Chapter 4 #2
For the past year, every time they were together, she got a funny ache in the pit of her stomach. He was as familiar to her as her own reflection, but the boy had turned into a man, and it was harder to be herself with him now.
She was just a short distance away now and started to call out, when she wondered if she thought his name instead, would he sense her presence anyway? Smiling to herself, she tried it, thinking his name in her head as if she was shouting it.
TATE.
To her surprise, he shot up from the bench and began looking around, and when he saw her, he started toward her.
“You look beautiful!”
She was laughing. “Did you hear me saying your name?”
“Yes! Why?”
“Oh wow…it worked. I knew we had this great connection, but I didn’t know it worked like this.”
He was grinning, but still confused. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t actually say your name aloud. I just thought it and you shot up from that bench like you’d been ejected. You are freaking magic.”
He grinned. “What can I say. When you breathe, I exhale. Let’s get out of this sun. I’ve been saving us some shade.”
Briar was still processing the breathing and exhaling comment when he said he was saving shade. Sometimes what he said to her sounded more like poetry than conversation. God, how she loved him.
As soon as they got back to the tree, Tate turned to her—looking into those beautiful violet eyes and trying not to panic.
Briar saw that look and read the expression before he ever opened his mouth. She started smiling, then put her hands on his cheeks.
“You finally figured it out, didn’t you, Tate Bandy? You love me, don’t you? As much as I love you.”
He sighed. “What are you now…a fortune teller? You have seen into my deepest thoughts? Lord yes, girl…to the point of no return,” he said, then slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him.
There was one moment in time when they were body to body and motionless—as close as they’d ever been. Then he lowered his head and kissed her. And then kissed her again, and again until Tate finally remembered where they were, and stopped.
He sat down on the bench and pulled her down beside him.
“That was a long time coming,” he said, then saw tears in her eyes. “Don’t cry, Briar. You are everything to me. I’m here for you always.”
She shivered. “These aren’t sad tears. I’m just so full of emotions I never felt before that I don’t actually know what to do with them.”
He sighed. “Right now, we don’t go beyond what is. Don’t ask me why. I just know we should not. It’s not time.”
As she blinked, a single tear rolled from the corner of her eye.
“In my heart, I already knew that, and it doesn’t matter. It’s all about timing. Today was a big step forward for both of us. I’m happy just hearing ‘I love you’ come out of your mouth.”
Tate’s heart was hammering so hard it felt like she could surely hear it. She’d said it. She loved him too.
“Believe me, it took a while to work up the courage. So, what time is your curfew?” he asked.
“Today is ours. I told Dad you’d walk me home after the fireworks…unless you need to cut the day shorter.”
He grinned. “Then it’s me and you all day. Let’s go prowl the park. No Ferris wheels for us, and I’m way too tall for the merry-go-round, so let’s check out the rest of it, okay? And if we get tired, we can go to my house for a while to chill out, then go back later for the fireworks.”
“That sounds perfect,” Briar said, gave him one last kiss, then slid out of his lap.
Tate held out his hand, and off they went into the crowd they had readily evaded before. It was almost noon, and the line at the hot dog stand was beginning to form.
“Food first?” he asked.
She laughed. “Always.”
A couple of minutes later they were in a slow-moving line, talking quietly between themselves when Tonya, a girl from their class, got in line behind them.
Briar’s back was turned, but Tate saw her, and saw the anger in her eyes and the frown on her face, then immediately shifted into protective mode, because he saw something else—something very dark and dangerous surrounding her.
Tonya purposefully bumped into Briar, and when Briar turned around, Tonya snapped. “Watch where you’re going, bitch!”
Briar’s eyes widened. “Sorry,” she said, but Tate had already moved in between them and lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Don’t take your pain and anger out on someone who’s been nothing but kind to you. I know why you’re hurting. You have to tell your dad.”
Tonya gasped. She’d heard plenty of stories about Tate Bandy being psychic, but hadn’t believed it. Until now, and she couldn’t look at him for fear of what he’d see on her face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. You have to tell your dad what his brother is doing.”
Tonya’s eyes welled. “I’m afraid he’ll kill him.”
Tate lowered his voice even more. “Your uncle knows you’re starting to rebel.
He’ll kill you to keep his secret, then join the search party to look for you when you disappear, and your little sister will be next.
” Tate put his hand on her shoulder. “Tell him today. Your parents are at the merry-go-round with your little sister. You’re the only one who can save her. ”
Tonya gave Tate a wild-eyed glance, then took off running through the crowd.
Briar heard everything with a lump in her throat, but she said nothing. Not even after Tonya ran away.
Tate moved up closer behind her, wrapped her in his arms, and gave her a quick hug.
“It’s okay. She’s gonna be okay,” he said.
Briar nodded, but she couldn’t look at Tate without crying.
She’d just realized the depth of the responsibility he’d been born with, and it had to be her responsibility to never make him feel like he owed her an allegiance that would impede the gift.
When they reached the hot dog stand, his hands were on her shoulder.
“Same as always, honey?”
She nodded. “Yep…mustard only, and lemonade.”
While Tate gave them their order, she slipped the sixty dollars her dad had given her into his pocket.
“Don’t argue,” she whispered. “Dad said this stuff would cost a fortune, and he knew we were going to be together. He did this for both of us.”
Tate would have argued, but he felt the truth of it.
“Then thank him for me. I have some with me, too, so we won’t waste all of his.”
They gathered up the hot dogs, one for her, two for him, and took their drinks to one of the empty picnic tables and sat. “A toast to us,” he said.
As they were eating, a slow smile began to spread across Briar’s face.
“What’s funny?” Tate asked.
“I was just remembering the day of my mother’s trial, when I stayed with your mom and dad.
We were playing on that quilt when she brought us juice box and cookies.
When we started to drink our juice, you stopped and said we had to make toast before we took a drink.
I thought you meant like breakfast toast.”
He burst out laughing. “I’d forgotten that. I guess I thought I was pretty suave to get away with that.”
Now Briar was laughing. “I’d bet you’ve been full of it ever since you learned to crawl.”
“The stories are vast, but I plead the fifth,” he said, then reached out, wiping the tiniest bit of mustard from the corner of her lip then licking it off his thumb.
It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen him do. One day, she thought, then finished her last bite as he started on his second hot dog.
Briar kept chattering, but in Tate’s mind, he was seeing Tonya and her dad on the front porch of their house.
She was sobbing so hard she could barely speak, and he had a frightening look on his face as he held her close.
Tate knew what her father was feeling, but he also knew he would go to the police that day, rather than go to prison for murder.
His job there was done.
* * *
Tate and Briar walked the park for over an hour after they ate, but the blistering sun kept getting hotter. They were passing the arts and crafts area on the way back to his house when Briar spotted a vendor selling handmade jewelry.
“Can we look?” Briar said. “We haven’t spent any money except for lunch. Maybe we’ll find something pretty for your mama. Maybe some pretty earrings. I know her ears are pierced.”
“Sure, we can look,” Tate said. Briar went into search mode immediately, looking for something she thought Lilith would like, then started a conversation with the man who’d made the jewelry.
They were discussing the fine points of dangle earrings as opposed to studs when Tate spotted a single tray of rings.
Some of the bands were made of braided wire with fantasy-led designs.
Some of them were burnished bands of different metals with more elaborate settings, and some bands had only a single gem.
Then he saw a small silver-colored ring with a single red setting and pointed.
“Tell me about this ring,” he said.
Briar stopped what she was doing and turned to look as the artist picked it up.
“This one?” he asked.
Tate nodded.
The man shrugged. “It’s stainless steel, and that setting is an actual garnet. Small, of course, but the ring itself is for a smaller finger.”
“May I?” Tate asked, and held out his hand as the man dropped it in Tate’s palm, and in turn, Tate took Briar’s hand and slipped it on the ring finger of her right hand. It fit as if it had been made for her.
“How much?” Tate asked.
The man eyed the young couple. He didn’t know their story, but all he saw was young love, and he knew he was about to lie to make this work for them.
“Oh…that’s a Fourth of July special. Ten dollars today only.”
Tate whipped out his own money so fast it made Briar’s head spin. “What about your mama?” she asked.
“Mama’s fine,” he said, and eyed the artist. “Are we good?”
The man was grinning. “We are so good. Happy Fourth.”
“Tate…I love this,” Briar said, admiring the way it looked on her hand. “Thank you so much,” she said, as they were walking away.