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“It was the best.”
I move in closer to him, nestling my head in his chest. I love the way he smells. Lavender and cedarwood. I hope he never smells a different way.
“I wish you didn’t have to leave again,” I tell him. I don’t think that I will ever look forward to the band touring.
“Just be here when I come home.”
“I’ll always be here. From here on out. I promise.”
J.R. kisses me. “Promise me one thing—while I’m gone, please, for the love of all things, move back into our bedroom. I can’t stand you sleeping on an air mattress any longer.”
If I’m being honest, the air mattress is beginning to give me a permanent hitch in my back. I might have already been planning to sleep in what used to be our bedroom while J.R. is gone, but I won’t tell J.R. this. I relax in his arms, and I listen to his heart beating against his chest. “I promise."
J.R. kisses the top of my head, and then as my eyes grow heavy, I feel him roll off the air mattress and creep toward the door. “Goodnight, Rach,” he whispers.
“Goodnight.” I smile knowing that he’s mine. He was always mine.
Knox doesn’t give Kelley a chance to get out of her car before she has her little arms around Kelley’s waist. Kelley pulls Knox into her, laughing as she does.
J.R. and I wait for them on the front porch, watching Kelley load Knox down with a weekender bag. Kelley grabs another bag from the backseat, and they join us.
“You made it,” I say with a smile, and I even reach out to hug her. I’m not much of a hugger. I have missed my friend, though.
Kelley smiles too, but she looks at J.R. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? It’s just a couple of days.”
“It’s fine,” J.R. says. “Everything is okay.”
“In other words, he’s no longer angry with you,” I assure her.
“Why were you angry with Aunt K., Dad?” Knox asks concerned.
“That, my dear, is a story for another day.” J.R. winks at her.
We get Kelley’s things settled inside, and then at Knox’s persistence, we head out on the ocean in the boat. Knox has deemed herself Kelley’s tour guide, so she identifies the different parts of the island as we pass them. The north end. The south end. The pier. Where the celebrities live. She also gives Kelley a brief history lesson on Cockspur Island and its century-old lighthouse. Kelley has been here many times before, but this time, Knox has learned so much about her new home that she can’t help but share everything with Kelley. Even the stuff Kelley already knows.
Later, we park the boat at A.J.’s Dockside Diner, grab dinner, and then head back home just as the sun is about to set. I can’t be certain, but it looks as though J.R. is enjoying Kelley’s company again. The three of us have had such a rough road together. It seems like we’ve known each other for centuries.
Kelley lights up Knox’s world in a way that no other human has been able to. She occupied J.R.’s place when Knox was born and the years after. She’s just as much of a parent to Knox as I am, and I think Knox is a pretty lucky girl to be loved by not just J.R. and me, but also by Kelley. I was a lonely kid. There weren’t many people I could turn to, and I more or less raised myself. I was determined to give Knox a different life than what I had, and though I did things a little backward, I think I at least gave her people who love her unconditionally.
Knox and Kelley plan a girl’s day on the beach. It’s September; the tourists are gone, but the weather is still perfect for a little fun in the sun. J.R. and I have been instructed to take advantage of the day and spend some one-on-one time with each other.
So, J.R. whisks me away into downtown Savannah for the day. It’s a historic town, settled on the Savannah River. It isn’t far from home, but it’s enchanting enough to feel like another world.
Savannah is lined with centuries-old buildings that have been turned into restaurants, shops, and apartments. It has a deep history with stories of pirates, spirits, and ghosts. Large oak trees are positioned throughout old Savannah, their limbs laced with Spanish moss. It’s supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in the country, but it’s not as spooky as it sounds. I think that Savannah is more like something out of a fairy tale.
We start the day on River Street at a coffee shop, and then we walk the cobble-stone sidewalks, disappearing in and out of shops along the way. I find it odd that J.R and I have known each other for more than a decade, and yet today, we feel brand new.
We walk hand-in-hand along the river’s edge, stopping to watch boats and to observe the scenery. The sun is warm against my skin, and I smile into the slightly salty smell of the breeze. This day is perfect.
I glance at J.R., and I notice that he’s catching glimpses of me from beneath his sunglasses. He tries to act like he’s not looking at me, but I know otherwise.
“I see you peeking at me from under your shades,” I remark with a grin.
“You’re beautiful,” he says. “That’s all.”
I smile and rest my head against his shoulder as we walk. “This is nice.” I sigh. “We didn’t do this much before.” Maybe we really did move too quickly the first time we were together. I’m warming up to the idea of moving more slowly with J.R. I’ve noticed things about him that I hadn’t before—things a person wouldn’t notice when moving too quickly through a relationship. Like the way he walks down a street—easy with a sort of swag. Or the way his hand seems to find mine so effortlessly, as though our hands have been joined together since birth.
“We didn’t do a lot of things we should have done.”
