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“She's hard not to fall for,” Griffin replies, not taking his eyes off me, but I catch my dad's smile. I know he will grill me later about this, but he didn't grow up with the best, so he understands these guys on a level many people don't. He just wants me to be happy.
I usher everyone out of the house before putting everyone to work. We have a few pieces of wood left to update the barn. The girls help me feed and brush the animals, and before the sun goes down, we have completed most of my chores and then some I've been putting off for a few weeks.
“It was so nice to meet you, sir,” Lexi says, bending and hugging my dad. All the girls follow suit, and the guys all take turns shaking my dad's hands.
“Y’all be sure to come back. I won't put y'all to work again, but we will have a big dinner one night,” my dad says, and tears form in my eyes. My mom loved to host people over, but my dad never really cared either way. I think he felt the warmth come back into our little house today while everyone was there. I just hope they don't let him down.
“Oh hell yeah! I need Farlee to teach me how to ride anyway,” Canaan says.
“Oh, I want to learn, too!” Juju says.
“That sounds fun,” Rissa says, looking off toward the barn. Dean pulls her into his arms before kissing her on the crown of her head.
“You all are more than welcome anytime at all,” my dad says, smiling at the group. We all say our goodbyes, and they mount their bikes, ready to head off. I walk up to Griffin's bike and pull him into a hug. He doesn't say anything, just hugs me back, and I feel sparks going off throughout my entire being.
“I’ll come and pick you up in the morning for school since your truck is still there,” he tells me.
“Wait, you rode on the back of that bike today?” my father asks, looking stern.
“Griffin was very careful and made sure I had my helmet strapped down. I'm sorry, daddy, but I was in no condition to drive,” I tell him. He looks at me for a bit longer before nodding and turning to Griffin.
“You make sure you keep her safe on the back of that thing,” he says, pointing at him.
“You have my word, sir. She is the last person on this planet I would ever hurt,” Griffin tells him, not breaking eye contact. I step between them to get this macho stuff over with. I roll my eyes and hear Griffin laugh.
“Are you heading home?” I ask him in a low voice so only he can hear.
“Probably not. I’ll probably ride around or find something to do until my parents go to sleep.”
“Meet me at our spot?” I ask, hopeful. I don't know when it became our spot instead of my parents, but I know it's a special place, and after today, I want to explore this with Griffin. I'm not ready for it all to end.
“I'll be waiting,” he says before he places a kiss on my cheek and cranks his bike. His friends follow his lead.
I smile before turning to my dad.
“He’s a good one, baby. You look at him like your mother looked at me. He looks at you the way I looked at your mother. Make sure he takes care of you, always,” he tells me before turning and heading back into the house. I saw the flash of pain when he thought about not being the one able to care for me anymore, but I also saw the happiness when he mentioned how Griffin looked at me. I shake out of my thoughts before racing to the barn and hopping on Sprinkles. It doesn't take much push for her to speed off toward our spot. I think she's just as eager to see Griffin.
