Page 36 of So Long, Honey

“You’re going to have to explain that one to me, Caddy, because I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say?” Ryan’s voice floated over the four of us as his hand wrapped around my stomach and pulled me tightly to him.

“You know exactly what I mean, Ryan. She’s a loser, she barely speaks, and it’s almost cruel the way you parade her around like you actually care.” Cadence narrowed her eyes on him, but there was a sweetness to her voice that wasn’t there before.

A week ago, not knowing Ryan or having been convinced otherwise, her words might have allowed the doubt to seep in through the cracks. But with him wrapped around me, I didn’t have a single doubt that he cared. Iknewhe did. I could feel it vibrating from him.

Ryan chuckled, his breath warm on my ear as his fingers dug into my stomach and he leaned forward into me. “What it sounds like is you’re acting like a whiny bitch because you want attention, but I have news for you Caddy,” he said and she flinched at the nickname. “Not everything is about you, and thesooneryou learn that the sooner you can start working on your lifelong dream of being a trophy wife to the next wash-out car salesman. Our town would go under without people like you.”

Cadence looked like she might be sick as she bristled from his comments and tightened her hot pink claws around her cup. “You’ve changed, Ryan Cody.”

“You say that like you know me, Cadence.” He sneered with another small laugh as she started to back away. “One more thing,” he said as the three of them started to exit the kitchen, “if you ever look at Lorraine wrong again, if I hear one rumor that even remotely sounds like it came from any of you, we’ll have this conversation again, but I won’t be nice next time.”

Mary snorted, scaring me after forgetting she was also in the kitchen with us.

“Run along now,” she said to them as they had already started disappearing. “She’s going to spiral about that car salesman comment for a week.”

“Good,” Ryan pressed his lips to my cheek. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly against my ear, and I nodded. “How about a walk?” he asked me, and I opened my mouth to tell him that I was going to go hang out with Mary, but she shook her head at me and took the bag of chips from my arms.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Mary said with a smile and wandered through the house.

“Sorry, I interrupted your…whatever that was…” Ryan said.

“It was nothing,” I said, turning out of his arms and wiggling my fingers at him to take. Without pause, he intertwined our hands and led us from the back of the house down to the beach. Everything had quieted down outside, and the bonfire was crackling into the dark sky, which was the only light source next to the moon. “Thank you for standing up for me,” I said as he settled next to me in the sand.

“I’d do anything for you, Rae,” He responded with conviction, “However, when it comes to them, promise you’ll never listen to a word they say. It all comes from jealousy and malice, none of it is true.”

I turned to look at him and found his brows tight with worry, his green eyes watching me carefully, almost as if he expected me to doubt him.

“I know,” I said to him and squeezed my hand around his tighter. There was not a shred of doubt to be found as we sat under the stars with the heat from the fire licking at our cold skin.

CODY

Ipicked her up twenty minutes ago and still haven’t said a word to her about where we’re going or what we’re doing. I can feel how nervous she is. She hates surprises almost as much as she hates sneaking out, but we were getting better at it. I’m so glad she found her rebellious side because it was hard to go those few hours after school without her.

She was wearing some adorable loose sweater that hung around her collarbone and showed off her shoulder. If I wasn’t driving, I would lean over and press my lips to the bare skin but I’d settle for being distracted because I had her in my truck, and life was good. My last paper was finished, sliding around on the dashboard as I took small corners. I finally found a memory to write about, getting over the fear that it had to be some grand childhood memory that shaped my entire life. I found my voice, picked a memory and just wrote.

It might not be good, but it’s finished, which was what mattered.

I had held up my side of the deal. I had finished all my missing assignments.

I could tell she was proud of me. She had read it quietly for the first half of the drive and asked me silly questions about certain moments, only to reward me with a small kiss at the only red light in town.

“Where are we going?” Lorraine asked as I finally pulled the truck off the highway toward one of the massive corn fields surrounding our town.

“You’re insanely impatient for a girl that only just started leaving her room on a regular basis,” I laughed and slowed the truck down to line up with the other cars.

I watched as she shifted in the seat, tucking her feet beneath her butt to raise up through the open window, her hair blowing around in the light breeze as her eyes twinkled.

“Is this the drive-in?” She asked me, sliding back down into her seat and I nodded at her as she closed the gap between us on the bench. “I’ve never been!” She squealed and kissed a peppered line of tiny kisses along my cheek to the corner of my mouth.

It was nearly impossible not to get distracted after that. The heat rose in my neck, and all I wanted to do was park the truck and kiss her back. But the line moved, and I put my hand out to push her gently back against the seat before I started to move again. The line moved at a creeping pace as people paid for their tickets.

Her body was pressed against the dashboard to peer out the front window at the giant screen. She wiggled the entire time we were in line and only settled down when I found a parking spot. “How are we supposed to watch a movie like this?” She asked when I backed the truck into the spot.

“Your excitement is clouding your sense,” I laughed and cut the engine. I hopped from the cab, moved to open her door, and helped her out. I led her around the back and popped the tailgateto show her the second part of my surprise. Blankets and a few pillows lined the bed.

She looked over at me with the stars in her eyes and smiled sweetly.

“Help me?” She asked, and without thought, I lifted her to the tailgate so she could get comfy, but not before wrapping my arms around her and tugging her impossibly close for a kiss. Her lips met mine with a slow and sweet smile. Rows of cars piled in around us, filling the parking lot with chatter and laughter until the movie started.