Page 130 of Townshipped
She leaned in all conspiratorially and whispered, “Don’t tell my mom I’ve got ice cream up in my bedroom. She’d throw a fit.”
I had laughed hard. “You’re not allowed to eat ice cream?”
“Not in my bedroom!” she said in mock horror. “But for you, Aiden, I’ll break the rules.”
Then she winked playfully and my whole body lit up. The taunt in her eyes said so much more.
I dished up a bowl of my own ice cream while we talked about the mundane details of our days. Only that moment was anything but mundane with her. Every expression, giggle, and smile felt like something I wanted to box up and keep to myself.
“I’m thinking of going to visit her,” I tell Duke. “Karina said she and the kids would stay out here with Paisley and Ty if I wanted to take a three-day weekend to go to Boston.”
“You’re serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. I gave Em the time she deserved to go back to Boston without anything tethering her here. She made a clean break. But she’s saying she’s not happy there. I’m not happy here without her either. I’ve wasted too much time already trying to figure out how to get over her when I should have been working on figuring out how to make us work.”
“If you feel that strongly about her, you need to make this happen.”
Duke’s confirmation solidifies the plan I’ve been putting together since I hung up with Em last night, looking into her green eyes, wishing I could climb through the tablet to be nearer to her.
In another world, she’d come here and move on the farm and we’d pick up where we left off. I really don’t want to wake another day without the sound of her voice to look forward to, or the spark in her eyes, or the way she feels in my arms.
But we’re going to have to take things more slowly. I don’t quite know what that looks like yet.
I look at Duke. He’s still sitting cross-legged on the ground, leaning back on the fencing, studying me.
“I just need to know if Em feels for me the way I feel for her. Because if she doesn’t, I’ll turn around, leave her alone, and eventually learn how to live without her. But I can’t go on wondering.”
“No. You can’t. I totally agree.”
“What about you?” I ask, shifting the subject now that I’ve determined what I’m going to do.
“What about me?”
“Beth?”
“I don’t know. Seeing you walk around like some zombie over Em made me realize I don’t feel that way for Beth. Not even close. I probably ought to call things off even though we both know what we’re doing isn’t serious.”
“I wasn’t that bad.”
“You were worse.” Duke chuckles.
Then he mumbles something about being a chicken.
“Chicken?” I ask.
“A story for another day.”
“Well, good for you for acknowledging where things stand with Beth.”
“Yeah. Good for me.”
Duke picks up a piece of straw and breaks it in half. Then he tosses it down. He stands and brushes himself off.
“Tell me what you’ll need while you’re gone. I’ll do what I can to cover the bases.”
“I know you will. Thanks.”
Duke adds, “Anything but milking goats. A man has his limits, even for his best friend.”
