Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
All I knew was that it all felt like a dream, and if it was, I never wanted to wake up.
After the night at Wilson State Park, we slowed down.
We woke up later, spending more time wrapped in our sleeping bags or sheets — depending. Which meant we didn’t hit the road until later, and for obvious reasons, we didn’t care to drive very much farther before we were pulling off for the night.
It seemed like there was this invisible clock ticking in the car with us, and the longer we were in that car, the more we heard it. When it got too loud, reminding us of the impending end of summer, we’d climb out, run away, and lose ourselves in each other like we had all the time in the world.
We drove through Kansas and into Colorado, swinging through the Rocky Mountains because neither of us had ever been before. Well, technically Jaxson had grown up in them, but not the ones in Colorado. The range was different this far south, and I’d marveled at the tree-covered slopes just as much as I marveled at the way he looked at them.
It was one thing to travel alone, to not have to report to anyone or ask anyone’s opinion when deciding what to do. There was a freedom in that, in being with your thoughts as you explored, in meeting new people and opening yourself to new experiences.
But driving on the road with Jaxson… it was something more.
I lived for what the day would hold, which usually, we didn’t know. We’d see a sign and follow it. We’d pull off for gas and ask a local the best way to waste an hour. We tried new food and hiked new trails. We laughed and played, sneaking kisses when no one was looking, and every night, whether we slept in a tent or a Five-Star hotel, he was right there beside me.
Inside me.
Every chance he got.
A week blew by like that — with everything heavy left in Kansas, and only the light and playful following us on this leg of our trip. The only tension came when I had to field calls from my brother, which would sober both of us in an instant. But we never let that sink in for long before we were off on the next adventure.
Jaxson indulged me in my silly questions and even sillier road trip games, and where he’d been a bit grumpy and hesitant in the beginning, he said yes to everything now.
I loved that — that he left his reservations somewhere in the middle of the US. Right now, he wasn’t thinking about all the reasons to say no. He wasn’t thinking about the season waiting for him back in Tampa.
He was just here, living, with me.
We were getting ready for bed at a hotel just outside the Rocky Mountain National Park when my phone buzzed on the bathroom counter. I was brushing my teeth, but I smiled when I saw Maven’s name on the screen.
I slid my thumb across it, revealing a group text she’d started with me and Livia.
Maven: So, Livia and I are having martinis. Naturally, we thought about you and your predicament at the tournament, and we need updates.
Livia: That’s code for DID YOU AND JAXSON GET IT ON YET?
I bit down on my toothbrush, laughing to myself as I looked through my GIF app. When I found one of the Route 66 sign, I sent it, closing my phone and setting it back on the counter.
It promptly blew up with messages.
Livia: THATTA FUCKING GIRL.
Maven: Okay, first of all — happy for you. Second of all, this feels like a betrayal to Vince, so I feel like you should not tell me anything further.
Livia: Come on, Mave. Chicks before dicks. Do you tell Vince how you wipe, too?
Maven: You’re disgusting.
Maven: I just gave her a tittie twist for that, Grace. Just so you know.
Livia: Joke’s on her though, because I liked it.
Maven: *eye roll emoji* It’s true. She asked me to do it harder.
Livia: ANYWAY — forget what Maven said about not telling us more. I need details. How is it?
Me: A lady never gets railed within an inch of her life and tells.
Livia: YOU TEASE.
Maven: I apologize for my best friend’s lack of boundaries. You’ll get used to it eventually.
Livia: If you drive by one of those highway sex stores, stop and get a peg. Something tells me Jaxson Brittain would love a good pegging.
I spit out a laugh loud enough to make Jaxson ask if I was okay.
Me: I’ll leave the kinky shit to you, Doc. For now, just know I’m doing great, and there’s nothing for either of you to worry about.
Only half a lie. I was doing great.
How I would feel when this all had to end, on the other hand…