“I love you so fucking much, Quincy. I love every single thing about you. No matter what happens, no matter where life takes us, I know we’re going to figure it out because Iloveyou.”
“I love you too,” I say, and his eyes light up. His mouth parts, and I’ve never seen him so happy. “I love you so much, Sebastian. Maybe I always have, I don’t know, I’m not into fate or divine intervention or any of that stuff, but I do know that I love you.”
His mouth is on mine before I can say anything else. Each kiss is a second we’ve wasted. A moment in our lives when we did everything butthis. Sebastian lifts me off the ground and I wrap my legs around his waist, paying no mind to the wet socks in my shoes.
The whole world narrows to a single entity: him.
Him, who I love.
Him, who loves me back.
“Stop grinding your hips, Monroe,” he mumbles against my mouth. “We’re on camera, and I don’t want to be arrested for public indecency.”
“You’re the one who picked me up.” I pull on his necklace, smiling when he closes his eyes. “The blame is all on you.”
“Sebastian here.” He waves at my phone. “I’m going to go aheadand end this video before things escalate. Quincy will be back tomorrow morning, probably with a new hickey or two, and I—”
“You are never allowed on my show again.” I fumble with my phone and turn off the live stream. “Never.”
“Guess I’ll have to start my own show. I’m going to call it Pocketful of Sunshine. After my username.”
“That wasyou?”
“I told you I’m a big fan.” He presses me into a tree, the bark sharp against my back. “Tell me, sweetheart. Is love still like a lightning strike?”
“No. It’s so much better.”
Our phones chime in unison, and we exchange a look. Sebastian sets me down and reaches into his pocket. I scramble for my own, a laugh racing out of me when I read the notification.
“NHC,” he says.
“Tropical Storm Isabelle just formed in the Atlantic.” Our eyes meet. His smile matches mine. “Landfall is projected for Sanibel Island early next week.”
“That makes three storms in four weeks. Looks like we’re going for the record this year. What do you think, Quinny baby? Do you feel like chasing another storm?” Sebastian pulls me to his chest. “Or should we sit this one out?”
“We should definitely chase another storm.”I love him. I love him, I love him, I love him.“I’ll race you there.”
NEXT SUMMER
The traffic from the Orlando airport to Oak Valley is going to be the death of me.
“Could we take 408 instead of 436? Should be a quicker ride,” I say to my Uber driver, not surprised when he ignores me and turns up the radio.
Being trapped in a vehicle with someone who plays Rick Astley on repeat is my idea of hell, and I’m not sure I’m going to make it out of here without my eardrums bleeding.
It’s the last hurdle I have to jump before I’m home, and this feels like the toughest part of the journey. Delays because of a thunderstorm, a missed connecting flight, and two hours in the Atlanta airport I’ll never get back have messed up my schedule.
Now I’m so close to Oak Valley, I can taste it.
The days have been good, but I really miss my girl.
I lean back and untangle the seatbelt digging into my shoulder with a grumble. Exhaustion is settling in, and I’d give anything to close my eyes and take a much needed power nap after a week out west covering brush fires in the Rocky Mountains.
It took a minute to figure out what I wanted to do after turning in my two-week notice to ABC. A couple news stations called and asked if I’d be interested in their open Chief Meteorologist position. The Weather Channel offered me a role up in Atlanta, but I passed. Nothing felt right, until one day, it did.
Starting a YouTube series that dives into how weather impacts both the environment and humans was unintentional, but the best thing I ever could have done for my career. The public’s fear of natural disasters is higher than ever, and I’ve made it my purpose to travel across the county to meet folks who have been through significant weather events. I interview them, getting their perspective on how the experience changed their outlook on life. I also help with getting assistance lined up in the aftermath and analyzing what went wrong from a preparedness standpoint so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.
My boots are on the ground. I get to get my hands dirty. I get to be in the middle of the chaos exactly how I wanted to be, and I’ve never been happier.
