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“Like really dumb,” Henry agreed.
“Besides,” Bobby stated, adding more and more sprinkles to his ice cream. “If I could still see and had a girlfriend I thought was hot, I’d spend every day looking at her face.”
He was right. I’d wasted enough time already.
“Shit. I have to get to Chicago.”
“Duh!” Bobby and Henry said in unison.
As I pulled out my phone, my dad walked into the ice cream shop, smiling my way. “Hey, Mi. Are you ready to go? I’ve got everything ready for dinner. Even got your graduation gift waiting outside.”
I arched my eyebrow. “A gift? You didn’t have to do that. Can we also shift the dinner plans? I was hoping you could drive me down to Chicago.”
“Chicago?” he asked, confused.
“There’s a hot girl,” Bobby said. “And Milo’s in love with her.”
Dad arched an eyebrow. “A girl, huh?”
“A hot girl,” Bobby explained. “Trust me. She’s the one.”
Dad scratched at his forehead. “Well, I was looking forward to dinner, but if it’s real love...”
“You’ll take me?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
“Today’s your day, Son. I’ll do anything you want. But first, let me show you your gift. Come on outside.”
I said my goodbyes to the guys and followed Dad out of the ice cream parlor. He gestured toward a massive RV in front of the ice cream shop when we stepped outside. “Ta-da! Happy graduation, Son!”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I got you an RV. I know you talked about wanting to see the states and travel a lot as a kid, so I figured it was a good time to get you the opportunity over these next summer months.”
Don’t get me wrong, it was a thoughtful gift, but it had one major problem. “I can’t drive it, Dad. I’m not allowed to drive. Unless you were going to come with me.”
“Crap…no, Son. I can’t do that. I just started that new position and didn’t even think about that. I’m sorry. I guess it’s a pretty crappy gift.”
I shrugged and patted him on the back. “It’s the thought that counts.”
“If you need a driver, I’m pretty open this summer,” a voice said as they opened the door to the RV. I looked up to see Starlet standing there with the biggest smile. “That’s if you’re okay with my driving skills.”
My chest tightened as I froze in place, staring at her. Her natural curls were blowing in the wind as she stood in the doorway of the RV.
My glance shot back and forth between Dad and her as I tried to gather what was happening. I didn’t know if I was daydreaming again or not. “She’s here?” I asked Dad.
He nodded. “She’s here. So you’d better go greet her.”
I rushed over to her and took her hands into my shaky grip. My forehead fell against hers as I closed my eyes. “Hi,” I breathed out.
“Hi,” she replied. “Happy graduation day.”
I opened my eyes and placed my hand against her cheek, caressing her skin with the back of my hand. I took in every inch of her. Her eyes. Her dimples. Her smile. Her cheeks. Bobby was right. I was an idiot.
“I’ve missed you, and I've missed you in every way possible,” I told her. “And I’m sorry for pushing you away for a while.”
“It’s okay. It was good for me. I’m still learning a lot about myself, but the greatest thing I’ve learned is that I want to learn those things with you.”
“I thought we couldn’t work if we didn’t know ourselves fully. But I realize that change is the only constant thing in life. I don’t know how long it’ll take to figure out my stuff. I don’t even know what better is for me or my new normal, Star. But all I know is that I want you. I want you to know that I want to spend every day I have left looking at you.”
“Milo,” she whispered, a slight tremble to her tone. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to be what I thought my mother wanted me to be. I tried to be perfect in every single way to make her proud. But then I met you and realized I no longer want to be a fake perfect. I want to be real. I want to get messy with life. And I want to be messy with you.”
I pulled her into me, kissing her deeply as my arms wrapped around her.
From that point on, I refused ever to let her go again.
CHAPTER 41
Milo
“I cannot believe you’ve been cooking this sauce for eighteen hours,” Starlet said as she stood behind me in the kitchen. She’d wrapped her arms around my waist as I stirred the sauce.
“My mom’s homemade gravy is a slow and steady kind of recipe,” I told her.
It had been a week since we’d reconnected, and we hadn’t spent a second apart. It was the most rewarding week of my life, waking up each morning with her in my arms and falling asleep in the same fashion. We’d be off on our road trip starting tomorrow, but first, Dad and I worked on throwing a farewell Sunday dinner for Starlet and me.
