Page 13 of Another June with You

“Do you want to go see my grandma?” she asked out of nowhere.

His mouth fell open a little. It was more personal than he’d expected her to get. Her grandma was one of the most important people in her life, and when she had mentioned it at brunch, he thought she was simply being polite. “Are you sure that wouldn’t be too awkward?”

“I just … I thought you might want to see her. Me and my brilliant ideas.”

He stopped at the light at the end of Wealthy Street. The crisp blue water of Reeds Lake was before them. Oh, man, he wished he’d used her bathroom.

Shannon fidgeted. “I’m sorry I suggested it.”

He moved his hand to rest atop hers without really thinking. The innate need to calm and assure her was strong. “I’d love to see her.”

Her lips pressed together and curved up in a little smile. “Good. She’ll be so happy to see you.”

“Ya think?”

“Of course, Micah. She loved you. Even more than me, I think.”

He laughed for the first time since they got into the car. “I doubt that.”

“You’d be surprised.”

He turned right onto Lakeside Drive and put his blinker on to go right at the next street.

“Go straight here,” Shannon instructed.

“Straight? Did your grandma move?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

He drove straight for a couple miles.

“Turn left at the next light, then right on Woodcliff.”

This route was so familiar, he could’ve driven it blindfolded. “Why didn’t you just tell me we were going to your parents’ house?”

Shannon shrugged. “I thought you might not want to go.”

“Your grandma lives there now?”

“She moved in shortly after we lost Papi.”

The McGregor home was nestled on a quiet residential street. A thousand memories surfaced as he pulled into their driveway. He looked up at the window that had once been Shannon’s and remembered climbing the trellis to get to her. She had cracked her window three inches and refused to open it fully until he declared his love for her to the entire neighborhood. Not only that … his declaration had to be done in song—her favorite song at the time, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith. And he had done it. Out of tune and all. Unashamedly and with plenty of gusto. And when she’d opened that window and pressed her soft lips against his, it had been totally worth it.

Shannon cleared her throat, grabbing his attention.

“We’re here.” She opened the door and got out of the car.

He cut the engine and followed.

She floated past him humming that very song. Of course she knew that’s what he’d been thinking about. It had been the source of her continuous teasing and their inside joke for months after. The bright afternoon sun glinted off her eyes as she glanced back over her shoulder at him, and his heart skipped a beat.

Were things really so different now?

As he walked toward the door, his nerves kicked up a notch at the thought of stepping foot in this house again. He had told her they shouldn’t get too personal this weekend, but here he was, walking straight into the past.

It was so easy and familiar being with her, though. He wanted to know everything about her life, all she’d been through since he left. He wanted to tell her everything—about Jacqueline, Autumn, his life in Virginia—but would she even care to hear it?

One thing he knew for sure, he needed to be careful about getting too close to her. His heart needed to stay guarded, because she could break it again. So easily. And he didn’t know if he could survive that again.

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