12
Lexie’s fingers paused over her keyboard as she felt Jake approach. She didn’t need to look, didn’t need to hear him speak to know he was coming even before he moved up behind her. He swept her hair off her shoulder and brushed a kiss just beneath her ear the way he’d learned she liked.
“Hey, are you busy tonight?” he asked, his voice low.
“Tonight? No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“How would you feel about pulling an all-nighter to celebrate our first month together?”
She turned her chair to face him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “An all-nighter?”
“Yeah. There’s something I’d like to show you.”
“In the middle of the night?” she asked incredulously, and Jake only chuckled.
“Are you in or out?”
A fluttery feeling of anticipation took flight in her belly.
“In,” she said. The smile on his face grew, and he reached up to brush away a strand of hair that had gotten caught in her lip gloss.
“Perfect. I’ll come to your place at eleven. Try to take a nap, if you can,” he said, bending to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll text more instructions later.”
Lexie smiled as excitement filled her from head to toe—though for what, she wasn’t sure.
“Extra layers?” Olivia said skeptically, reading from the text message Lexie had shown her. “What kind of romantic all-nighter requires extra layers?”
Lexie shrugged. “No idea. I’ve tried to get it out of him, but he’s holding this pretty close to the vest.” She pulled a pair of faded jeans over her fleece-lined leggings. “The only thing that makes sense is if we’ll be outside.”
“Outside? It’s November!”
“Which is why winter layers would make sense,” Lexie argued, choosing a T-shirt to wear underneath a soft, blue sweater. She looked at the clock on her bedside table, which read a quarter to eleven. Only fifteen minutes to go. A familiar flutter started in her gut, but she wasn’t sure if it was excitement or nerves. She finished pulling on a sweater and Jake’s hoodie, then tucked her leggings and jeans into boots. She felt like the Michelin Man, but at least he couldn’t say she hadn’t followed instructions.
Finally, a knock echoed through the apartment.
“Ready?” Jake asked when Lexie opened the door. He was obviously bundled well beneath a thick Carhartt jacket, and Lexie narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“You wouldn’t have told me to wear so many layers if you were taking me into the woods to kill me, would you?”
Jake only laughed as he held out his hand. “No woods, I promise.”
“That doesn’t technically answer my question,” Lexie grumbled good-naturedly. She took his hand anyway, and his warmth traveled up her arm and wrapped around her the way it always did. Minutes later, she was standing on her tiptoes beside his truck, trying to peek beneath the blue tarp tied tightly over the bed.
“You don’t know how to let yourself be surprised, do you?” Jake teased as he opened her door and helped her climb inside. Lexie looked around as they pulled onto the main road and was surprised to see they were one of the only vehicles moving at that hour. She had thought Friday night in a college town would be busier. She watched the streetlamps flash by her window until they passed the city limits.
“Where are we going?” she asked for the hundredth time as he turned onto a narrow back road.
“You’ll see.”
He reached across the console and captured her hand in his, threading their fingers together while his headlights swept silently over barns and fields that rolled in all directions. At one point, they crossed over the highway that circled town, and she saw a lone tractor-trailer pass underneath as they continued toward their mysterious destination.
Finally, Jake slowed and pulled onto the shoulder near a break in the hedgerow that was barely visible in the dark. Without a word, he popped open his door and jumped from the cab, leaving Lexie alone in the light-flooded interior. He walked quickly to the front of the truck and unhooked a length of chain from the top of a fence post before pushing open a wide metal gate. Within moments, he was back behind the wheel. He eased the vehicle off the solid roadway into what appeared to be a fallow cornfield. When they cleared the gate, he jumped out again to shut it behind them.
“What are we doing?” Lexie whispered as he climbed inside for the second time and shifted into four-wheel drive. Jake chuckled and peered through the windshield, following what Lexie could now see was a worn path obviously used by other vehicles for one reason or another.
“I know the people who own this land. Danny left the gate unlocked for me,” he said, by way of explanation.
The moon was only a sliver in the sky, providing almost no light as the truck bumped slowly along. Lexie looked in all directions, trying to piece together why they could possibly be making this journey in the middle of the night.
“It’s so dark. We won’t be able to see anything out here.”
“Oh, I think we’ll see more than you’d imagine,” Jake said vaguely, his expression growing more excited the farther they drove. Finally, they topped a small rise, and he turned the truck until they were facing back the way they had come.
“Stay here,” he ordered as he turned off the engine. He pulled a small camping lantern from the center console. The noise of his door snapping shut behind him was entirely too loud for the wide, empty space, and Lexie jumped. She twisted in her seat, following him with her eyes as he pulled down the tailgate and started unloading things from beneath the tarp, his face lit eerily from the lantern below. When he saw her watching through the back window, he tossed the tarp itself up onto the cab, which prevented her from spying.
Lexie settled back into her seat, trying to be annoyed with the cloak-and-daggers routine but failing miserably. He’d obviously gone to some trouble to arrange whatever this was, and her excitement was growing. She could hear a lot of rummaging behind her, and at long last, the truck bounced on its suspension as Jake climbed down from the bed. Seconds later, her door popped open with a soft ding.
He smiled and held out his hand. “Close your eyes,” he directed. She hesitated, glancing past him into the dark, empty night, and his expression softened even more. “Trust me.”
Lexie nodded and closed her eyes, then shifted from her seat, bracing her hands against Jake’s shoulders as he guided her down onto the running board.
“Now, hold on.”
“To what?” she asked, but her arms tightened instinctively around his neck as he scooped her legs out from under her. “Jacob!” she squealed, pressing her face into his shoulder as he hip-checked her door shut.
“Shh, you trust me, remember?” he reminded her, taking careful steps toward wherever they were going.
Lexie nestled closer, feeling like she was floating through dark space and time. Only the solid feel of Jake’s arms kept her grounded to the Earth.
Suddenly, he set her down on something hard.
“Okay, open your eyes.”
Lexie did as she was told, opening her eyes and looking in awe at the truck’s bed. There was a small sea of blankets and pillows lit by half a dozen camping lanterns, like Jake had built a fairy garden in the middle of the desert. She could see two thermoses and a small basket of snacks tucked into the back corner.
“What’s all this for?” she asked in wonder.
“Well, the Leonid meteor shower peaks around 2:00 a.m.,” Jake said, and Lexie turned to meet his eyes, catching a flash of uncertainty in them. He shrugged. “I thought we could at least have good seats.”
Lexie looked down a slight hill toward what appeared to be a dark hole. She stared until her eyes adjusted to the dimness, finally realizing the hole was in fact a pond filled with tiny points of glittering light. Understanding dawned, and she looked up.
The sky above was alive with thousands—no, millions—of stars of all sizes, undiluted by city lights. As she looked in awe, two of them shot across the dark expanse, disappearing as they faded from view. Lexie brought her eyes back down to Jake, who was watching her intently.
“What do you think?” he asked, glancing from the pond to the truck and back to her.
Lexie looked around for another moment or two. She could hardly believe her eyes. No one had ever done anything like this for her before.
“I love it,” she said, and Jake exhaled in a relieved rush.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she echoed, clearing her throat as a rise of unexpected emotion threatened to cut her off. “Every last bit.”
Jake smiled, his dark eyes glinting in the light from the nearest lantern, and he climbed onto the tailgate beside her. They crawled toward the back wall of the cab and settled in among the pillows he’d arranged there. Several more meteors hurtled across the sky, their flaming tails visible behind Lexie’s eyelids even after the fire itself was gone.
“So, what are we going to do for the next few hours?” she asked, leaning her head on Jake’s shoulder.
“Well, we can talk, make wishes and just... be,” he finished, trailing off. “Honestly, I didn’t plan that part.”
Lexie smiled contentedly, tipping her face toward the sky.
“That’s the most perfect plan I’ve ever heard,” she said. And she meant every word.
“What did you wish for?” Lexie asked, watching the blaze of another meteor vanish into the night. They’d turned off the lanterns long ago and were sitting in the dark, but Lexie could make out Jake’s profile as he watched the sky.
“I’m still not going to tell you,” he insisted.
“Why not?” Lexie whined, poking him in the ribs.
“Because I don’t want to, and you can’t make me,” he said as he squirmed away.
“Oh, really?” She poked him again, just to see, and again, he jumped. Lexie’s face twisted into an evil grin.
“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.
“What? Surely you’re not ticklish. Not a big, strong college boy like you,” she taunted, but Jake grabbed both her wrists as she reached toward him.
“That is not a good idea.”
“Why?” she asked, trying to push past his defenses, but he held her at bay.
“Because like it or not, sweetheart, you are seriously outgunned,” he said, and Lexie suddenly found herself flat on her back, her arms pinned above her head as Jake leaned over her. She wriggled and squirmed, but he held her tight, visibly amused by her efforts.
“If you don’t—” she started, but she didn’t finish. Instead, she heard something rustling nearby. “Do you hear that?” she asked, twisting her head to one side.
“Oh, you’re not getting out of this that easily.”
“Shh!” She listened hard, straining to hear through the darkness. Something definitely seemed to be moving. “There’s something on the ground,” she said, a shiver of fear making its way up her neck.
“Probably just an animal. A bear, or maybe a mountain lion,” Jake said, relaxing his grip and letting her slip free.
“A bear or a mountain lion?!” Lexie blurted, jerking back to a sitting position.
Jake shook with silent laughter.
“I’m kidding, Lex. There are no bears or mountain lions out here, I promise.” She could hear the humor in his voice as he settled his arm around her waist. “It’s probably a raccoon. Or maybe a skunk.”
“A skunk? That’s hardly any better.”
“A skunk isn’t better than a bear?” he asked incredulously. “I’ll take a skunk over a bear any day.”
“But what if it sprays us?” she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper. She relaxed against his side without intending to, taking automatic comfort from his calm.
“Well, if you stay in the truck and don’t throw anything at it, it won’t have a reason to do that. It’ll find whatever it’s looking for and move on,” he said, his voice low and reasonable against the buzz of adrenaline that had flooded her veins.
“But what if it climbs up here with us?”
This time Jake’s laughter rolled out as he dropped his forehead against her temple.
“It won’t.”
“But what if it does?” she insisted, turning until she could see his face.
“Well, then I guess we’ll stink.”
Lexie reached up and grabbed a fistful of his hair, tugging just enough to show her annoyance with his blatant disregard for the danger they seemed to be in. The gesture only made Jake laugh harder. He kissed her forehead and then her cheeks, and Lexie could feel him smiling.
“If a skunk climbs up here with us,” he started again, his voice more serious, “I will sacrifice myself and give you time to get in the cab.”
Lexie smiled, warmth replacing the fear that had filled her.
“What if it’s a bear?” she murmured.
“Then you’re on your own.”
Lexie laughed and tilted her head back against his shoulder until she was looking up at the black sky. She blinked, and the heavens seemed to open up as countless stars arced across the void. The fiery streams crisscrossed each other, creating a web of light where there had only been darkness. In that moment, everything felt right. There was nothing but the two of them, suspended in space, existing all alone beneath a sky full of wishes.
Jake shifted, his arms coming around her from behind as he tucked his face against her neck.
“Lexie?” he asked, breathing her name against her skin.
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
I love you.
Lexie stared blankly at her printer as page after page of an advertising case study dropped into the paper tray, but she saw none of it. Instead, she was lost in thought, still picking those simple words apart in every conceivable way, trying to find the hidden meaning. But even after four days, she’d only succeeded in driving herself crazy.
Jake had said, “I love you,” and she had said... nothing.
Nothing important, anyway. Nothing he’d wanted to hear. Which had been painfully clear by the stilted way they’d watched the sky for another fifteen minutes before loading themselves awkwardly into the truck and heading home. They’d talked about owls, skunks, planets and the phases of the moon—anything she could think of except what was hanging heavy between them.
Jake hadn’t mentioned it since.
Lexie, on the other hand, was wracked with guilt. She’d said those words before, and while she’d believed them to be true at the time, they’d turned out to be nothing but wishful thinking. Was it a crime to want to be sure? She was allowed to think about it, wasn’t she? And how could he even say it, anyway? They’d only been together for a little over four weeks.
An obnoxious screeching noise sent her thoughts flying in all directions, and she groaned as she stared down at the printer.
“Come on,” Lexie muttered, pressing the restart button. She could usually ignore the “refill ink” notice for at least ten more pages, but this time it seemed to be legitimate. She picked up her smoothie and slurped noisily as she watched the printer turn off and back on without change.
Six pages. She only needed to print six more pages, and now she’d have to go out and buy ink. She checked her watch. It was ten thirty on a Tuesday night. She only had half an hour before the local office supply store would lock up, but, thankfully, Cypress Valley was a small town with minimal traffic.
Lexie grabbed her keys and headed for the door, not bothering to change out of Jake’s hoodie and her soft flannel sweatpants. The hoodie was easily her favorite piece of clothing, anyway. It still smelled like Jake, despite the weeks she’d had it, and she dreaded the day it would finally need to be washed. Maybe she could ask him to wear it for a while afterward, or maybe she could swap it out for another one. That was, if he even wanted her to keep it after Friday’s debacle.
She was still obsessing when she pulled into the parking lot of the office supply store. It was the only building still open on this stretch of the highway, and the giant neon letters flickered ominously as she approached. The solitary figure behind the cash register looked up in surprise when the front doors slid open with a whoosh. Lexie gave a quick, apologetic wave.
“I’m sorry! I’ll be out in a second!” she called, hating to be that person who came in just before closing.
“Don’t worry. You’re not the last one,” the clerk replied, but Lexie was already moving quickly toward the printer ink. She scanned the shelves for the box she needed, finally finding it on the last aisle. But just as her fingers touched the cardboard packaging, a strange sensation ghosted over her—a cold prickle down the back of her neck, familiar yet foreign, all at once. She hugged the ink to her chest and looked cautiously around, but there was no one in sight.
Still, something felt off.
She made her way toward the checkout counter, glancing down every aisle as she passed and checking over her shoulder several times. But she saw nothing and no one out of place.
“Hello,” the clerk said as she approached. “Just this, then?”
“Yeah, late study session,” Lexie explained, distractedly pulling out her wallet. When the transaction was done, she stood at the counter for a moment longer, trying to figure out why she felt so strange. Looking around one last time, she decided she must simply be imagining things—the stress of her upcoming exam taking its toll.
A rush of night air greeted her as she made her way past the automatic doors. Her Infiniti sat quietly a few spaces away, and the interior lights glowed warmly when she pushed a button on her key fob. There was only one other car in the lot, a dark two-door at the very back, likely belonging to the sweet cashier she’d just met. Lexie shook her head, silently laughing at herself and her runaway imagination. But a moment later, there was a crunch of gravel, and Lexie spun sharply as a strong hand closed over her upper arm, squeezing hard in a too-familiar pattern.
“Well, look who’s out after dark.”
Lexie’s throat closed like a vise, and she willed her heart to slow down. She wanted to say she had no reason to be afraid of Colt, that he held no power over her anymore, but in this lonely parking lot, in front of a nearly deserted supply store, her instincts disagreed.
“Let go,” she managed, somehow sounding stronger than she felt.
Colt’s eyebrows shot up, and a smirk grew on his lips as he released her. He held both hands up between them in a gesture of surrender and took a step away.
“Hey now, kitten. I just wanted to check on you. You look like you’ve really let yourself go. Don’t tell me your guard dog has gotten tired already.”
Lexie knew she should keep walking; there was nothing good that could come from this conversation. But if there was one thing she’d learned in the past two years, it was that turning her back on Colt Derricks was never a good idea.
His eyes lingered on her oversized sweatshirt, and a sneer broke his mask of civility.
“How cute. Obviously, he’s figured out you like to feel special.”
Colt’s infuriating smile stoked a fire in Lexie’s belly, but her feet still wouldn’t move. She didn’t have to listen. She didn’t have to sit quietly and swallow whatever poison he had ready for her.
But old habits die hard.
“He probably started with pretty dates and presents, right? Little sentimental things? But eventually, when those don’t work, he’ll bring out the big guns,” Colt said, his smile turning feral. “Has he told you he loves you yet?”
Lexie’s anger, simmering low in her gut, went cold.
“I. Love. You,” he said, emphasizing each word. “Three simple words, but put them in the right order, and they’ll get him anything he wants. It always worked for me.”
Lexie felt the blood drain from her face, and Colt chuckled, obviously enjoying the show as his words hit home.
“You didn’t believe I actually meant them, did you?” he asked, mocking her. “That’s the oldest trick in the book! And if your guard dog hasn’t tried it yet, trust me, he will. It’s only a matter of time,” he said, leaning in close. “Let me tell you a little secret, sweetheart. Nobody means it, not even your precious pet. Why would he? Girls like you are a dime a dozen. There’s nothing that makes you special, and the sooner you understand that, the better.”
Don’t listen!Lexie’s mind screamed, but it was too late. His words bounced around inside her head as he turned away with a triumphant smirk, already knowing he had won. Lexie began to replay every minute of the last month in her mind, letting doubt darken the sunny memories as she watched. The picnic, the concert, the kisses, the keepsakes. The things Jake said, the way he held her.
It wasn’t just a game, was it? Just a means to an end? Jake wasn’t like Colt. He was better, stronger, more honorable. If he said he loved her, then he meant it. It was real.
Wasn’t it?