Page 118 of The Tomorrows After You
The passenger door to Riot’s truck squealed when I pulled it shut.
“Okay, thank you. Yes,I’llletyou know as soon as I can.”His eyesconnectedwith me fiercely. Iquirkedmy eyebrows up at him. Hepeereddown at his phone,appearingconfused.“ThatwasAvery - that art dealer. Sheofferedme an official spot in the showcase. It opens in Asheville for three weeks in September and then moves to Charlotte for a month and a half. Shesaidwe’dsee how those two showswentand thenwe’dgo from there.”
My cheeks ached from the smile that the news put on my face.
“Riot, that’s amazing,” I said sincerely, twisting my fingers.
“Come with me, Nicolette.” Riot’s intense gaze bore into me with a questioning plea.
“What?”
“Come with me,”herepeated.“To Charlotte, to Asheville. Everywhere. Anywhere. Come with me. Please.I’mnotaskingyou to give up what you want to do,”headdedhurriedly.“I would never ask you to change that. I never want you to compromise your passions for mine.”Herana hand through his hair.“I don’t know what your tomorrow looks like, but no matter what you do or where you go...you’realwaysgoingtoneed a home base.”His eyesfoundmine and my breath hitched with the intensity. “Letmebe your home base.”
Rising to my knees, I grabbed his face between my palms. I gazed into the eyes I would get lost in forever before kissing him more honestly than I ever had. And when I pulled back, I told him the most honest thing I’d ever said.
“My tomorrows? Look a lot like you.”
Epilogue
Riot
“Do you know how much sugar is in that punch? Or any idea how that sugar is processed? How it continues to eat away at your body even after—”
“Wash, dear? Can weputthe healthy pomp and circumstance away for one night, please?”Nicolette’s dad, Grahamsaidto Brennan’s new best friend.
Wash was a non-binary physics genius that Brennan met in his program. When he told us he was bringing someone on the camping trip to Alum Creek Park that we’d finally been able to plan, we were excited. Naturally, we were curious if it might be a love interest, but it had been nearly a week since the camping trip started and I hadn’t seen any signs of romantic interest whatsoever. They laughed. They argued. They fought. But still, they slept in separate tents and I never saw them embrace or show any physical affection toward the other.
Wash made Brennan happy and if company was all a person really needed, then I’d be happy to have Wash as part of the family.
“T-minus two minutes, people. Riot, you ready?”Grahamgazedover at me anxiously.
I finished hanging the lights and plugged in the extension cord. A small chorus ofooos erupted from behind me.
“She’s gonna hate it,” Brennan stated matter-of-factly.
“Hey, now. I’m her dad and I get to say what she will and won’t like.” He admired the decorations we’d spent the past half hour hanging, tilting his head back and forth. “She… might whack you for being corny,” he admitted through a grimace.
But I just grinned, resting my hands on my hips, appraising the handiwork.
“Corny’s perfect,” I whispered to myself. I stood back to admire the campsite.
The sound of a carpullingupsentanxious jolts through me. Ifixedthe collar on the dress shirt that Ihadon underneath my suit jacket. WehadinstructedNicolette’s mother, Darlene, to park beside my truck, whichblockedthe view of the campsite.
Theyhadgonefor a mother-daughter hike that afternoon and I could see the small glean of sweat thatshimmeredoff her neck when shesteppedout. Shespunto find me standing on the other side of the car,dressedin a suit, my handsclaspedbehind my back.
Itriedto look handsome with some kind of sexy scowl or pout but itwastoo hard to keep the shit-eatinggrin off my face.
“Riot, why are you dressed like that? It’s August and getting hotter by the minute.”
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Darlene’s eyebrows danced.
Nicolette’s suspicious eyes turned to me. “What… is going on?”
Iapproachedher, taking her hands in mine.
“I wish I could remember the moment I first laid eyes on you. But let’s face it. We both were pretty wrapped up in our own ambitions in high school to see the person we were meant to be with was right there all along.” I could feel her hands getting a little clammy. Or maybe it was mine, either way, I kept going. “But looking back on it all, I think I loved you from the moment I first stumbled upon you sleeping in your car.”
“What?” Her mother faintly admonished. “She was sleeping in her car? Why—”
