For Emery

by J. Nathan

  She smiled, looking just as nervous as I felt.

  “You look hot,” I said, stepping into her and cupping her cheeks with my hands. “I missed you.” My lips captured hers before she could respond. The taste of her fruity lip gloss, mixed with her familiar sweet scent, blasted through my senses as I tried to get closer to her. My tongue traced the inside of her cheeks before sucking on her tongue. I eventually pulled back, breathless and hard as a damn rock. “We should probably go before we give your entire floor a show.”

  “You think?” she asked, just as breathless.

  I glanced over her shoulder, noticing Raquel wasn’t inside her room. “No audience tonight?”

  She shook her head. “She had a date.”

  “And so do you.” I held out my hand. “Shall we?”

  She smiled and slipped her hand into mine. We walked slower than usual to my truck parked outside. We were in no rush. We were just enjoying being together. As we stepped outside into the early evening, I noticed her glance around, something I was beginning to realize she did out of habit. She and her mom had constantly needed to look over their shoulders. Now that threat was even more real than it had been before. And I hated that she wouldn’t breathe easily until Wayne was in police custody.

  I opened the passenger side of my truck and Emery hopped in. I closed her door, circled around the truck, and got in behind the wheel.

  “Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?” she asked.

  “Nope.”

  She tossed back her head and laughed, and I couldn’t believe how much comfort that laugh brought me. How much it had always brought me. Since I was eleven years old, it had been what brightened even my worst day.

  Emery

  I wondered if Jordan noticed me stealing glances at him as he drove off campus and through town. He looked so damn hot, and I couldn’t wait to see what he had planned. I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. This was Jordan. The boy I only ever dreamt would take me on a date or call me his girlfriend. Gahhh. I almost couldn’t stand how happy I was.

  “So, can we talk about that amazing play?” I asked.

  “We can talk about that amazing play all-freaking-night if you want to,” he laughed.

  “It was so good,” I gushed.

  “Yeah, well, with the number of replays it got on ESPN last night and this morning, I’m hoping, like Coach said, teams have taken notice. Plays like that are the only thing that’ll keep me on their radar. I’m not a quarterback, receiver, or running back. They get the headlines. I get the pain and leg injuries.”

  “Jordan, they’d be foolish not to give you a chance.”

  His eyes cut to mine. “You’re biased. And have to say that because you want my body.”

  Laughter burst out of me.

  His smile sprang to life as he focused back on the road. Five minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a boat rental shop on Lake Tuscaloosa. “Wait here,” he said as he pushed open his door and hopped out. He circled around to my side and pulled open the door. “Ready?”

  “I think so.”

  He took hold of my hand and helped me out of the truck before leading me around the shop to the dock behind it. A beautiful boat was tied to the dock. Tiny white lights draped from the mast to form a cone-shaped canopy. “You like?”

  “It’s so pretty,” I said. “But do you know how to sail?”

  “Um, no. That would be scary.”

  I laughed.

  He tugged on my hand. “Come on. The captain’s gonna take us out so we can watch the sun set.”

  My feet remained planted as I gaped at Jordan.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “You’re taking me on a boat?”

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  “Why?”

  I nodded. “Yes, why?”

  A confident smirk spread across his lips. “Because it’s your perfect first date.”

  I laughed to myself, still amazed by how much he remembered. I let him move me to the side of the boat. I was definitely floating on cloud nine.

  An older man stood by the ropes holding the boat to the dock. “Hello,” he offered us a warm smile.

  “Hi,” we said as he bent down and untied one of the ropes.

  “Come on,” Jordan said to me, slipping off his shoes and leaving them on the dock before stepping onto the boat.

  I slipped off my shoes and followed him on board, taking in the surroundings. It wasn’t a big boat. But there was a table set up with a black tablecloth and two place settings that took up most of the back-deck area. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

  He stepped up behind me and slipped his hands around my hips, pulling me back into his chest. “I’d do a lot of things for you.”

  A delicious shiver rolled through me as he bent his head and pressed his lips to my neck, peppering my skin with open-mouth kisses that sent my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

  “You ready to sail,” our captain asked.

  Jordan lifted his head, leaving my skin bereft. “You bet.” He led me over to a cushioned bench seat at the back of the boat and we sat. He slipped his arm around my shoulders as our captain started the engine. The boat roared to life, quieting as we slowly pulled away from the dock and drifted toward the horizon.

  There was a comfortable silence as we moved through the water. Trees lined both sides of the lake while the sun inched beneath the horizon in front of us. I breathed in Jordan’s scent, something that was becoming familiar again. It wasn’t the cologne he wore in high school. It was manly now. Strong. Bold. I wondered what he was thinking. Was he nervous like I was? Scared we’d mess this thing between us up?

  “This is a beautiful view,” I said, trying to break the silence.

  “It sure is,” Jordan said, though I could sense he was looking at me and not the sun.

  I glanced to him. “Oh, you’re just full of lines, aren’t you?”

  He snickered. “Only the best for you.”

  “Seriously,” I said, pulling away from his arm and turning to look at him. “Is this how you treated the other girls you dated? Sunset cruises? Corny lines?”

  “First of all, my lines aren’t corny.”

  I rolled my eyes, not even bothering with a response.

  His features sobered and his voice became serious. “Em, you’re not other girls.”

  I cocked my head, calling bullshit.

  “I’m serious. With you, I can be myself. My old self. The one you followed around town every day. The one you never doubted would play college football. The one—who even when he was too stupid to see what was right in front of him—you hung on for the both of us. You deserve every line. Every amazing first date. Every good thing in this world.”

  I pulled in a much-needed deep breath. He. Was. Good. I reached up and cupped his cheeks, the same way he had held mine earlier. “The only thing I deserve…the only thing I want…is you.”

  “You are making this very hard,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Being here and controlling myself.”

  I laughed.

  “Because all I really want to do is get you alone and have you all to myself.”

  “We’re alone,” I said.

  “We’re in the middle of a damn lake with an audience.”

  Our eyes shifted to our captain, watching us in the mirror above the wheel.

  “Why don’t we eat,” Jordan suggested, standing and pulling me to my feet.

  We walked the two steps to the table and he pulled out my chair before sitting down in his. He reached under the table and removed a bag, pulling out two take-out boxes.

  I laughed.

  “What’d you expect?” he grinned. “Filet mignon?”

  “I think it’s awesome,” I assured him, because I did think it was awesome. I didn’t need to be wined and dined. I just wanted to be with him.

&n
bsp; He placed one container in front of me and the other in front of him. “Go ahead,” he said, nodding to my box.

  I opened it and laughter burst out of me. It was a three-decker peanut butter, jelly, and fried banana sandwich. “Where did you find this?”

  “It wasn’t easy. I almost had to make it myself.”

  “I love these.”

  “I know. I remember.”

  My eyes lifted to his. There weren’t enough words to convey how much it meant to me that he remembered something like that. I’d spent years thinking he’d forgotten me. Forgotten our friendship. Forgotten our kiss. Those thoughts had tortured me in more ways than one. So, to now have him remember so may small things and surprise me with them, it meant more than anything.

  He smiled, as if he’d heard everything I’d been thinking.

  “What do you have?” I asked, looking to his closed box.

  “The same.”

  “You hate them.”

  He opened the box and picked up his sandwich. “These days I’m trying new things.”

  “Oh, yeah? How’s that working out for you?”

  “I’d say I’m doin’ all right,” he said, before biting into his sandwich and trying not to cringe.

  I giggled as I picked up my sandwich. I could barely get my fingers around it. But that wouldn’t stop me. I bit into it, groaning in pleasure. “So, good,” I said with a mouthful.

  He smiled, and even though I knew he hated the sandwich, he took another bite of his own. “My parents love having your mom with them,” he said with a mouthful.

  “Do they really or are you just being nice?”

  “No, I’m serious. My mom is so occupied with your mom, she hasn’t been nagging my dad.”

  I laughed. “It’s only for a short time. My mom told me she found a gated community she liked nearby.”

  “My dad’s gonna be disappointed.”

  We laughed as we ate more of our sandwiches.

  “When do you think they’ll find Wayne?” I asked, the thought never far from my mind.

  “I wish I knew. My dad’s in contact with the police in town and back in Arizona every day. They’ve promised to be open with him for everyone’s safety.”

  The idea of Wayne being out there somewhere—the unknown of it all—still kept me up at night, though I didn’t dare tell Jordan for fear that he’d worry too much about me.

  The captain turned the boat, and I could see we were heading back to where we boarded.

  “So, what do you have planned next?” I asked.

  “Skinny dipping.”

  “Liar.”

  “No, I’m serious.”

  “Okay.” I agreed.

  His head shot back. “Okay?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, dammit. I never thought you’d say okay.”

  “Jordan Grady. Don’t you know I’d follow you anywhere?”

  He stared at me, his blue eyes studying me.

  I held his gaze, waiting him out.

  “Let’s save skinny dipping for another night,” he finally said.

  I nodded, eager to find out what else he had up his sleeve.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Emery

  We pulled up to Jordan’s house a short while later. The last time I’d been there was the football party—the first time I’d seen him again.

  He parked in the driveway and switched off the engine, turning to look at me. “You ready?”

  I nodded, though I had no idea what exactly would happen inside.

  “Wait there,” he said, before jumping out and pulling open my door. He took my hand and helped me out.

  “Is your roommate home?” I asked as we walked to the front porch hand in hand.

  “Man, I hope not.”

  I laughed, loving how honest he always was.

  We climbed the steps and Jordan unlocked the front door. A tremor of nerves shot through me as I stepped inside. We’d be all alone. In a big empty house. With his bedroom right upstairs. Was this the night? He’d said on the boat he wanted to get me alone. Was this what he meant? Was this what he wanted all along?

  “So, this is my place,” he said, stepping in behind me and locking the door. “I know you were here before, but with all the people, and me being a drunk asshole, you probably didn’t get to check it out.”

  I checked out the scarce furniture and multiple TVs with video game boxes and wires stretched across the floor. It was definitely a guys’ house.

  “I’d ask if you wanted to play, but I know how you feel about video games.” He ticked his head toward the sofa. “Come sit. I have something for you.”

  “What?” I asked, lowering myself to the old sofa.

  “Hold on. It’s a surprise.” He took off for the stairs and climbed them, the old steps creaking as he disappeared.

  I pulled my phone from my wristlet to check if my mom called. She hadn’t. It was always a relief when she hadn’t because it meant nothing was wrong. But at the same time, it left me disappointed because it meant Wayne hadn’t been caught. I tucked my phone away and waited for Jordan.

  After a few minutes, he returned carrying a flat box wrapped in newspaper. He sat down beside me on the sofa. The cushion dipped with his weight and the sagging cushion pulled me closer to him. “For you,” he said, handing me the box.

  I took it from him, and it was heavier than I thought it would be. “What is it?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I set the box down in my lap and tore away the wrapping. I lifted off the cover. A brown leather photo album sat inside. Tearing my eyes away, I glanced to Jordan who watched me intently.

  “Open it.”

  I lifted the album, pushing the wrapping and box onto the sofa. I flipped open to the front page. Jordan’s familiar handwriting had written: It’s always been you. My heart squeezed in my chest as I glanced to him. He looked nervous, but eager for me to continue. So I did, turning to the next page. My breath whooshed out of me as I stared down at the words Year One. A picture of Jordan and me after his peewee football game sat in the center of the page. I was eight. My hair hung in braids while Jordan’s face was beet red after a tough game. It was my first time seeing him play. And I remember loving every minute of it and deciding in that moment that I’d be at every one of his games. And I was—even if I was watching online and not in person.

  I flipped the page. Beneath the words Year Two were several pictures. Jordan and me in his backyard. At the creek. Roasting marshmallows at a campfire. Both a year older. Both having just as much fun.

  My fingers traced the pictures fondly. “I remember all of these moments.”

  “Me too,” he said, leaning in so he could look at the pictures.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t delete these.”

  “You’re not the only one who kept things. Some my mom had on her phone. But most of them were on mine. I couldn’t delete them, Em. Even when I was so angry at you for leaving me, I couldn’t erase you from my life completely.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of my head as I flipped to the next page. Then the next. Each page was a new year. And with each year brought more pictures of all the new experiences for the two of us as we grew up together. Jordan had them all captured here. When I reached the last page, it was empty except for the word Finally. My eyes cut to his.

  A slow smile lifted one side of his mouth as he pulled out his phone and held it up for a selfie. We both leaned in. “Finally,” he said before snapping a picture.

  I glanced to him as he checked out our selfie, swallowing down the nervous knot creeping up my throat. “Are you gonna show me your room?”

  His eyes widened, taken aback by my boldness. “Is that what you want?”

  Trying not to show my nerves, I kept my eyes confident and nodded.

  Jordan stood first, reaching for my hand. I placed the album at my side and grasped hold of his hand. He pulled
me up and into his chest, staring down at me. He said nothing, but his gaze spoke volumes.

  He eventually moved us to the stairs and we climbed them slowly. With each step, my heartbeat accelerated. Once we reached the second floor, it was a jackhammer. Jordan moved to the first door on the right and pushed it open.

  “This is nice,” I said, observing his room as my thrashing heart threatened to burst out of my chest. His bed was made and the top of his dresser was empty except for a bottle of cologne.

  “Were you expecting bras hanging from the bedpost?”

  I shook my head. “Panties from the ceiling fan.”

  He laughed. “You offering?”

  I laughed, slipping my hand free from his and sitting on the edge of his bed. “Maybe.”

  “Just so we’re clear, I would not hang them from the fan.”

  “No?”

  He shook his head. “I’d keep them in my pocket.”

  Laughter burst out of me, and the nerves building inside me slowly subsided.

  Jordan moved closer, standing in front of me like a towering statue. “I like having you here.”

  “I like being here.”

  He sat beside me and grabbed hold of my right hand. “Em, I don’t wanna screw this up.”

  “What?”

  “You. Me.” He looked around his room. “This.”

  “Jordan…I want to be with you. It’s always been you.”

  “That’s why I’m so fucking scared to mess it up.”

  “I’m not scared. I’m not even nervous anymore. I’ve waited…for you.”

  He tilted his head, heat blazing like an inferno in his eyes.

  “No one has ever made me feel the way you have, Jordan. I’ve compared everyone to you.”

  “That’s a lot to live up to.”

  I shook my head. “There’s nothing to live up to. You’ve always been you without apology. And that’s who I want.”

  He lifted his left hand and brushed his thumb lightly over my bottom lip. “God, I wish I was the guy you think I am.”

  “You are,” I assured him, my lip tingling from his touch.