Page 19 of Reckoning

Tate saw the look they gave each other. “I have a question. Was it love at first sight for you two, or did you date a lot before you got to that point?”

“I can’t speak for your mama, but once I saw her, there wasn’t another woman ever for me,” Abel said.

“Oh…I knew your daddy was the one, even before he ever noticed me, so I made it my business to make sure he noticed.”

Tate grinned. “I figured. Just checking,” he said as he got up and carried his dishes to the sink and went to finish dressing.

Abel watched his son walking away. From a distance, the teen would have been taken for a full-grown man. He was already well over six feet and built like a lumberjack. It was the way of the Bandy men…broad shoulders, strong arms, and long legs.

He sighed, remembering the man talk he’d had with Tate when he turned thirteen, and how he had impressed upon Tate the responsibilities he had to observe. Over and above the sex talk, he told him something that gave Tate huge pause.

“Son, because of the gift of knowing that you were given, there is a promise that you have to make to yourself. When you’re not married to the woman you sleep with, then you have no legal rights to the baby you make together. If it’s a boy and he is born with your gift, without the guidance and understanding he will need to know as he grows up, it could destroy him. If the girl chooses to abort the child and it’s the boy with the gift who would have been next in line, then that will break the generational thread of the gift. There would never be another Bandy with the knowing. Ever again. The first time you think you need to experiment, you need to be mindful of that. If you only use a girl for the thrill of sex, you have shamed her and yourself. Do you understand?”

He remembered the look in Tate’s eyes when he’d told him, and then what he’d said. “It’s okay, Dad, I’m just a kid now, but I will only ever want Briar. And she will only ever want me.”

Abel had been shocked then by the quiet assurance in Tate’s voice, but that was then, and this was now, so he shook off the memory and helped Lilith clear the table of their breakfast dishes. Later, as he was getting ready to make a run to Sparks Grocery, he heard the front door slam and frowned.

“The boy is on the move.”

Lilith looked up from the pie crust she was rolling out. “He has more knowing and sense than we do. He’ll be fine.”

* * *

The day was clear, sunny, and already getting hot. It would be all about hot dogs, cold drinks, and the game booths in the park, then fireworks tonight, but for now, Tate was taking a shortcut to Main Street as he lengthened his stride.

The little carnival that always came to town on this day was set up and waiting for customers. He remembered riding the merry-go-round when they were still kids. When Briar’s horse went up, his horse went down, and vice versa, and they thought it was hysterical.

The Ferris wheel was off-limits for Briar. She was afraid of the height, and the ever-circling wheel made her sick, so if she didn’t like it, then neither did he. But as he moved through the park, carnival rides were no longer on the agenda.

He waved to people he knew, some of whom were classmates, but he just kept walking past the food booths and the game booths until he reached the circle bench beneath the spreading oak. He was grateful for the shade, but his heart was pounding. A breeze ruffled through the dark strands of his hair, cooling the beads of sweat on the back of his neck as he waited.

He knew she was on the way. He could see her in his mind, walking through the crowd and people moving aside to let her pass through. She’d left her hair down today, and she was wearing purple shorts and the lilac-colored T-shirt from his dream. Those long, beautiful legs of hers were bare, and the breeze had plastered the shirt to her body, outlining all the curves of the woman she was becoming.

* * *

Briar had fussed with her hair, leaving it down, putting it up, then leaving it down again until she glanced at the time. She was going to be late if she didn’t hurry. She loved her new purple outfit and had been saving it for today, and because the day would be spent at the park, she opted for sneakers rather than fancy sandals, and went downstairs on the run.

Roger heard her coming down the stairs and went to meet her.

“Do you have spending money?”

“I have five dollars,” she said.

He pulled out his wallet. “Oh, that’s not nearly enough. The food and drinks are always overpriced at these events.” He handed her a trio of twenty-dollar bills.

“Thank you, Dad. I appreciate it,” she said. “I’ll be with Tate until fireworks are over. I know it will be dark, but he’ll walk me home. Don’t worry.”

Mariah came out of the kitchen with a frown on her face, eyeing what Briar was wearing, but couldn’t find fault enough to comment.

However, hearing Tate Bandy’s name mentioned was enough to set her off. He was never going to amount to anything, and she wanted better than that for her daughter. Someone she could brag about to her friends.

Not wanting the usual fight to start, Briar eyed her mother without speaking and headed for the door. But before she could make her escape, Mariah called out.

“Briar! Did you take your birth control pill this morning?”

Briar froze, then turned and looked at her in disgust. “Really, Mother? Why didn’t you go stand outside and shout that a little louder?”

Roger was in shock. “Briar! Why are you taking birth control pills?”