was something about her punching my arm. I’m not sure if she meant it flirtatiously or not, but it felt like it was meant to be. “You’re so weird.”
The ridiculous Dallas traffic kept the quiet car from being too awkward, and her sudden outbursts of “Kansas!” or “Oklahoma!” or “New Mexico” had me watching the damn license plates more than brake lights. By the time we cruised through the Texas panhandle and into the Oklahoma panhandle, combined we had 39 states. When we passed the welcome to Oklahoma sign, she squealed.
“I’ve never been out of Texas!”
Following her squeal, the brakes of the Tesla almost did the same when I brought the car to a stop on the shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Picture time. Bring your fancy phone.”
Unbuckling with an eager, full-blown smile, she got out on her side of the highway and we headed back up the highway to the sign.
“Give me your phone.”
She handed it to me, and I walked further down the highway to get her and the sign. With the cutest little pose of her hand on her hip, she cheesed for me. I wished I’d taken it with my phone. When I got back to the sign, she grabbed my arm. “Let’s get us both,” she suggested. “I’ve had some practice taking selfies over the past week.”
I smiled for the picture but wondered who the hell she was sending the selfies to. Sometimes it was impossible to look her in the eyes—for fear that she’d see right through me.
Her bottom lip protruded out into a full pout.
“What’s wrong?”
“The picture I took says welcome to Okla.”
“Well, Ms. I’m-getting-good-at-selfies. Long arms work better.” I held the phone up high, making sure the entire sign, she and I were in the picture. As I pushed the button, the phone vibrated. iMessage from Nick. Against my desire to open the message, I handed her the phone. So, Nick the motorcycle dick was getting the selfies. The unhealthy tension filling my body annoyed me. Back in the car, she typed a return message to him. Jealousy was not something I was good at. Honestly, I’d pretty much gotten everything I’d ever wanted in my life. There was suddenly something I wanted, and I wasn’t sure if I could ever have it. Didn’t that just up the ante. I could only guess how Nick viewed me, and I wanted to know, just about more than anything else what she had told him. There was one thing I knew for certain, neither of them knew the side of my life that I’d kept hidden from everyone. If Nick pushed it, he’d meet that side. The pleasure would be all mine.
Oklahoma came and went and passing the Colorado border was less eventful. Phoebe slept in the passenger seat. I thought about waking her but wasn’t sure how much she had slept last night. This nap may have been the first stress-free sleep she’d had in a long while. So, I let her sleep. I adjusted the volume on the radio, turning it down just slightly and fought to keep my eyes on the road. Fifteen very light freckles are what I’d counted numerous times in the perfect dot-to-dot pattern across her nose. She wore little to no make-up, yet her soft skin seemed flawless. It wasn’t until her lips moved…”Everything ok?” she asked sleepily.
My eyes focused on the road. Distracted driving would be the understatement of the year. How did I answer that? Yep, everything is fine. Just counting the brown dots on your cute little nose and fantasizing about your lips. That should go over well.
“Yeah. I was thinkin’ about waking you.”
“Does the car need another charge?”
“No, I think we’ll make it to Colorado Springs. But I need a charge.”
She shot upright. “Colorado?”
“You were sleeping. We can get a pic on the way back through.”
Her entire body stiffened, stretching from head to toe. “Fine. And by charge you mean tinkle?”
“Yep. Tinkle is exactly it.”
Her hand jetted up toward the windshield. “What is that?”
Directly in front of us, but still very far away, Pikes Peak with the smaller mountains around it sat in the distance. A stunning and almost unbelievable horizon.
“Austin,” she whispered. “It’s the Rocky Mountains!”
Her infectious enthusiasm thrilled me. “Well, it’s the start of them, for sure.”
“I’ve not been out of Texas my whole life and now I’ve been in three states in one day.”
I turned into a gas station. “Four more states to go.”
By the time we reached Colorado Springs, the sun