Despite everything, I smiled. “That’s the one. And yeah, that dog is definitely dead. I just saw one of its eyes move independently of the other.”
“Gross.” She laughed, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “What did she want?”
“She knows about us. And she said people are talking.”
Silence.
“Leigh?”
“How is that possible?” Her voice had changed, become smaller. “We’ve been so careful. We haven’t been seen together anywhere public except for wedding stuff.”
“I know. But this is Willowbrook. Someone saw my truck at my house on a weeknight. Your car there on Sunday. In a town this size, patterns are noticed.”
“Oh God.” I could hear her breathing, could imagine her pacing. “They’re going to find out. From gossip. Before we’re ready. They’ll never forgive us for keeping it a secret.”
“Which is why we need to tell them. Soon. Before someone else does.”
“Dex…”
“I’m serious, Leigh. Mrs. Shulster was nice about it. She said Billie didn’t tell her anything, but that just means people are starting to notice things. Secrets don’t stay secret here, Leigh. And the longer we wait, the worse it gets.”
“I know. I just... I’m not ready.”
“Then when will you be ready? Because I don’t want Trace or Xander or any of them hearing about this from Mrs. Harper at the grocery store or someone at the diner. I… I thought keeping this to ourselves was for the best, but I’m seeing now that this is just going to hurt them even more.”
“I know!” Her voice cracked. “I know, okay? I just need time to figure out what to say. How to explain that this is just temporary and not some huge complicated thing that’s going to mess up the family dynamics.”
The word “temporary” hit me like a punch to the gut.
“Right,” I said, and even I could hear how flat my voice sounded. “Temporary.”
“Dex, that’s what we agreed.”
“I know what we agreed.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked quietly.
“No. I’m not mad. I’m just...” I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m worried. About what happens when they find out from someone else. About what happens when this becomes the thing you hid instead of the thing you told them about.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “We’ll be more careful. No more overnight visits. We only see each other when it makes sense for wedding planning.”
“So we’re hiding.”
“We’re being smart. There’s a difference.”
“Is there? Because it feels like we’re ashamed of this. Like we think it’s something wrong.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it? If this is just some temporary summer thing, why does it matter if people know? Why are we hiding?”
“Because it’s private! Because I don’t want the pressure of everyone watching us, waiting to see if we fail. Because I just want to enjoy what we have without making it into some big family drama!”
She was right. I knew she was right.
But something about the way she said “temporary summer thing” made me want to argue anyway. Made me want to say that this didn’t feel temporary to me. That I was starting to caremore than I’d planned. That the idea of her leaving in August made me feel like I couldn’t breathe.
