Page 5 of Infinite as They Come
“I do.” He smiled. “I like it a lot. I like driving you around places. It’s one of my favorite things to do. And I guess we haven’t really been able to do that in New York. There’s not a lot to see around there after three years. You can relax after all that time dealing with school and I can paint every now and then and we can just be together. So, how ‘bout it? You wanna come with me? We can just keep on driving until we get… somewhere.” His eyes softened as they locked on to mine. “Maybe we’ll find some place special along the way.”
I took in his words. Just him, just me, and the road taking us some place we had never experienced before. Maybe it was the break I needed. Something to clear my head before we got back to New York.
It was like he had read my mind. Sawyer was always good at that: at knowing exactly what I was thinking and feeling, what I needed, what I craved.
Eyes on him, I gave him a little nod. “That sounds perfect.”
Chapter 2
Sawyer
I wasn’t sure what it was. Those words from Holly’s mom or maybe the way she said them with that fondness and excitement in her voice.And it seems like you’ll have more special days coming up too.There was just something about that, something that made my heart race a little. I wanted more special days with Holly too. That day we first kissed—the feeling of her soft lips on mine—was like seeing it all change right in front of me. Everything got better and brighter thanks to her, and now? Now everything felt right. Like we were exactly where we needed to be.
The last three years in New York had been good with Holly. Work was steady and I got to paint a hell of a lot, but the best part was that I always got to come back home to her. After a long day of aching muscles from working on cars or my feet sore from standing up all day painting, it was her that I got to wrap my arms around and hold close. It was her hair I got to press my nose up against, inhaling that lavender scent that always smelled like home. It was her that I got to keep tight to me as I slept, her head on my chest, her body fitting to mine like we were made for each other.
But my mind felt like it was stuck between the present and the future. There was a certain life I knew I’d never be able to give Holly. No mansion, no million dollar ring, no wardrobe stocked with designer dresses. She was okay with that. I knew she was. She never looked at me like she wanted or needed more. She looked at me like she loved me, those Bambi eyes never showing me anything other than warmth and honesty.
But I still wanted to give her something. No, Ineededto. Had to. Would. I had been saving a lot over the last few years. Every single shift, every single art sale—it was all for Holly and that future where I kept a roof over her head. I’d make sure that our home always stayed warm and safe, that she felt that love I had for her in those four walls every damn day. I just had to find it first.
My eyes flickered over to her. She was sitting next to me, long hair blowing in the wind. We were supposed to be leaving for New York today, but a little spur-of-the-moment road trip never hurt anyone. We left her home in the morning, saying goodbye to her parents a couple hours ago. We were making good time and had already made it past Waxahachie. We walked around the place for a couple hours and checked out some museums before getting back in the truck so we could keep driving.
Some little art supply store was our next stop. I had only brought a few things with me since our original trip was supposed to be short lived before we headed back to New York. Just a paint set and some canvas sheets and my palette that was coated with a swirl of too many colors. I’d need more stuff, and it was already getting pretty late, so I figured we’d find a motel to stop at after that.
Holly insisted we stay at motels when we left in the morning. She liked them for whatever reason, and if she liked them, then I was gonna give it to her. I let my eyes drift over to her for a second. She had her arms on the open window, the wind flying right in and forcing her long hair to blow around her. Her head was angled in a way that let me see just the side of her face. Those bright eyes, that soft little smile, her fluttering lashes.
I had to force myself to focus back on the road, and I realized then that I had never really prayed for red lights until Holly had become mine.
The more I drove, the more I wondered what future I was bringing me and Holly to. I so badly wanted it to be a good one. My whole life I had never had much, but now I had her. I had her love and warmth and kindness; I had her pretty face that I got to wake up to every day. It made my heart get all warm right then and there as I thought about the last three years with her.
Our first few months in New York City had been a bit of a mess, and I had been the problem. I had been so damn focused on work, on being the man I thought she wanted that I hadn’t stopped to realize what sheactuallyneeded. I was young and stupid, and I liked to think that at twenty-two, I somewhat had my shit together.
For the first time in three years, things felt weirdly settled. Holly had been so busy with school and cheer and the paper and I was busy with work and my art, but life was still calm. Structured. Like we got all the hard things out of the way, and everything ahead was going to be clear and easy, like the road we were on was taking us right where we needed to go. I wasn’t completely winging it. I wasmostlytaking us where the road would take us, but I had a plan in mind, there in the back of my head. God, it had been in my head the last few years.
Holly squealed suddenly and that brought me right out of my thoughts. She was quickly rolling up the window, eyes all big. “A bug! I’m closing the window.”
“Fuckin’ city girls,” I muttered, clicking my tongue as I shook my head.
“You didn’t see how big it was.” She held her hands to her chest. “We’re living in scary times.”
I chuckled at her words, pressing a hand to her smooth thigh. That was where it always went when I had Holly in the car next to me, and I had lost count of how many times we had just driven around with no particular destination in mind. I never got tired of it. Maybe because it was so simple, and me and Holly both really loved the simple things. It was one of my favorite parts about her.
She shuffled in closer and rested her head on my shoulder, letting her lavender shampoo flood my senses the further we moved down the road. “Ooh, I think this is the place,” Holly said.
My eyes found the tiny art supply store nestled into the corner of the street. I pulled up in front of it, and hand in hand, me and Holly walked inside. I liked the idea of forgetting about work for a little while so I could just paint. Living in New York meant I had been away from the places I usually used for inspiration. Lakes, flat land, open skies. I was lookingforward to getting away from all the skyscrapers and busy streets. Maybe we’d see some beautiful places along the way and I could paint those. If not, I had the prettiest girl in the world for inspiration.
“What are you getting?” Holly asked as we moved through one of the aisles. “Maybe I should get something. I’m getting better at drawing.”
I smiled at that. “Are you, baby?”
“Mhm.” She spun around, eyes lighting up as she grabbed a basket from a stack of them by her side. “I might do that full time.”
“You should. We can start a business together or something.”
I kept one hand interlocked with hers as my eyes scanned the aisle. I’d need a canvas pad. Some empty containers. Brushes. Varnish. My eyes found all the tubes of paint, and my fingers grabbed a couple different shades of brown first. I couldn’t make Holly’s eyes without brown.
“You know,” I said, putting the tubes into the basket Holly was holding, “it’s been a while since I painted you.” Instantly, her cheeks went red, and I quickly grabbed a red tube of paint.
“Are you ever going to let go of that habit?” she asked quietly. “You aren’t tired of painting me?”
