8. Easton
Chapter 8
Easton
Mom disappears down the hallway and I squeeze my eyes shut. Everything just got so much more difficult.
I knew Jack’s funeral would be hard for both of us, but I didn’t expect it to end like this.
What was Jack thinking? Why would he cheat on Taylor? She’s one of the most fun, beautiful, loving, and smartest women I’ve ever met. There’s a reason she’s been the center of my world for so long.
My thoughts stray to that day I told Jack how I felt about her. How he got so mad, then went and asked her out himself. Was it all just so I couldn’t have her? Was it really so she wouldn’t have to split her time between the two of us?
Why would he care if he didn’t actually love her? Why complicate things so much more? He could’ve let me date her. He still would’ve been in her life and gotten to spend time with her, but he could’ve dated whoever he wanted, rather than sneaking around behind her back.
I shake my head and try to clear the thoughts that are circling around inside my brain. I need to focus on this moment, not everything that’s going on right now.
There are too many things demanding my attention though.
I would’ve picked you. I would’ve picked you every time.
Her words play over and over in my head. Has she really been in love with me all along? It explains so much though. So many times over the years, she’d come over when she knew Jack wasn’t home. She’d hang around like she was trying to get my attention or spend just a little more time with me.
Memories of a specific day that summer float to the front of my mind and it’s like I'm watching it play out like a movie.
“Hey, Easton. What are you up to?” Taylor slips through the open garage door and squeezes past all the parts of my car littering the space.
“I'm trying to get this to work, but it’s giving me a lot of trouble,” I murmur as I tighten the bolt. I’ve been working on this old car for years and I almost have it up and running. I spend all of my spare time on it, especially since Jack started dating Taylor.
“What are we trying to get to work?” She moves close enough for her strawberry scent to surround me .
She leans under the hood and peers at the engine like she has any idea what she’s looking at. Her arm is pressed against mine and it takes a lot of effort for me to keep my hands to myself.
“Do you really want to know? Because you’re hopeless when it comes to cars. You can hang out even if you’re clueless on what we’re working on.” I nudge her shoulder with mine. “I promise not to kick you out.”
“Good. I didn’t even want to pretend I knew what we were looking at.” She sighs happily, making me chuckle. “Can I just sit here and look pretty while you get all covered in grease?” She nods towards the stool behind me.
“You can do whatever your heart desires, sweetheart.”
Taylor grins at me as she takes a step backwards and moves to climb onto the stool without looking. Her foot slips off the rung and she lets out a shriek as she loses her balance.
“No!” I'm at her side in the blink of an eye. I'm holding onto her waist and tugging her against my body. “Are you ok?” I whisper as I stare down into those blue eyes that captured my attention long ago.
Whenever I stare into her eyes like this, I swear I can read what’s going through her mind so easily. Except right now, there’s an emotion I can't decipher.
“Yeah, I’ll be ok,” she murmurs almost to herself. She slips her arms around my neck and holds onto me.
I release one of my hands from her hips and brush a blonde lock out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. I leave a smear of grease across her skin and chuckle.
“Apparently, I'm a bit greasy and now so are you.” I tug a bandana out of my back pocket and rub it across the streak I left on her cheek. She leans into my touch and her eyes slide shut. She looks so beautiful and perfect right now.
I wish I could snap a photo of this moment so I can remember how she looks right now forever. I’d make this photo the background on my phone and smile every time I saw it.
“You’re kinda cute with grease on you.” I grin as her eyes flutter open to meet my gaze.
“You’re kinda cute when you’re covered with grease too.” Her bottom lip slips between her teeth and she bites down gently.
“I'm glad because I think I'm covered with grease more often than not.”
The sound of the backdoor slamming shut pulls my attention away from Taylor. I know it’s Jack and I'm not sure I'm ready to lose Taylor yet.
“Let’s get you on this stool so you can sit there and look pretty for me.” I wink at her, letting her know I'm teasing her. I grip her waist again and easily lift her onto the padded seat. Her feet hang down and she moves them back and forth as she watches me carefully.
I take a step back and frown at the stains on her shirt. There are two distinct handprints on the fabric from where I grabbed her.
“Jeez, Tay. I ruined your shirt.” I run a hand through my hair and scowl. I know I’ll have a bunch of grease in my hair now, but that’s no different than every other day. I'm messy whenever I'm in here working on this car.
She glances down at her shirt and smiles. “Nah, I don’t think it’s ruined at all. I think it’s kinda perfect. It’s a constant reminder of how you’ll always save me.”
“Easton? Are you ok?” Taylor places her hand on my cheek, bringing me back to the present. Her eyes are stormy and full of so much emotion. So similar to that day in the garage.
“Yeah, sorry. I was stuck in a memory.” I shake my head, trying to clear it from my thoughts.
“What memory?”
“Do you remember when you almost fell in the garage and I caught you, but covered you in grease?”
“Yeah, I do.” A soft smile spreads across her face. “I loved that shirt and I didn’t even care about the grease stains.”
“Why? I really thought you’d be annoyed.”
“Nah. It was visible proof you cared about me. I kept thinking if we dated, I’d wear that shirt all the time.”
My brows draw together as I try to figure out why she’d wear it if we were dating. It doesn’t make sense to me.
Taylor rolls her eyes as her smile grows. “I liked knowing that’s what your hands looked like on me. Everyone knew you spent your free time in the garage working on old cars. They’d know where those hand marks came from.” She lifts her shoulder in a half shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I liked the idea of everyone knowing I was yours.”
I take a step closer to Taylor. I want so badly to kiss her and remind her of all the reasons she should’ve picked me over Jack, but I can't do that. Not today. Today belongs to Jack, but the rest of our lives? That belongs to me.
“C’mon, beautiful. Let’s get through the rest of the day so we can go home and relax.” I slip my hand into Taylor’s and tug her towards the door.