34. Lana
34
LANA
“ D o you think he’s gonna like my dress?” Holland asks the following Thursday as I curl another piece of her long brown hair and smile.
“He’s going to love it,” I tell her because I believe that with my whole heart. I’d struck out in the husband department—excluding my two incredible kids—but I’d scored the jackpot with my boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
Even just thinking the word makes me smile. I thought I was too old to have one after getting divorced, but at thirty-four, I’m more myself than I have been in years.
“And you gave him the tie?” Holland asks for the third time since she got up this morning, and I nod.
“He has the tie and he’s very excited.”
I think back to how Mason had been waiting on our front lawn with a sign that read Holland, will you go to the dance with me? as the dogs lost their minds in the house. My daughter had been confused at first, but when Mason pulled out a bouquet of flowers and knelt in front of her, she’d burst into tears.
So had I.
Beck had elbowed me, rolling his eyes, and I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around him and sway back and forth where all the neighbors could see. He’d been mortified but also pleased.
I’d seen his small smile after he pried me off him, both of us laughing as Holland hugged Mason. He whispered to her while she nodded, and he brushed away her tears.
Things between Mason and me had been the hardest kind of easy. Our chemistry and the soul-deep longing I felt for him made anything seem possible. But it’d also been a steep learning curve because despite the way he resonated through every cell in my body, we’d still come together at two very different times in our lives.
I’d been humbled.
Repeatedly.
But I wouldn’t change it. I needed the reminder that there were things so much bigger than the tiny closed-off world I’d created.
Like a man who insisted on paying for my daughter to pick out a new dress and a tie to match. The purple dress with sparkly flowers had made Holland squeal when she saw it, grabbing the hanger and clutching it to her chest.
It was the only one she tried on, beaming with a confidence I hadn’t seen in a while as she marched up to the register.
Holland had talked the entire way home, and when we got there, we found Beck and Mason playing catch in the front yard.
Mason asked to see her dress, making Holland gasp and then scrunch up her face as Mason pretended to pout. Seizing the opportunity to create more waves, Beck asked if Holland would show him instead.
Her eyes were the size of saucers, glassy and bright as she nodded and led him inside. Beck threw a wink at us over his shoulder but I knew he felt it too—the magnitude of the moment. The way we’d somehow grown stronger.
Together.
All over a dance and a dress.
And so much more.
“What do you think?” I ask, fluffing the curls to frame her face as she watches me in the mirror.
“It’s so pretty!” she squeals, bouncing in her chair before getting up to hug me tight. Following her into her room, I help her into the dress and hand her an evening bag for the lip gloss we’d agreed upon after a conversation about contouring makeup that had Beck stomping into the room and telling her she’s pretty just the way she is.
I’d given him an extra twenty minutes on his gaming system for that.
His maturity often caught me off guard, but since Mason started spending time here, I’d gotten to watch Beck grow into such an incredible young man.
“Are you ready?” I ask Holland, Beck and Mason’s voices carrying from downstairs.
She nods and takes a breath before taking the first step down the stairs.
MASON
The clacking sound of Holland’s strappy sandals on the stairs has my full attention. Beck’s too. He talks a big game about a lot of things, but the way he loves his sister is something so beautiful I know it will last.
Her smile is huge as she sees me waiting in the living room with a corsage of purple flowers to match her sparkly purple dress and the tie around my neck.
“You look beautiful,” I say, holding out my hand and twirling her around when she takes it.
She giggles, the skirt flying out around her as she moves. Lana’s eyes are full of tears as they meet mine, and I wink because this is everything.
A rumble sounds outside and everyone’s eyes widen as we head for the door. I’d taken my truck to get washed today but I wanted to give Holland the option. The old fleetside truck is painted a matte black with roll down windows and circle headlights. It’s got that classic feel, and Otto’s brother had been nice enough to let me borrow it for the evening.
“We can take my truck,” I say to Holland, her little hand clasped in mine, “or we can take that one.”
Bodhi steps out of the driver’s seat and gives everyone a small wave and a nod. “Will you teach me how to drive that?” Beck asks and I grin.
“Of course.”
“You can teach me first,” Lana says, her eyes going unfocused as she stares at the truck, no doubt thinking about my hand over hers on the shifter, the vibrations of the tires on the road making it so much more than just a simple drive.
I clear my throat, making her smirk, and I hope she knows she’s going to pay for that later.
“Hi Bodhi!” Holland yells, waving her hand and forcing him to cross the grass to meet us. His expression is soft as he looks at her, his smile small but present on his face. I know what he sees when he looks at her.
Audrey.
I see her too.
“You look very pretty, Holland,” he says, and she blushes before closing the distance and wrapping her arms around his waist. He hugs her back before pointing at the truck. “Did you decide?”
“That one.” Holland points to the old truck, and I fish my keys from my pocket and hand them to Bodhi so he can take mine home.
Home.
The house we’d hidden away in when we’d first landed in Blackstone Falls three years ago doesn’t hold the same feeling as it did back then. Because my sense of home has shifted.
To here.
Swallowing down that realization, I slip the corsage onto Holland’s wrist and pose for all the pictures Lana wants before helping my girl into the truck as Bodhi gets into mine.
“How come they get to go on a date? What are we, chopped liver?” Beck complains with mock indignation.
Lana snorts as she ruffles his hair. “What do you think we should do?”
“I’ll let you buy the burgers and I’ll get the ice cream,” he says seriously, even though he can’t hide his smile.
Pretending to think it over, Lana waits only a few seconds before holding out her hand to Beck. “Deal.”
“Nice!” he cheers before pointing a finger at me. “You kids don’t stay out too late.”
“I’ll have her home at a reasonable time,” I say with a salute which he returns with a laugh before he pulls Lana toward her car.
It’s the perfect night, and I wouldn’t mind doing this forever.