“Who cares? All I care about is you.” He pulls me into his chest.
The smell of his cologne embedded in his sweatshirt is enough to make me believe in fairy tales. He is my white knight, and he’s going to whisk me away to a land free of this bullshit.
“Crosby?”
He draws back but keeps his arms firmly around my waist.
“Do you ever think there’s too much against us?”
“I’d risk everything to have you.” His eyes only bear the truth.
“I’m not sure that’s enough.”
He picks up his backpack and swings it over his shoulder, grabbing my hand.
“What are we doing?” I ask.
“We’re going to Beltline.”
“No.” I dig my heels into the grass.
He tugs. “Yes.”
“No.” My voice is filled with fear.
“My dad was wrong. You can’t have your eyes forward if you don’t deal with your past. We’re clearing all this shit up, and we’re going to ride off into that damn sunset.” He lets go of my hand and steps into me, his two hands closing over my cheeks. “Love is enough. Our love is strong, and it can pummel all this crap into Earth’s inner core. Your family is first. Let’s go.” He bends down and softly kisses my lips.
We pass the sign that shows we’re entering Beltline. I’m not sure what I assumed would happen when Crosby drove over the line. Maybe alarms would set off, alerting the town of his return, or all two of our police cars would be ready to pull him over. But, no, we breeze by the basic Welcome to Beltline, Population: 845 sign with no problems. Even Crosby doesn’t appear to be bothered by it.
We pass the Fords’ house, which means we’re only minutes from my childhood home. My gut twists, but Crosby seems cool as ice. I’m fairly sure, if I rubbed up against him, I’d melt his demeanor and reveal a scared boy, going to talk to a girl’s father who hates him. But he shows no outward signs.
His hand moves over to mine, entwining our fingers, and he gives it a tight squeeze. I look over, and he smiles.
By the time we pull in the driveway, sweat is beading at my neck and under my arms, and I’m a fidgeting bundle of nerves. My dad’s beat-up red truck sits outside the barn, and my mom’s minivan is parked by the front door.
Great, they’re both home.
“Um…” I say.
Crosby kills the engine.
“Would you rather stay in the car?” he asks.
I nod.
Coward.
“Okay, I’ll be back.” He moves to open the door.
I grab his other hand. “We could run away. Move to California or New York. Heck, Toronto has a great baseball team. We could be Canadians!” I widen my eyes. “Free health care, and they’re overly nice up there. Once, when I was ten, my mom’s friend came down from Niagara Falls, and she was really sweet. They say this adorable term, eh, all the time.”
His hand covers mine, and his other one grabs ahold of my cheek. “Do you really want to be a Canadian?”
I bite my lip and shake my head.
“This isn’t going to be easy, Ella, and I know you hate disappointing people, but if we have a future, it starts here. The same place it ended. We have to offer your parents a chance to see our side.”
I nod, not entirely convinced that this is the best path to forge. Maybe I should start practicing saying, Eh, to fit in up there.
“What if they don’t accept it?”
“Then, we’ll try again. I know you, El, and you love your family. I won’t take you away from them.” He throws the keys in my lap. “Now, if your dad is chasing me with an ax or hammer, can you do me a solid and start driving? I’ll dive into the back.”
He dips his head to find my eyes and I smile.
“There’s my girl.”
He places his hands on my head, tipping it down, and he plants his lips to my forehead. So soft, so gentle, so sweet. How did I get lucky enough to claim this guy?
My breath lodges in my throat when he steps out, and I watch his back disappear into the barn. I sit in the truck for what seems like forever until there’s a knock on my window. I jump, and his keys fly to the floorboard. Too busy to see who’s knocking, I search for the keys, believing it’s not too far-fetched that my dad will chase Crosby away with some sort of