DEREK
Country music blastedthrough the speakers, somewhat drowned out by the droning conversation going on around us. The day was pleasant, which was a relief given how hot it had been recently. Perfectly fluffy, white clouds provided intermittent shade as they passed over the sun, pulled on by a welcome breeze.
Colton pressed into my side, his arm wrapped around my waist as he sipped his drink. I shook my own, moving the ice to try and get the last remnants of the tea at the bottom of the plastic cup.
“Want me to get you more, my love?” Colton asked, his green eyes moving away from scanning over the crowd to look at me.
I smiled affectionately, passing the red solo cup to him with an appreciative nod. “Thanks, babe.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek before he made his way through the throng of people.
It was hard to believe that it had already been just over a year since I first moved to Westwend. So much had changed in what felt like such a short amount of time.
Colton and I had known that the news of our relationshipwas going to spread through the town like wildfire once we’d decided to tell his parents, but we hadn’t been prepared for all the people who congratulated us on ‘finally being out’. I’d expected there to be some negative backlash, and while there had definitely been a few snide remarks or nasty looks, we’d both been pleasantly surprised by the acceptance that Westwend gave us. Colton thought that it had to do with my status as an attorney, but who could really say? At the end of the day, I was just happy that we could live our lives together without any worry. There had been enough vitriol from Cecilia to last us both a lifetime.
I hadn’t been willing to admit, even to myself, how badly Cecilia’s abandonment of me had hurt. How badly I had craved her acceptance. But, Colton’s words that day had been a beacon in the storm. His gentle love had held together my broken pieces, only making me fall for him even more.
Thanksgiving had been a whirlwind of emotions for a variety of different reasons. Maybe it had been the lingering effects of cutting off Cecilia, but there’d been a small part of me worried that my parents physically meeting my boyfriend would somehow cause them to reconsider their stance of support. But instead, we’d both been greeted with warm hugs and an open embrace.
I’d sat at the Shaffer’s dining room table, marveling at how seamlessly our two families had blended together. While I figured Toni and Ellie would get along, given their similar demeanors, Charlie and my father had stunned me. The two of them were cutting up together like they were old friends as they prepared the bird. Even Colton had been amazed, given his fathers usual vehemence that the turkey was his sole responsibility on Thanksgiving.
Though, the real shock had been Brooks walking through the front door dragging along a somewhat reluctant Mitchel. He’d claimed that Mitchel had been planning to spend the day alone, so he’d taken it upon himself to invite him. No one hadbatted an eye at first, warmly welcoming the newest addition and it quickly became clear Mitchel had been worried about intruding. He’d slowly loosened up and began to mingle, but, somehow throughout the night, Mitchel kept ending up as a physical shield between Brooks and Bailey anytime the two interacted. Colton and I couldn’t figure if that had been Brooks’s goal in bringing him or if Mitchel had taken that role upon himself.
Ever since Colton’s brother had moved back to town, he and Mitchel had formed an unlikely friendship. I’d been concerned initially, worried that Brooks’s boisterous and outgoing personality would overshadow Mitchel’s quiet nature and ultimately drag him along as an unwilling participant. But, I couldn’t deny the positive changes I’d seen in both of them. Mitchel had really started to blossom and was engaging more in the community. And there was something different about Brooks. The air around him had completely changed since we’d been in college.
Colton had told me that Brooks’s relationship with the family had been stilted. He’d hope that his brother moving back to town would help mend the gaps that distance had created, but it hadn’t been quite that easy. It was still a work in progress, but it made me grateful for how quickly Lucy and Colton had taken to each other.
When our regular catch-up phone calls had resumed, shortly after I’d come out, Lucy had started insisting Colton join them too. They had a unique bond that was somewhere between friends and siblings. He had quickly become invested in her life, celebrating all of her accomplishments and comforting her through her defeats. When she’d been accepted to her top choice college, Colton had absolutely lost his mind and had been telling all the folks in town about how proud of her he was. My heart squeezed every time, somehow falling even deeper in love with him.
“Do you think it was a good idea we introduced thosetwo?” Colton’s voice brought me back from reminiscing, and I took my drink from his offered hand. Glancing over in the direction he indicated, my eyes landed on Lucy and Chris as they sat huddled together at a picnic table. They were animatedly talking while pointing at Chris’s phone screen.
I chuckled, shrugging, “Lucy wants to go into marketing and Chris’s strategies with Bikini Beans have been pretty phenomenal. I just hope they stay out of trouble.”
Colton shook his head, squinting at them suspiciously. “They better,” he mumbled.
I bit back a smile, feeling a little bad for any future kids we had with how protective he was of my sister. While they were definitely in the plans, both Colton and I agreed that we wanted to wait before starting a family. We’d been looking for a larger house on the Northern side of town. Nothing was truly far from each other in town, but the dream of being able to walk any future children to their grandparents’ house was one we shared. We’d both come to appreciate family in different ways over the last year.
We continued meandering about for a while, mingling with some of the guests to what was being dubbed as the first annual ‘End of Summer Bash’. I had to shake my head at that, knowing the real reason for the festivities. Restless energy coiled tight in my belly and the longer we chatted, the worse it was becoming. The cloak and dagger route had never been my style, but some things warranted it.
Across the yard, Charlie lazily strolled by carrying a plate of freshly grilled burger patties. We locked eyes and at his subtle nod, my hand slipped into Colton’s as I gently threaded our fingers together. He glanced at me, a warm smile spreading across his face that made my heart ache in the most wonderful way.
“Mrs. Fairchild, you’ll have to excuse us for just a moment. I need to show Colton something.” I said, returning my gaze back to the octogenarian before us. Thankfully she was byherself, the idea of having to slip from conversation with the entire Stitches Club sending shivers down my spine.
She eyed us for a moment, but the questioning look on Colton’s face must have convinced her to let us pass. No doubt she’d be telling the rest of her crew, but by then we’d be long gone. “That’s fine, dear. I’m sure we can chat later.” She said.
I gave her a grateful smile and a nod before tugging Colton toward the back gate. As we slipped out, he let out a soft chuckle. “You know, if you wanted to Irish Goodbye, you went about it all wrong.”
I shook my head, pressing my shoulder into his. “We’re not Irish Goodbyeing.”
“Oh? Are we sneaking off somewhere so you can have your filthy way with me?” He teased, bouncing his eyebrows as we made our way toward my car.
“Not that either,” I shook my head, amused, “I just… wanted to go somewhere with you.”
“I’m still not convinced this isn’t some sexy time rendezvous, which I am all for, by the way.” He joked as he slid into the passenger seat.
“Well, if I ever get the urge, I’ll let you know.” I laughed.
I drove us through familiar streets, passing by old haunts as I made our way toward our destination. Soon enough, though, an old country road stretched before us and Colton’s face sparked with recognition.
“Why are we heading to Darby’s Wish?” He asked, glancing my way.
