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“I don’t know how,” was all I could say.
“Say thank you and cash the checks!” somebody else yelled.
When we laughed, tears pricked my eyes, but they were too strong to swallow. “Thank you,” I said, my head bowed. “Thank you.”
A small eruption of joy was muffled by Daisy, who gathered me up and held my face. Kissed me hard with cool tears on her cheeks. My brothers had come out and were clapping townspeople on the back and taking donations. I didn’t know if it’d be enough, but it would help.
And here I’d thought it was hopeless.
Daisy’s sisters had pulled in late, but found their way to our side of the crowd. When Grant reached me, it was to pull me into a hug that caught me off-guard.
“You should have told us, Keaton,” he chided. “I could have helped.”
“I don’t generally take charity.”
“Well, too bad—you work for one. Whatever this doesn’t cover, I’ll make up.”
“Grant, I ca—”
“I swear to God, if you say you can’t one more time, I’m going to shove a check so far into your throat, you’ll shit hundred dollar bills.” I must not have looked convinced because he added, “Consider it payment for your services that you stupidly didn’t charge us for. It’s a fair deal, so long as you finish the job.”
He extended a hand for a shake, and I clasped it, pumping once. “Yessir.”
He clapped me on the shoulder again, and for the next half hour or so, we collected donations as a group, the Blums and the Meyers, and when the last few people had accepted my gratitude and headed off, our families made their way to the front door.
I snagged Daisy’s hand, pulling her to a stop. Pulling her to me. And when we were alone, I kissed her again in benediction and disbelief.
Eyes closed, I pressed my forehead to hers. “I love you,” I whispered, the words trembling with my heart.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
“Will you stay with me?”
“As long as you want.”
“Forever?”
She leaned back to meet my eyes, her cheeks flushed and lips swollen. “Forever.”
I kissed her again to seal the promise, holding her tight, vowing to never let her go again.
31
THE GREAT DIVIDE
DAISY
Keaton and I spent two full days in bed.
In an attempt at privacy, we packed up some clothes and food and moved into one of the cottages near Jo and Grant where we could be alone. Our phones were somewhere in the small house, though I doubted either of them still had batteries. We figured if anyone needed us, they knew where we were.
Blissfully, nobody did.
Our clothes were still neatly packed in weekend bags. Mostly we’d eaten grilled cheese sandwiches and PB&Js—everything else too much trouble. Took too much time, time we could have spent stretched out in bed. Time that had lost its meaning. Sleep came when we were tired, meals came when we were hungry. The rest of the time we spent talking. Dreaming. Wondering. And, of course, doing naked things. Many, many naked things.
“You know,” I said as Keaton lazily kissed my neck, “we should probably find some real food at some point.”
He gruffed his disapproval against my skin, and between that and the scratch of his beard, I giggled, wriggling against him.
Laughing, he pinned me first with a hand on my hip, then with his body. “I’m not done with you yet.”
“You don’t have to be done with me ever. But I would like a hamburger. Or some bacon and eggs.” I salivated like an animal. “Or viscuits and gravy.” I moaned.
He hovered over me, smiling. “So Bettie’s?”
“Admit it sounds good.”
“Steak and eggs wouldn’t kill me. But I still don’t want to leave.”
“We have to eventually.”
“Do we?”
“I mean …” He was kissing my neck again, and I was laughing, and the birds were singing outside, and everything was right in the world. When his face reappeared in my vision again, I asked, “You really don’t want to leave?”
His amusement softened to adoration, laced with longing. “If we leave here,” he said, stroking my face, “then life can get to us. In here, we’re safe.”
“In that case, I have good news.”
He waited, one of his brows arched.
“Now that we have each other, we’re going to go get life. And as long as we’re together, we’ll be safe. I’m pretty sure I can do just about anything, as long as I have you.”
His dark eyes searched mine. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
A shift was all it took to connect our lips, and the kiss we shared was deep and long, filled with promises and hopes we’d once believed were lost. But they weren’t lost at all. We’d found them in each other.
It was nothing short of miraculous.
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Jo’s voice.
“Put some clothes on, lovebirds. You need to see this!”
Keaton and I blinked at each other, and while we were staring, Cole shouted, “Don’t you assholes ever check your phones? Ow!”
