Chapter 21 #2
Easton laughs and looks at me like I grew a third eye. “You’re the only person in the world who’s ever been given the opportunity to ask me anything, and that’s what you want to know?”
“It’s my first question, not my only one. Plus, I’m curious,” I explain.
The smile on my face might be permanent as I breathe in the fresh air and soak up the sunshine.
“I was a smart-ass who thought he had the world figured out.”
I chuckle. “Nothing has changed.”
“Touché,” he says.
I position the tires to avoid the ruts and kick it into second gear. It’s bumpy, and I can feel the incline as I’m pushed back into my seat.
“Have you done this a lot?” Easton asks, watching me navigate.
“Back home, there was this community on the mountainside, and it had the shittiest roads. Rough and bumpy. Ruts so deep that it was easy to believe you might fall into the pits of Hell. When I was sixteen, my best friend, Remi, and I stole my older brother’s truck.
He had a four-wheel drive, so we drove up there after a rainstorm to go mudding.
I got stuck in three feet of mush and the tow truck couldn’t get up there and pull it out for weeks.
My mama grounded me for a month, but I have no regrets because I’m still laughing about it.
When my friends and I were bored, that was where we’d go. ”
He laughs. “Were you rebellious?”
“No, I never got into any real trouble.”
“Ah,” he says. “So, you’re still the same too.”
“In a way, yes,” I admit, focusing. “But some things have changed.”
“Like what?”
He genuinely wants to know, and I want to tell him.
I think back to my childhood, and it seems like so long ago.
“You won’t believe this, but I used to be timid.
I was never a rule breaker. On the first day of my senior year of high school, I told myself I’d start saying yes to things I didn’t want to do.
The main one was moving to New York for college.
I broke up with Beau and moved away. That’s when things changed for me. ”
He rests his arm on the door. “You dated him in high school?”
“Yep. And after college graduation, I returned home for the summer and believed we’d have our second chance.” I sigh. “Going forward, if I break it off with someone, I’ll never give them another chance. When it’s over, it’s over for a reason. Lesson learned.”
“The more I hear about this stupid fuck …” Easton shakes his head.
My mouth tilts up. “But I should thank him because without that, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Is the pessimist looking on the bright side for once?”
“Pfft.” But he’s right.
The grade grows steeper the higher we travel. He’s right about the roughness of the trail though. It’s not for newbies.
“Grand Teton was a bucket list item for me.”
“Yeah? What else is on that list?”
“To name a few, skinny-dipping, making love under the stars, dancing at Stonehenge, taking a train ride across America, getting my first tattoo, joining the Mile-High Club, visiting the Empire State Building at night, and ice-skating at Rockefeller Center. I never got to do the touristy things before. I also want to see aurora borealis and a penguin in the wild, not one at a zoo.”
“Life experiences,” he confirms.
“Aren’t most people’s?”
He shakes his head. “No. Some have materialistic items listed. Buy this, buy that, own this.”
I take a switchback, rolling across a gigantic rock. I notice the straight climb upward as we kick up dust. “Do you have a bucket list?”
“I do now. I added some of yours to it.”
I glance at him. “You can’t have the same ones as me.”
“Says who? Did you make the rules?”
“Tell me the ones you added,” I urge.
“Skinny-dipping. Making love under the stars. Dancing at Stonehenge. Taking a train ride across America, joining the Mile-High Club, and visiting the Empire State Building at night .”
“You do realize some of those aren’t one-person tasks?”
He laughs. “Well aware.”
Before we take the next switchback, I pull off to the side and place it in neutral to shake out my wrists. Off-roading can get like this sometimes.
“I know you’re determined, but do you want to trade for a while?” he asks, glancing at his GPS. We’ve only driven three miles.
“Fine,” I playfully groan, but I’m thankful for the break. We’re not even halfway up the mountainside.
We switch places and get buckled, then Easton shifts the Jeep into gear, taking it much faster. I can’t help but glance at him, admiring the veins in his arms and how his tattooed biceps flex. Our eyes meet and we exchange a smile before looking away.
“Where is the most devious place you’ve had sex?” I ask.
He thinks about it. “On a throne.”
“Wow.” My mouth falls open. “Okay, I can’t top that.”
“You still have to share,” he says.
“The church parking lot.”
“I didn’t think you had it in you,” he says.
“I did that day. So, what’s your body count? If you don’t want to answer?—”
“Three.”
My mouth falls open. “ Three ?”
“That surprises you.” He says it matter-of-factly. It’s not a question.
“It does. I thought …” I can’t finish.
“The relationship rumors about me are rarely true. I might date a lot, but that doesn’t mean I’m fucking every woman I’m seen in public with.”
“Most men who could have anyone would .”
“I don’t want just anyone though. Sex always complicates things, so I’ve never fucked around. Now, Weston is a different story.”
I snort. “That doesn’t surprise me after spending time with him. Totally get it.”
Easton glances at me. “Yeah, he’s very good at his game. However, it’s awkward when his flings believe I’m him, especially after they’ve had a wild night together or a breakup.”
“Oh God,” I say. “I didn’t even think about that.”
“When he was married, life was great. But now that it’s over, I’m sure he’ll be back to it. Anyway, what about you?”
“Three,” I say with a shrug. “Nothing to write home about either.”
“That’s a pity,” Easton says, shaking his head.
Two hours later, we park at the top and get out. The altitude is higher than what I’m used to, but it’s the best view of Grand Teton. A bright blue body of water glimmers at the bottom of the mountainside.
We take a foot trail, and in the clearing there are flat-surfaced rocks that are perfect for sitting on. I rest my hands on my hips, breathing deeply, trying to acclimate to the thin air.
Easton sits on one of the rocks and I plop beside him. Our arms and thighs touch.
“Will you take a picture with me?” I ask, pulling out my phone.
“Sure.” He places his arm around me and pulls me in close.
I snap a few, then review them.
“Look at us,” I say, showing him.
We look like a happy couple. We go together—that’s undeniable.
“Do you think everyone sees something we don’t?” I ask. It’s an honest question.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It seems like they do.”
“It’s wonderful here. I like it a lot,” I say.
“I thought you would. That body of water is a lake, and if you come early in the morning, you can sometimes catch moose down there.”
“I bet it’s beautiful at sunrise.”
He nods. “It is. Maybe one of my favorite spots in the world.”
We sit in silence for ten more minutes before Easton stands and holds out his hand.
“There’s one more vantage point,” he says as I take his hand.
We take a trail that leads to another overlook. Easton carefully walks in front of me, leading the way down the path into the trees. When it opens up, it’s a better view of the Tetons. The sky is clear without a single cloud, deep blue, the same color as Easton’s eyes.
“It’s different, seeing it here than in the sky,” he says.
I cup my hands over my mouth. “Woohoo!” I yell out. My voice echoes down the valley. I bump into him. “Join me.”
He shakes his head with a laugh and does; the wind carries our cheers and laughter. Right now, we’re as free as the birds in the sky.
I take a few pictures and don’t have to ask him to lean in this time; he just does.
“For the ’gram.”
I lean in and place my lips on his cheek, snapping the picture. When I glance at it, he’s smirking.
“If you post that, you’ll break the Internet,” he says.
“Too bad I don’t have a cell signal. When we do, I will. I guess that will be my official announcement to the world?”
“It can be.”
“Wait, do you have social media?” I ask.
“What elder millennial doesn’t?”
I snicker. “Are you following me?”
Easton’s grin doesn’t falter. “I only follow the corporate account, Weston, and Billie. However, I’ll rectify that now.”
He pulls his phone from his pocket. “No service either. Damn.” He playfully snaps his fingers.
“So, will that be your official announcement?” I lick my lips.
“Since the pictures of us together have been released, I don’t have to make one. It’s been done for me, but I’ll follow you. Just get ready for the attention,” he warns. “It’s intense.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes,” he confirms.
“I look forward to it. Who knows, maybe they won’t notice.”
He chuckles. “It’s too late for that, Lexi.”
I shove my phone back into my pocket, but the crumpled paper stops it. I pull it out, remembering that we’d written our ratings for one another on it.
“Oh yeah,” Easton says, holding his toward me. “Ready to trade?”
“Not yet,” I admit. “I want it to be at the perfect moment.”
“Always searching for an experience?”
“In everything I do,” I confirm. “I don’t want to live my life with regrets.”
He wraps his arm over my shoulders and I rest my arm across his waist.
“I’m ready.”
I laugh. “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”
“Oh, but I do.”