August 24th
This summer.
Ainsley
I grab a cup of coffee and take it out to the screened porch of my cottage and stare out at the lake.
Yesterday was my last day of work for the summer. But then I realize it’s actually the last summer ever. I’ll graduate this fall and start my career. I’ve made so many friends here. Some in passing, but others, like Apollo and Liam, who I think will be in my life beyond.
It’s bittersweet.
But then I think about Damon. From the time we first laid eyes on each other, our families have intertwined. I glance at our special picnic spot and touch my abdomen as I think about this summer.
The summer that changed both our lives.
Even though I’m a bit melancholy about leaving, I’m excited to get my stuff packed and hit the road. To go see him. Be with him.
My phone rings in my hand. It’s him.
“Hey,” I say.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be up already,” he says.
“I’m too excited to sleep in. I get to see you today!”
“I know. And I can’t wait. To see you. Hold you in my arms. Kiss you.”
“And show me where you live.”
“My bed, specifically,” he says.
“I hope I get to see more than that,” I tease.
He chuckles. “We’re having a party at our place tonight. You’ll get to meet my friends.”
“That’s awesome,” I say, but I’m thinking the last thing I want to do is party. I just want to spend time with him.
“When will I get to kiss you?” he says, changing the subject back to that.
“I have to pack. Goal is to leave here by ten. I’ll have a late lunch with my mom, then drive to Lincoln. I’m thinking six thirty, seven.”
“Perfect,” he says. “Everyone is coming at seven thirty. That gives me time to cook you dinner.”
“Cook me dinner? Hmm. Do I need to steal the apron from the cottage for you?” I ask, thinking back to when he cooked for me this summer, wearing nothing but.
He laughs heartily. “You’ll have to find that out when you get here. So, don’t dally.”
“I’m calling off lunch with Mom,” I say.
Very quickly, my phone buzzes, him wanting to video chat. I press the button, and his handsome face pops up. It makes me smile even more. In a few hours, I’ll be back in those strong arms.
“Show me our picnic spot and the lake,” he says. “Let’s have one last look at it together.”
I turn my phone, and then he says, “Now I want to look at you.” As soon as I switch the view again, he goes, “This summer.”
“I know. I was just thinking that before you called. How this summer changed my life. How you changed my life.” I start to get tears in my eyes. Because I wish I could tell him just how much.
But I can’t.
He looks misty-eyed too. “Best summer of my life,” he says, but then adds, “So far. Just think, someday, we’ll be bringing our kids there. Our parents will be grandparents. Mimi and Papa, great-grandparents. I can’t wait.”
“I can’t wait either,” I tell him.
“All right, I have to get going,” he says. “Drive careful. You’ve got precious cargo.”
My eyes get big. “Precious cargo?” I ask, dumbfounded. Does he somehow know I’m pregnant?
“Yeah,” he says. “You.”
I pack, get everything loaded in my car, and then set my navigation to take me to the restaurant where Mom and I are meeting.
“Sweetie,” Mom says, giving me a big hug when I arrive. “You look gorgeous. I appreciate you stopping to have lunch with me. I know you’re probably excited to get to Lincoln.”
“I am, but I’m glad to see you. What have you been up to?”
“Well …”
She grins big as a tall, handsome, older gentleman comes to stand next to her. And then wraps an arm around her waist.
My eyes move between them. I blink a few times. Swallow.
“I’d like you to meet Evander Hayes. Everyone calls him Hayes.”
He holds out his hand to shake mine. I look down at his hand. Feel a little sick.
“Um, excuse me,” I say, rushing off to the restroom.
I gag a little, telling myself it’s because I’m hungry—even though I ate road-trip snacks in the car on the way here—and not because of the fact that my mother had some random guy’s arm wrapped around her.
I think back to when she told me she was sorta seeing someone. It was when I got back to the resort on Fourth of July weekend. I’ve talked to her numerous times since then. And she hasn’t said another word about it. Or him. And now she just springs him on me with no warning?
I decide while I’m in here, I might as well use the restroom. I’m washing my hands when Mom comes in.
I just stare at her. When she gives me the eye back, like I’m in trouble, I say, “It’s been almost two months since you told me you had a few dates.
I’ve heard nothing since then, and you just invite him to our lunch and don’t tell me?
Do you not even care about Dad anymore? Not to mention my feelings? ”
“What are your feelings?” she replies.
“My dad—your husband—is a gambling addict who hasn’t been heard from in months. To my knowledge, you aren’t divorced. Is that why you’ve been hiding your relationship?”
“You’ve never liked change,” she says. “But it’s inevitable in life.”
“That’s not an answer, Mom,” I fire back.
“Your father has chosen gambling over us. Period. There is no denying that fact. I petitioned the court for a divorce as soon as your father left rehab. The court allowed a service by publication, meaning a notice was put into newspapers. He hasn’t responded, so the divorce is uncontested.
It will be final next month, and I’ll be able to move on with my life. ”
“Seems like you’ve already moved on,” I quip.
I don’t know why I’m being so pissy about this. I told her that I was happy for her when she spoke of meeting someone. Of dating. But seeing her with another man … it was a shock.
“What would you like me to do, Ainsley? Sit around and wait for your father to come home?”
I sigh. “No. I want you to be happy, Mom. I do. I just—you should have told me before I walked in. You know?”
“I’m sorry. I should have, but I was excited.”
“You like him?” I ask.
She smiles broadly. “I like him a lot, actually. Probably love him.”
“Is he going to think I’m rude?”
“Of course not. He’s out there, ordering our favorites. Shall we go join him?”
“Yeah, we should.”
After lunch, I get back in my car and immediately call Sammy. “You’re never going to believe this.”
“You had lunch with your mom and her new beau?” he asks.
“You know about him? How?!”
“Your mom told me. We talk.”
“She hasn’t really told me anything!”
“She’s been trying to keep you out of all the drama. Trying to get a divorce has been a nightmare for her. But she really likes this guy. I, um, probably shouldn’t tell you this, but …”
“Did you meet him before me?!” I shriek.
“Maybe,” he replies sheepishly.
“Spill,” I command.
“You’re all happy and in love with Damon.
Your mom didn’t want to bring you down with the divorce stuff.
And I put her in touch with my mom. Granted, it’s been years since my mom went through it, but her first husband had just upped and left.
Drained their bank accounts and left her with two very young children. ”
“I didn’t know that,” I say.
“To be honest, I didn’t know either, but when I was telling my mom about your dad, she told me. And then they talked.”
“So, what do you know about this new guy?” I ask Sammy.
“Tell me what you thought first,” Sammy replies.
“He’s very gracious. Handsome. Sounds like he has a good relationship with his children.”
“He had to raise them when his wife passed,” Sammy says. “Very sad.”
“It is sad. And I want my mom to be happy. I really do.”
“Why do I feel like there is a but coming?”
“There isn’t. It was a statement.”
“But … she shouldn’t have surprised you with him?”
“That’s the only but in the story. That, and the fact that I was a bit of a butt myself. I couldn’t bring myself to shake his hand. I ran to the restroom instead. But in my defense, I did feel a little sick.”
“Can driving make you motion sick?”
“I don’t think so,” I say with a laugh.
“I’m happy for your mom. She’s been embraced by your dad’s side of the family. Is going out and having fun. Loves where she lives—did you get to see it?”
“No. Have you?”
“I haven’t. But it sounds lovely.”
“I just met her at the restaurant for what was supposed to be a quick catch-up lunch on my way through town.”
“Well, you got caught up quick!” Sammy hoots.
“And on that note, I think I should focus on driving. I’ll text you when I get there,” I tell him.
“No need. I’m tracking you,” he says in a way that sounds a little devious.
Be loved.
Ainsley
I call Damon when I arrive in Lincoln, and he comes outside and shows me where to park. I’m barely out of the car when he leans me against it and gives me a wonderfully steamy kiss, making me to want to start shedding my clothes right here.
“I love you,” he says, caressing my cheek as I stare into his gorgeous eyes, taking in the soft scruff on his cheeks and his brilliant smile.
I swear, he looks older than he did the last time I saw him in person.
“I love you too,” I tell him. “And I’m excited to see where you live.”
“You’re just trying to get me into the bedroom, aren’t you?” he says with a smirk.
“I maybe hoped for that. Sorry I’m late. There was an accident on the interstate that had traffic at a complete stop. Are your friends already here?”
Damon glances at his watch. “A few, but we’re going to go upstairs the back way and have dinner in my condo before we join them.”
“Sneaking me in so your parents don’t know I’m in your room?” I tease.
He smiles, grabs my bag, slings it over his shoulder, then takes my hand and leads me to a freight elevator. When the doors part, I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this.
Shirts are folded and lined up in neat rows on industrial shelving. A bank of tables and shipping supplies are on the other side of the wall, which are painted dark gray. And there’s a huge sign with angel wings that says One Eleven Sports.
“You have a lot of inventory,” I say, surprised, sort of thinking this was just a fun little side hustle.