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“That’s fair. Also, you know I’m not completely flawless, right? I’m trying to practice not projecting my own worries and insecurities onto Riley, but I can’t even trust her to light a candle in her bedroom.” He shrugs. “We’re all fighting our own demons every day.”
“You can say that again. But I don’t know if I’d trust any kid with a lighter and that’s coming from someone whose house has never burned down,” I offer with a slight chuckle. “That said, Riley is so smart and responsible. You’re doing great as a dad, Z.”
He pauses for a moment and leans back against the bed of his truck. “You know I used to like to plan things out too. But you learn to be flexible real quick, especially after becoming a parent, and even more so when you’re a kid yourself.”
He pushes himself away from the truck and tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. With one simple touch, my entire body ignites with excitement.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so resistant to change since I’ve been back,” I tell him.
He waves my words away. “Oh, but Miss Parker, that’s not the case at all. All you’ve done since you’ve been back is step out of your comfort zone. I’m proud of you. And you’ve trusted me, even when I least deserved it.”
“Well, I am only using you to complete this list, ya know?” I tease.
“Oh, trust me, I know. Deep down inside of you, I know that change-hating, untrusting, sarcastic Autumn awaits her return the minute we’re through with the WOLO list.” He bites his tongue playfully.
“As long as you already know, then we’re good. We should always be on the same page,” I say, sticking out my tongue at him.
“Speaking of, now you get to cross off ‘Crash a wedding’ from the list. Job well done,” he says.
“I thought you’d agree,” I admit.
Zayn looks at his watch. “Hey, it’s pretty late, and I know we both have work this week. Let’s get you home.”
I nod. He holds open the passenger side of the door for me and I climb in. I buckle up as he walks around to the driver side. When he makes his way into the truck, I say, “Hey, thanks for tonight. Despite watching those God-awful dance moves of yours, I had a good time at Veronica’s wedding.”
He smiles. “Thank you for the awesome night, too. Pretty sure Veronica’s already thinking of leaving her husband now that she’s seen my twerking,” he jokes.
I laugh again as he throws his truck into reverse. “You’re probably right,” I say.
“And it just got even better. Autumn Parker tells me I’mright. Doesn’t get any better than this.” He squeezes my knee with his hand.
I smile and think to myself how happy I am when Zayn’s around. Maybe it’s time to quit resisting it so much.
We arrive at Cherry Springs and try to find the camping spot our friends are at. When we finally spot them, Zayn pulls the truck up in the grass and looks at me before tossing it into park. “You doin’ okay?”
I look out the window at the campground. “Honestly, camping is not my thing. I’m terrified of bugs, creatures, wildlife, and well . . . all the things. I think maybe ‘glamping’ is more my style.
He chuckles. “Think about how brave you’ve already been, though. You’re doing great with the list, A.”
I sigh. “I know, I know. You’re right. This is definitely me overcoming my fears though for sure. But two nights here? We should’ve started with one.”
“Think of it this way—I know you’re on fall break, but I’ll probably get called into work anyway, and then it’ll all end early,” he offers as consolation.
“You’re not just gonna leave me here, are you?” The very thought prickles the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.
“Absolutely not. I was trying to offer that to give you some potential relief to your anxiety, not to make it worse. Come on, let’s do this.” Zayn hops out of the truck and waves to our friends on his way over to my side of the truck. He opens the door. “Mason and Nat are here, too by the way.”
“They are?”
He nods. “Mhmm. I convinced them to come. We both know if we can get someone like Mason to go camping, you’ll do just fine.”
I laugh as I grab his hand and step down from the truck.
We walk over to the center of the campsite spot while he holds the small of my back.
I see Ryker’s already grilling some hot dogs and hamburgers. He yells over to us, “You guys hungry?”
We exchange a quick glance. “Starving,” I say.
