“Ugh.”
I groaned, covering my face with my hand. “Will that story never die?”
Ford
chuckled. “Your reaction to it is what keeps it alive.”
Across
the grass, Danny laughed loudly—too loud for the circumstance. A sign of the
drink taking over. Ford’s gaze cut sharply in Danny’s direction. “He’s a
character, isn’t he?”
It
was the closest to unkind I’d ever heard him speak of anyone. I would’ve found
it endearing if it’d been about someone else. In this case, it was too much of
an understatement. “He’s …” I didn’t know how to finish and still be as nice as
Ford.
“Hey,
Summer, we need more beers over here,” Danny called.
I
rolled my eyes. “You’re two feet from the keg,” I said.
Danny
acted like he hadn’t heard me. He elbowed Mark and said, “Prettiest beer wench
ever, right? What did I tell you?”
I
stiffened. There were just enough drinks in me that the anger was like a liquid
reaction in my veins. For once, I didn’t want to let it roll off like I knew
the rest of them expected me to. I rose without a word, outwardly calm, and
went to the keg. I poured a full cup while the guys laughed and horsed around
behind me, completely wrapped up in the game again. When I’d finished pouring,
I stepped up behind Danny and lifted the cup over his head.
“Here
you are,” I said with fake cheer.
The
moment Danny turned, I tipped the cup sideways and watched as beer hit the top
of his head and flowed down his face and shoulders. All other sound abruptly
ceased. Danny went still and for a moment, I thought he was going to explode in
anger. His face reddened and then, slowly, his mouth opened and his tongue came
out and licked at the beer on his mouth. And then he grinned. “Oh, it’s on,
Stafford.”
I
sprinted away just as Danny gave chase, a laugh escaping my lips despite my
anger moments ago. The sight of a beer-drenched Danny, almost too drunk to walk
yet still trying to run—it was enough to cancel out the insult.
I
rounded the fire, running in a wide circle as Danny ran after me, dripping with
booze and grinning madly like only a drunk redneck could. The rest of the group
howled with laughter and cheered. Some for him, some for me. I caught Ford
watching as I passed. The lack of amusement in his expression caught me
off-guard. Without realizing it, I slowed. Danny’s hands came around me and
scooped me up, sweeping me off my feet and into his arms. I fought against it,
pushing and pulling at his bulky arms and husky torso.
“Put
me down, Danny,” I said, struggling. I didn’t even care if I ended in a heap on
the ground. I just wanted free. It wasn’t funny anymore.
“Not
until you make it up to me.”
I
could feel the wetness seeping into my shirt where it pressed against his
beer-soaked clothes. “Whatever. I’m sorry. Just put me down,” I said, still
struggling.
“Uh-uh.
You gotta do more than apologize.”
I
continued to wiggle but he held on, clearly just as strong with a dozen beers
in him. Damn. “What then?” I asked.
“How
about you give me a do-over with that kiss we had back in the day?”
Casey’s
laughter was the loudest. “Yeah, right.”
“No
way. Put me down, Danny,” I said, my voice a warning. For the first time, I
started to feel nervous. His grip was tight enough I could barely move now. If
he wanted to kiss me, he could, whether I allowed it or not. And I definitely
wasn’t allowing it.
“Come
on. Just one little smooch,” Danny said, leaning closer. Beer dripped from his
chin to my forehead. I flailed harder.
“Danny,
I mean it. Stop.” I fought back with fists to his chest. It didn’t faze him.
He
only laughed and leaned in. I gagged at the smell of alcohol mixed with B.O.
That, combined with the idea of his lips touching mine, made my stomach roll.
“Get off,” I said, my teeth clenched now in effort. Still, my fighting was
useless.
“She
said put her down,” Ford said, stepping up to face Danny.
At
the steel in his voice, Danny’s grip automatically loosened and he shifted to
look Ford in the eye. I’d never, ever heard Ford sound like that before. It was
unnerving, like it wasn’t a natural part of him.
“We’re
just messing around,” Danny said easily, but his smile dimmed.
“She’s
not. She wants you to put her down.” Ford’s lips pressed together in a hard
line.
“What
are you, her boyfriend or something?”
There
was a beat of hesitation on Ford’s part and then, “Yes.”
An
awkward silence descended on the entire group. Ford and Danny stared each other
down. The air between the two men strained with tension. I wondered if Danny
was going to challenge it. I’d had to bite my lip to keep from challenging it
myself. Boyfriend? Since when?
Finally,
Danny’s body relaxed and he set me on my feet. I held on just long enough to
get my balance and then stepped quickly away. Danny eyed Ford with a hard
glint. Neither one moved away. I looked between them, at a loss. I was pretty
sure if I went to Ford right now, it would set Danny off. But I wasn’t about to
go to Danny. Casey saved me from having to do either one.
“Danny,
you playing this game or what, man?” he called, gesturing to the rectangular
board at his feet.
Danny
blinked, like he’d forgotten all about the game, and the people, and the booze.
“Yeah, man,” he said, rolling his shoulders back once before walking away.
“Let’s do this.”
I
exhaled. Cautiously, the conversation around the fire started again. “Somebody
get some music going,” Frank called out. I turned to do just that, happy to
have a distraction, and almost ran into my dad. I looked up into his solemn
face.
“You
okay?” he asked quietly.
“I’m
fine. Geez, Dad, you scared me. I didn’t even see you there.” I ran a hand
through my hair and willed my heart to beat at a normal rate.
“I
know. But Danny did.” My dad and Ford exchanged a look. “Thanks,” my dad told
him.
“No
problem,” Ford said. He nodded in Danny’s direction. “He’s only going to get
worse the more he drinks.”
“Frank’s
taking him home after they finish their game,” Dad said.
Ford
nodded once. “I appreciate it.”
“It’s
not for you. It’s for him.” Dad’s eyes narrowed as he stared across the
darkness in Danny’s direction. “Boy pisses me off on my property, I have no
problem kicking his ass all the way back off of it.”
“Dad,”
I said, my brows lifting in surprise. It took a lot for my dad to lose his
temper. I couldn’t remember ever hearing him talk about fighting. My mom always
said I got my “mellow” from him.
“And
he’s fired, too. I’ll make sure to tell him before he leaves.”
I
hugged my dad, feeling some of the tension drain off him as he squeezed me
back. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll help you reseal the ’houses this winter.”
“Sure.
Between the two of us and Frank and Casey, we can handle it.”
My
eyes flickered to Ford as I realized why he wasn’t included. He wouldn’t be
here. It was such a weird, surreal thought. He’d become such an ingrained part
of my life in such a short period of time. It was strange to imagine my life
without him in it. What would that be like?
My
first thought: empty.
Dad
wandered back to the rest of the group, his eyes intent on Danny. I suspected
he’d watch Danny like a hawk until Frank took him home. Fine by me.
Ford
took a step in my direction. “Boyfriend?” I asked.
He
shoved his hands into his pockets. “I knew he would back off if I said that.
Sorry if it upset you.”
“So
you said it to get Danny to leave me alone?” Something inside my chest fell
with a crash into my gut. I wondered if he could see it happening, because he
closed the distance between us and grabbed my hand. He opened his mouth to
speak and I held my breath, sure that whatever he was about to say would change
things. I wasn’t convinced it would be good, either.
Behind
Ford, music suddenly blared to life. A popular country song. Someone belted out
the lyrics over the noise of the radio. Ford blinked, forgoing whatever answer
he’d been about to give, and my breath returned. The moment was gone. Maybe
that was a good thing.
“Can
we take a walk?” he asked.
“Sure.”
The
noise of the partiers and the radio masked our exit. We slipped away without
incident and I opted for the woods. It would be darker so we couldn’t go far,
but it was the only place I knew no one would find us if they decided to
wander.
“What’s
up?” I asked once we stood inside the trees.
“I
don’t know. I didn’t realize—” He ran a hand over his face as if frustrated.
“Ford?
Is everything okay? I’ve never seen you get … angry. I mean, I’m not even sure
that’s what it was.”
“Yeah,
I’m fine. Danny’s a douchebag.”
“Okay.
Definitely pissed.”
In
the darkness, I saw his cheeks lift in a rueful smile. “Maybe a little.”
“I’ve
never seen you mad before.”
“Was
it scary?”
“Terrifying,”
I teased.
Then
I thought of the way he’d faced Danny down, and even though he hadn’t said or
done anything overly threatening, there was something about the calm in him as
he waited to be obeyed that told me it would’ve been scary if Danny hadn’t
complied. And then he’d said “boyfriend.” Scary in a different way.
“Do
you feel better?” I asked. “Did walking help?”
In
answer, he leaned down and kissed me, our mouths fumbling a little to find each
other in the darkness. Once they did, he deepened the kiss, parting my lips
with his tongue. By the time he let me go, I was breathless and clinging to his
shirt.
“I
feel better now,” he said, his voice gravelly.
“Mmm,”
I managed.
He
chuckled and a beat of silence passed. “I didn’t need the walk to calm me
down,” he said, the amusement gone.
“Why
did you need it?” I asked, letting go of him and standing on my own. The seriousness
in his tone made my nerves jump.
“You
asked why I called myself your boyfriend. I wanted to explain.”
I
braced myself. “Go on.”
“I
know we said we wouldn’t put a label on things. To make it easier for when I …
And I think that’s smart, but …”
“But?”
I prompted when he didn’t continue.
“But
I don’t care about smart. I care about you.” He grimaced. “Okay, that might’ve
come out wrong. What I mean is I want everyone to know you’re with me. I want
them to know they can’t grab you and try to kiss you.”
“Were
you jealous?” I couldn’t help but be suspicious. If jealousy were the reason
for this change of heart, I didn’t want it. Commitment out of fear wasn’t real.
And I didn’t want anything that wasn’t built on truth. I’d seen firsthand what
that did.
“Not
in the way you think. I know you didn’t want to kiss Danny. Or anyone else. I
know people ask what we are and I know you don’t have an answer for that.”
“It
doesn’t matter—”
“Yes,
it does. It matters to you. And you matter to me. And I want you to know how
much. I want to show you in every possible way. I want you to call me yours for
as long as we have left together.”
“You
want to be my boyfriend,” I repeated uncertainly, determined to ignore his
reference to the fact that he was still leaving in less than three months.
“Yes.”
He pulled me to him until our chests pressed together. “I like the sound of
that. Say it again.”
I
giggled, feeling silly about how ridiculously happy this conversation made me.
“You’re my boyfriend,” I repeated, the words still coming out like a question.
“Yes.”
He bent down, his mouth next to my ear. “And you’re my girlfriend.”
I
thrilled at the words. “Yes,” I agreed as I brought my mouth around to meet
his. “But, only if you agree to one thing,” I said, momentarily breaking our
kiss.
“You
have a condition?”
“Just
one. You have to plan something for us. And you have to think it through ahead
of time.”
“What,
like a date?”
“Yes,
a date. One that’s all your idea. No help from me or Casey. I know you’re
capable of making a plan when you want to.”
“Of
course I am. We did that once already.”
Even
in the darkness, I knew he could see my eyes widen. “Did you hear yourself just
now? Once? That was two months ago. So, that’s enough? You’ve met your quota?”
He
chuckled. “I see your point. I do this and I’m your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“A
planned date it is then.”
I
went back to kissing him, this time without stopping.