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Prologue
Savanna. Seven Years Ago.
Love makes you do crazy things.
Just like I do every Tuesday night, I make sure the window is pushed open before getting into bed. If I don’t do this, then it will end up creaking loudly when I climb out of it later. My mom pokes her head through the door, checking that I’m getting settled in for bed since it’s a school night, and tells me goodnight before shutting the door softly.
There’s a tiny knock on my bedroom door and I smile as the intruder pushes it open, poking her head in with a big smile. “Bethy,” I say excitedly. “You come to tell me goodnight?”
My niece, Bethany, rushes over to the side of the bed and nods as she lifts her arms out. I immediately oblige her silent request and wrap my arms around her tiny waist, pulling her up onthe bed with me, then turn my attention toward my door when Easton leans against the frame.
“Beth, time to brush your teeth,” Easton says sternly.
This is an ongoing issue with the two of them. Bethany hates getting her teeth brushed and will do anything in her power to keep it from happening which, of course, Easton doesn’t let her get away with.
Easton was just getting ready to graduate high school and head out of state for college when Bethany’s mother, Elena, told him she was pregnant. It wasn’t much of a surprise when my older brother threw his life away and chose to stay here where he could stick around for Bethany and Elena while working odd jobs around town.
Elena has been living here for a couple years now, but I’m not sure if that will last long since she and Easton are always off and on. That’s not my concern though, so I turn my attention back to Bethany and bring my fingers to her belly, tickling her and loving the giggles she lets loose.
Easton smiles at the two of us and shakes his head at me. “You never help, Sav.”
I shrug. “What can I say? This little girl has me wrapped around her tiny midget fingers.”
Bethany huffs and brings her arms over her chest at my words. “They are not tiny!” She lifts her hands into the air with a wickedgrin on her face, her green eyes shining brightly with mischief and looking exactly like her father. “My turn.” Before I can stop her, she brings her hands to my belly and tickles me. I let out a loud chuckle and fling myself back onto the bed dramatically as she goes at me.
“Okay, Beth, tell Aunt Savvy goodnight,” Easton says, his lips twitching as he tries to cover his smirk.
“Fine,” Bethany mumbles, then pushes away from me with a frown. “Night, Aunt Savvy, love you.”
I rub my hand over the top of her head and smile. “Love you too Bethy. Now go get those teeth brushed before your dad blames me.”
“Night, Sis.”
My phone pings with a text just as Easton shuts my door behind him and I quickly pick it up, smiling at the sight of Dawson’s name on the screen. We’ve been dating for two years now, coming up on three, and have planned our future together perfectly which is the reason I’m so excited for tonight. I finally got a response back from the college we plan on attending together.
We both agreed that we would open our letters together and I’ve been giddy ever since it came in the mail yesterday. I tried getting Dawson to meet me last night instead of tonight, wanting to get our letters opened sooner rather than later, but he insisted that we had to meet tonight.
I send a quick reply back to him, letting him know I’m waiting for my parents to head to bed before I can meet him at our spot, then place my phone back on the nightstand with the charger plugged into it.
While I curl on my side, I think about the moment Dawson and I shared last week, one that we had been planning for ages, and I smile to myself at the memory. I remember the way his fingers felt against my skin, heating it every time he touched me, and just the thought of it has my body tingling for more.
It started at the beginning of the year, after spending the summer doing everything together. We made a pact to sneak out on Tuesday nights and meet at our spot. He’s been acting a little antsy with me lately, barely able to look at me, and I’m thinking he’s got a surprise of his own for me and I can’t wait to find out what it is.
It’s an odd feeling, being in love at such a young age, but I can’t deny how much my heart belongs to Dawson.
A couple of hours roll by when I finally hear the steps creak under my father’s weight and my fingers itch to throw the blankets off myself. I’ve been lying under the blankets with a pair of skinny jeans and t-shirt on for an hour now, dying to get out of this room before it’s too late. My parents’ room sits above mine, so the moment I hear the floor creak I jump off the edge of the bed with a smile and head straight for my window.
I almost forget to grab the college envelope, but snatch it off the desk at the last second before jumping onto the grass below mywindow. My parents made a mistake when they put my room downstairs and theirs above mine as it gives me plenty of room to sneak out as much as I want without them finding out.
When I glance up at the side of the house, my eyes widen at Easton’s large frame standing just inside the window, his eyes pointed directly at me. I bring a finger to my lips in a silent plea. He doesn’t spare me another glance as he turns away, heading back to the bed where I’m sure Elena will join him eventually.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the way she cares for Bethany, but she’s not the right person for my brother and I have the sense that he knows it too. I think the main reason he’s with her is for Bethany’s sake, not wanting her to have to grow up with her parents split, and it makes me sad for him.
Before I can spend most of my time worrying about my brother, I walk across the wet grass and head down the trail at the back of our house that leads to the park in the middle of town. The wind blows slightly when I get to the end of the trail, making the swings move in the distance, and I turn to the left onto a separate trail.
This one leads to the back side of the lake, which is where Dawson will be waiting for me just like he always is and I’ve already got a big smile on my face as I clutch the large envelope in my hand.
When I come to the edge of the trail there’s a shift in the air as if it’s being charged with electricity, and I pin my gaze on Dawson’s form next to the tree. He’s never hard to spot and I wrap myarms around his waist when I reach him, inhaling his earthy scent as he squeezes me tighter than normal before I step away from him.
