Chapter 22
My last day in Hume was filled with family. The hostess with the mostest, my mom, planned a big cookout and invited damn near everyone in town. It was reminiscent of when Darla and I first left Hume. With people wishing us well and telling us they’d be praying for us. At that point, I’d been in Hume for nineteen years and never felt more loved than when I was about to leave.
It was at that first farewell party where my mother pulled me aside and let me know I could always come back home. She said, “Fancy if it’s not what you expected, if the dice aren’t rolling in your favor, shit if you just need a hug, you can always come home. There’s no shame in starting over or taking a break to catch your breath. Home will always be here waiting for you.” Those words stayed with me and there were plenty of times over the past ten years I wanted to throw in the towel and come running back.
Chap cheating was the tipping point. I’d been unhappy for a while, silently pushing through thinking once the tour was over or the album recorded things would get better between him and I. But I didn’t realize just how bad things were. Coming home was the best decision I could have made. Because in this month back I realized my happiness was more important than fitting in or being considered cool.
After a summer afternoon of good food, good conversation, and good friends, Edison pulled me aside and asked if he could take me somewhere else before heading home. My response without hesitation was yes. I would go anywhere with this man, do anything for him, and allow him to dick me down anytime and anyplace.
After saying our goodbyes, we headed west. Just the radio and his hand in mine. Edison offered no hints as to where we were going, but the further we drove, the more confused I became. There was nothing out here, except a few farms and a dairy factory. We turned left onto a dirt road as he hummed along to a Kane Brown song.
Edison parked his truck on a hill overlooking the town of Hume. “I thought we could share one last sunset together,” he said.
“Not our last. I don’t think I’ve ever been up here.” We exited the truck, Edison lowered the tailgate and we took a seat, which provided the perfect view of the town below.
“Yeah, I love this spot. It’s kind of outta the way and not many people make the trip. I mostly come here to think, this place is good for that.”
“It’s like a whole other perspective on home. Knowing everyone is down there living their lives while we look on from afar.”
“Yep.”
“Today was nice.”
“It was.”
“Tomorrow—”
Edison shook his head. “No not yet … I’m still appreciating what today has to offer.”
Crossing my legs, I turned to face him. “Did you see our mothers in their little mom huddle conspiring?”
“They were probably planning our wedding.”
“I think if we hadn’t finally figured it out, they would’ve floated the idea of an arranged marriage.”
Edison smiled through a chuckle. He had the most amazing smile. I could sit and stare at this man for hours. “Shit, maybe.” His smile slowly faded and the muscles in his jaw protruded. He was mulling something over.
“This is the part where they say speak now or forever hold your peace.”
“About what?”
“Concerns, second thoughts, doubts.”
His eyes rested on my features. “You have doubts?”
My chest was heavy, and my heart felt lodged between my ribs. We had a plan. It was a good plan. But three months was a long time. Maybe once we were apart, this haze of cozy adoration would pass. Everything in my life was moving fast, including this. “Sometimes.”
“Let me help alleviate them.” He claimed my hand. “I am going to love you for the rest of your life and mine. Every day won’t be perfect, but it will be better than any day without you. And our kids?—”
“We’re going to have kids?”
“Yes, if you want them.”
“With you, yes. Tell me all about them.”
“Our kids are going to be creative thinkers, free spirits, sometimes a little moody. And we’re going to teach them to cultivate the land, sing happy songs, and appreciate sunsets. Don’t ever doubt my love for you. Just come back.” His thumb dusted my lips.
“I love you.”
“I know it.”
Whiskey Wild’s song “Goodbye, Sweet Sunrise” played on the radio. And I laughed to tamp down the tears threatening to fall. The song was about leaving your hometown, saying goodbye to all you knew and the one person that was hardest to leave behind. I sang softly the words I’d written years ago, just as relevant today as any other.
Goodbye, sweet sunrise,
Goodbye, your brown eyes.
This small-town heart’s gotta chase the sky.
I’ll carry you in every mile,
Your memory in every smile.
Goodbye, sweet sunrise, but not goodbye to you.
Hume sunsets were like stepping into a painting. The sky a masterpiece of colors, with streaks of amber and gold melting into fiery oranges and soft pinks. As the sun dipped lower, its warm glow bathed the rolling hills and fields, casting long shadows that stretched lazily across the grass. Silhouettes of oak and cedar trees stood tall against the glowing horizon. Their leaves rustling in the faint evening breeze.
The air was sweet, a mix of honeysuckle and grass, with a hum of cicadas creating a soothing, rhythmic backdrop. Overhead, swallows darted and dove, their movements graceful against the deepening hues. As the sky transitioned to lavender and indigo, the first stars began to twinkle, and the faint glow of fireflies dotted the edges of the field, like nature’s own string lights flickering to life.
It was the type of sunset that made you linger. We leaned into one another, savoring the beauty of this moment, one of our last. Leaving Hume had never been harder than it was tonight. I’d toured in over one hundred countries, sold out stadiums, screaming fans. I left Hume in search of something, only to return years later to find my whole world right here in my hometown. The sunset was a warm reminder of home, peace, and the quiet magic of Hume summers.
Exhaling a deep breath, I said, “I think I need to start writing some new songs for these new memories.”
Back at home I walked around aimlessly, silently saying goodbye to all the things I’d miss. Goodbye rooster kitchen. Goodbye house of curiosities. While Edison was in the shower, Katt and I spent some quality time on the couch and the shy kitty tolerated my petting her. The house was silent apart from an unexpected rain that danced on the tin roof. My daddy was right, the sound was intoxicating.
Upstairs I passed Yeti who’d made a home in the corner of the hallway right outside Edison’s bedroom. When I entered, he was already laying down in nothing but boxers. I jumped into bed, straddling myself over top of him.
“Please be easy. I ate way too many ribs,” Edison half teased.
“No one was holding a gun to your head.”
“You know I can’t say no to your dad’s ribs.”
“County fair winner for best ribs seventeen consecutive years.”
“And it’s well deserved. Maybe a little rigged seeing how your mother is always one of the judges.”
I gagged. “She’s impartial.”
“Is she?”
“Yes. The best ribs always win.”
“And those ribs just happen to belong to your father?”
“Don’t you start those nasty rumors.” I playfully needled him in his chest.
“You’re gonna miss the cook off next month.”
“I am.” The smile disappeared from my face. “I wish you were going with me.”
“If I could, I would. But I can’t leave Dial to run the nursery alone with no notice or preparation. Especially with my parents looking to move. We have a lot of knowledge transfer to cover in a short amount of time.”
“I know. I totally understand. I’m just not prepared to miss you for months.”
“I’m going to miss you too. I’m especially going to miss this ass.” He grabbed a handful of my ass cheeks and gave a tight squeeze.
“Well seeing how it’s our last night, we should make it one to remember.” I needed the memory of him touching my skin seared in my brain for quick reference. Edison’s dick hardened at my request. That thing had to be battery powered because with the slightest provocation, it would stand up and wobble like a patron at The Tipsy Owl.
The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast shadows over his face, that, mixed with the determined longing in his eyes for me, made him look even more devastatingly beautiful. I pressed my palm against his chest, the steady, reliable thump of his heart increased as I rocked over his dick. Outside the downpour thickened with each drop of rain a tiny percussion against the metal. An unpredictable melody would crest and fall, and our bodies worked in concert mimicking the rhythmic cadence of the storm, which blanketed everything beneath it into a peaceful, dreamlike state.
“I don’t want to say goodbye,” I whispered.
Edison caught my chin between his fingers, tilting my face up to his. His lips brushed mine, soft at first, then deeper, as if trying to fuse us together and make this moment stretch on forever. His hand slid down my back, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us. The warmth of his body seeping into my skin. I allowed myself to drown into him as his dick drowned in my pussy. Our strokes were paced out and slow in an effort to savor the pleasure and extend our time as far as it would go before reality pulled us apart. Every kiss, every touch, felt like a plea. His mouth traced a path down my neck and shoulder, sending shivers racing through me.
Our kisses were fierce and unrelenting, as if we were trying to defeat the time we would spend apart. The faint taste of his soapy skin lingered on my tongue blending with the warmth of his breath, his kisses were addictive. Edison’s hands gripped my hips, his fingers pressing into my flesh, while my nails dragged lightly against the back of his neck. The sound of our breathing was ragged, echoing against the bedroom walls, punctured by the soft, wet sound of our bodies moving together in perfect, desperate harmony.
When we finally collapsed together, breathless and tangled, I pressed my forehead to his and closed my eyes. “How am I supposed to sleep without you?” I murmured, my fingers idly tracing patterns over his skin.
He took a long, thoughtful breath before sighing it out, his grasp tightening like he didn’t want to let me go. “I’ll meet you in your dreams.” His lips ghosted over mine in a final lingering kiss. And I knew he was right. I’d dream of this, of him, until we were back in each other’s arms.