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Shy rings us up as Abigail stands close to me. I feel her hand slide into my back pocket, and she leaves it there.
“Are you grabbing my butt?” I whisper.
“Maybe,” she whispers back.
“You two are so sweet you’re making my back teeth ache,” Shy says.
He bags everything up and Abigail invites him to come by for some fish, but he already has other plans.
“Thanks,” I say to him. Abigail walks out in front of me. I turn back. “I need a couple of boxes,” I whisper to him. I check to be sure Abigail’s not looking, and I look back at Shy with a raised eyebrow, hoping he catches my drift.
He grins at me. “Couple of boxes of what?” he asks. He slouches like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
I could wring his neck right now. “Couple of boxes of condoms,” I whisper. There’s no one else in the store, so I don’t know why I’m whispering.
“Oh!” He reaches behind the counter and retrieves a bag he has already packed. “I already added them to your tab,” he says with a wink.
“I still owe you for the last box.”
He sticks out his fist and waits for me to bump my knuckles against his. “I’m glad to see you so happy,” he says quietly. “And Abigail too.”
“I’m going to marry that girl as soon as I can,” I tell him.
He nods and grins. “You should get right on that,” he says in agreement. “Although the bracelet was a sweet touch.”
When I get in the truck, Abigail is sitting in the seat with her seatbelt on, running her thumb under the bracelet, back and forth. “What took you so long?” she asks.
I grin at her. “We were out of condoms.”
She points toward the door. “You just bought condoms from Shy?” She covers her face with her hands. “I’ll never be able to look him in the eye again.”
“You’ll be fine.” I put the truck in reverse and back out. “It was his idea.”
“Oh my God,” she breathes. After a few moments of silence, she fingers her bracelet again. “Does this mean we’re going steady?”
I nod. “This means you can’t go steady with anyone else.”
She stares hard at me. “I wouldn’t.”
I grin. “I know.”
She raises one brow. “Pretty confident, huh?”
“I know you love me because what’s not to love?” But I’m not nearly as confident as I’m acting. Deep inside, I’m terrified. I’m terrified she’s going to find someone better. Terrified she’ll find someone she likes a little more. Someone who doesn’t have quite such a checkered past.
“Have you ever taken Mitchell to visit his mother’s grave?” she suddenly asks.
I shake my head. “I have not.”
She plays with her bracelet. “Has your mom?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Do you have pictures of her around?”
“No.”
“You should think about that a little. He needs to know who his mother was.”
