases Audrey and steps closer. He places a kiss on the top of my head, then turns to Lucas. They shake hands and slap backs.
“Good to see you again, man.” Cain grins.
“It’s damn good to be seen,” Lucas says as he looks back and forth between Cain and me.
Cain brushes my cheek with his thumb. “Tink, Audrey and I are taking a walk to the fig orchard to give you two some time to catch up, yeah?”
I nod, but remain silent. This moment is surreal, and saying thank you seems grossly inadequate. He taps my nose with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and I know he feels the words of gratitude I don’t say.
“Come on, Audrey,” Cain says, crooking his finger. “The fig fields await. Piss me off and I may unleash a flock of wild birds on your pretty little head.”
Audrey rolls her eyes and shoves him. “Oh yeah? Piss me off and my foot will become intimately acquainted with your testicles.”
“Try not to kill each other, okay?” I call out.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Cece,” Audrey calls out. “Baby steps, okay?”
As their bickering voices trail off into the distance, I turn to face Lucas. My mind is a jumble of questions, the first one being: ‘is this real?’