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Twenty-Nine
Sage
“Here they come,”a voice announces from the bar as I walk into the Marooned Pirate on Cash’s arm. It’s odd walking into the place without having to hunt for a man.
“Is it weird not coming alone?” Cash asks, turning to me, as if he’s read my mind.
I grin. “Who says I’m not?” I tease.
He pokes me playfully in the ribs, and I let out a squeal.
“Drinks on me,” Reed assures as we take our place near the rest of Cash’s friends. “We have lots to celebrate.”
“Like?” the blonde-haired girl asks. Cash tells me her name is Avery.
“Like, our Texan has finally snagged the girl of his dreams,” Reed says, holding up his margarita in a mock cheer.
“More like you snagged the bag of your dreams,” Lysander replies, and I grin.
“Well, that too. But still, seriously, you two look amazing together,” Reed responds.
Cash gets me a drink at the bar, and we head to the corner table. I settle in with Cash’s friends, feeling like one of the group. It’s surprisingly nice to be here, no pressure to find a man, no pretenses. Just me, a drink, and the man I’m crazy about beside me.
“So, brother, no conquests tonight?” Levi teases, nudging Cash.
“Oh, I have a conquest. She’s just a guaranteed one,” Cash replies.
“Don’t be so sure,” I sassily retort, downing my drink and dragging him to the dance floor. A fast song comes on, one of my favorites, and we shimmy to the middle, dancing like no one’s watching.
I know, in fact, that everyone is watching. I’ve seen the whispers.
“You know, we might end up on the front page again,” I murmur to Cash.
He grins and winks. “I’m counting on it.” He takes my jaw in his hands and kisses me wildly, recklessly. When he pulls away, I’m breathless.
“That was….”
“Amazing?” He teases. “Hey, I’ve got to give the press something good to gawk at if they’re going to plaster us on the paper.”
Eventually the rest of the crew joins us, and we dance and laugh. At some point, we all head back to Midsummer Nights for another round of drinks and a round of Reed’s signature drunken french fries… really just french fries with every ingredient imaginable shoved on top. Sitting at the table getting to know the people Cash calls friends and family, I have a vision of us doing something like this every week. I think about the camaraderie, the connections I’ve been craving and didn’t realize it.
This is family, I realize. This is life. Being together with people who don’t care about your money or successes or what you’re wearing. Smiling and laughing and just living. This is what I want forever.
Forever.
It’s a word that still sends a chill through me. But when Cash and I say goodbye to the group of friends and head back to his place to mix it up—and to let Killer out—I think about what the word means and how maybe someday, just maybe it wouldn’t be so scary. Not if Cash was the one crawling into bed with me, not if he was the one I was saying forever to.
It’s crazy how a summer can change everything.
And it’s crazy how sometimes it doesn’t.
