“Did she know? Because it doesn’t seem like it.”
“I don’t know, but I can’t do anything about it now, I guess. She flew up here, and I can’t very well kick her out, can I?” I didn’t respond and turned my back to him. “Is that what you want? Do you want me to make her leave?”
Honestly, yes, I did want him to make her leave, but realistically, I knew it wasn’t possible. So, instead, I shook my head.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Blake, don’t—”
“I’m not going to make her leave, but I’ll talk to her.” He placed a kiss to the back of my head and stepped away.
An hour later, my dad, Maggie, and grandparents arrived, filling the house with activity. I didn’t have a chance to speak to Blake because Lucy was always within arm’s reach of him, whether they were sitting on the couch, eating at the table, or tending to the fire. It made me wonder what sort of talk Blake intended to have with her because it was obvious that a break up would come as quite a shock to Lucy.
After dinner, I retreated to my room and tried hard to focus on the book I’d brought to keep me company. However, my gaze kept landing on Lucy’s oversized, pink zebra print suitcase at the foot of the bed across from me. Since Blake was sleeping on the couch in the living room, I was forced to share a room with her. I could hear Witch Face giggling from the living room, and it made me angry. I knew it wasn’t her fault that I was in love with her boyfriend, but her very presence made me want to rage.
It was after midnight when she finally got into bed, and I pretended to be asleep so I didn’t have to talk to her. I wanted to go and find Blake. When I was sure Lucy was sleeping, I quietly left the room.
Everyone was already in bed and the living room was empty. The back door in the kitchen was slightly open, so I pulled on my coat and slipped on my boots. When I stepped outside, Blake was leaning over the railing with a cloud of smoke billowing above his head. As soon as I reached his side, he handed me the joint, and I took a couple of puffs before passing it back.
“So, I guess you haven’t talked to her yet.” I coughed and slowly exhaled smoke.
“I will.”
“When?”
Instead of answering me, he pulled me to him, where he buried his nose in my neck. We stayed like that for a while.
The next morning was Christmas Day, and I had to try even harder at pretending that Lucy wasn’t annoying the hell out of me. Blake snuck glances my way. He knew I was holding my tongue for dear life. Lucy was horrible at all the board games and was the first to give up if she wasn’t already eliminated. I didn’t even think she was trying. It was as if she thought being dumb was cute, and it made me wonder what Blake even saw in her.
The next morning, we packed up and headed for home with Lucy in tow. Her cousin couldn’t get her on a flight home so our eleven-hour trip took fourteen hours because of all the frequent stops we had to make for Lucy when her motion sickness got too bad. At least Blake was apologetic about it.
When Blake dropped me off at the Key City ferry dock, I knew I wouldn’t see him for a while. The pain in my chest was unbearable, but I smiled at him, anyway. With Lucy in the car watching our every move, he was only able to hug me and whisper in my ear.
“I love you, Tay. It will always be you.” Then he watched me board the ferry. I sailed away from him with a lump in my throat and a heavy heart.
Chapter Nine
Things had changed between Blake and me, but into what, I wasn’t sure. I expected him to call me more often, except he didn’t call at all, only sent text messages every few days, and even those were short. He always said that he loved me, but he never once mentioned or hinted to what had happen between us at the cabin. I had expected us to explore the new level we’d reached in our relationship. Maybe I was being naïve, but it was the truth.
Though he never actually said we would be together, it was difficult to imagine another outcome. I would lay awake at night and think about how and when we would tell our parents that we w
ere together. I knew they weren’t going to be happy. Dad and Maggie were way too conservative to be instantly accepting of something this unconventional. I knew it would take time, but I didn’t care. They would adjust.
I also kept checking Witch Face’s profile to see if her relationship status had changed, but it hadn’t. Blake never mentioned Lucy, and I didn’t ask him about her. It was as if she would eventually cease to exist if I kept ignoring her.
My high school graduation was coming up, and Blake had promised to come home for that. He was also just a few weeks away from finishing school and receiving his certification. This meant that he would move back and we could spend the entire summer together. Part of me hoped that it was the distance that caused this disconnect between us. We had a lot to talk about, and I was hoping seeing each other’s faces would set us right again. When I could look into his eyes and see the same feelings of love that he showed me that night in the cabin as he repeated the words that had stolen my heart completely.
“It will always be you, Tay.”
Except Blake later told me he could only come down for a few hours on graduation day. He claimed that he couldn’t get the time off from work so he had to drive back that night to start his late shift at an auto parts warehouse.
As I sat in the crowd along with my fellow classmates, I knew I should be excited about ending one chapter in life and starting my future as an adult. Everyone around me was beaming with pride at their accomplishments, and all I could do was concentrate on not twisting around in my seat in search of Blake. I knew he was there. I could feel him, but I forced myself to stare straight ahead.
When I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, I saw him standing and clapping along with Dad and Maggie. A big smile spread across my face as I pulled my eyes away to focus on not tripping across the stage.
After the ceremony, I hurried to my waiting family. My dad gave me a huge hug and quickly backed away, but not before I saw him using a hand to wipe his eyes, mumbling some excuse about getting the spare camera battery from the car as he hurried off. Maggie was smiling from ear to ear and chirping a mile a minute, but my eyes were on Blake, who stood just behind her, patiently waiting his turn.
Once my stepmother stop talking so that she could say hello to someone else in the crowd, I moved in Blake’s direction, where he wrapped his strong arms around me in a tight hug.