There’s a slight delay and then the guests follow suit. “To the bride and groom.”
Drew rushes over toward the mic and hugs his brother. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I know it’s full of pride.
Daddy leans over to Pappy and me. “I’m proud of him.”
Pappy Monroe snorts. “Proud? What’s to be proud of?”
“Dad, he just told the whole town he’s a homosexual.”
“So he loves a guy, big whoop. I tried to tell that old geezer Orry the same thing. It don’t matter. I had this fellar in my old office who loved guys and girls. No one even talked about it or cared one way or the other.”
“How liberal of you, Pop.”
“Bite your tongue, Sammy,” Pappy says. He takes a drink of his water. “I hope they move on soon because I want some cake.”
Daddy laughs. “Drink some coffee, Dad.”
I look toward Will again, and his parents are both standing with him, talking to him and Drew. Suddenly, Spencer Newman walks up to them. He and Will exchange a look, and I watch them join hands.
Spencer Newman is Mystery Boy.
Aunt Madison hugs them both.
Dale was right. He’s going to be okay.
“No wonder he never seemed interested in me,” Shelby says.
Jake and Chris chuckle under their breath. They’re standing near the open bar. Knowing Jake he’s probably waiting for a chance to sneak some, if he hasn’t already.
I join them, and Lyla pulls me into a hug.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Abby asks me.
Shelby scoffs. “She probably turned him gay.”
“God, shut up. All you ever do is talk shit. You can’t turn someone gay. That was dumber than any shit I’ve ever said, and I’m Jake Lexington,” he says. Shelby flips him off and walks away from us. I think about stopping her, but I wish she didn’t act like that.
Reyes’s phone beeps. “Guys, it’s time,” he says, tucking this tiny book into the waist of his pants.
Chris chugs down the last of his drink, Jake does, too. Abby, Reyes, and Haley head out of the tent away from us. “What’s happening?”
Lyla picks up a pink bandana. “Sorry, girl, but you’ve gotta put this on.”
“What?”
“You’re coming with me,” Lyla says.
She puts the bandana over my eyes and ties it, then my feet aren’t touching the ground anymore.
When my feet hit solid ground again, it’s uneven. Someone rips the blindfold off my eyes. I’m standing in front of the Lexington cabin. I spin around, and my friends are standing there, watching me like creepers.
“What is happening?”
Reyes steps forward in his brown pinstriped suit and bows, extending a note toward me. I take it from him and open the folded paper that’s shaped like a heart.
YOUR HEART WILL GUIDE YOU.
I look toward them again, and Abby points behind me.
In the trees are white twinkle lights and hanging pink hearts that match the letter in my hand. They line down a path through the trees and along the ground. I let them guide me, like it says.
After a few steps, there’s a purple heart with writing on it. I bend down to grab it and it says my name. GEORGIA ANN
Not Georgie, but my real one. I know in that moment, this is all Beau’s doing.
A little ways farther into the woods, there’s another one. WILL
My heart is pounding as I walk through the trees, which seems to me leading us toward the lake. YOU
When I pick up that one, I am close enough to hear the music now swaying through the trees. BE
At the break of the woods, there’s the last purple heart. MY
I look up after I read the last one. Beau is standing on the dock. It’s aglow with twinkle lights and paper hearts. In his hand, is the biggest heart of all. A swirl of purple and pink with the word SWEETHEART? on it.
I feel frozen, but somehow I make it to the edge of the dock and to him, still in his tux from the wedding.
“What is all this?” I ask.
“There was no sweetheart dance this year because of the wedding, so I wanted to give you one,” he says.
“You did all this?”
Beau lays his paper heart on the ground and reaches for my hand.
“I believe I owe you a dance or two,” he says.
His hand is still outstretched toward mine, and I place mine in his. He pulls me toward him, and we move together, my heels clacking on the old wood. He slides his arm around my waist, a slow song playing from his phone and a wireless speaker.
After a few seconds, I meld against Beau. My cheek is pressed to his chest as we move. His jacket is soft on my cheek, and his arms around me make me feel warm. Neither of us says anything as we dance. This was all I’d wanted forever, and now I have it. It makes it easy to imagine what life would’ve been like if Beau had stayed, what we could have been.
“Georgia Ann,” he starts. “I’m sorry for being an idiot. You’d think after two years I’d be less of one.”
This makes me laugh a little. “You are an idiot.”
“The biggest, really,” he adds. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I know I did that night when I didn’t show up and the other week—this can’t make up for that. I just want to show you that I care.”
I nod, tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I knew how you felt, but I was in an impossible situation. I don’t want you to not trust me.”
He nods against me. “I do trust you. I should never have said that. You were, you are, the epitome of what I want. Do you forgive me?”
I look around. The lake is so peaceful, the light bouncing off the ripples. The hearts, the lights, all of it is perfect. He did all this for me. “Yes,” I say. Even before now, I knew I could trust him and depend on him. “I already had, Beau.”
His fingers play with a curl in my hair. “Good, because I’m going to be here for the whole year, and it’d be really awkward if we weren’t okay.”
I stop dancing. “What’d you say?”
He smiles. “Oh, just that I’m going to be staying here.”
“For the whole year?”
“Apparently the basketball team needs a new forward.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. They offered me fame and fortune.”
“You can’t pass that up,” I say.
“There’s also this girl here.”
“She must be really special.”
“She is. I’m really hoping she will go on a date with me.”
I smile. “If you play your cards right, you could probably convince her.”
He grips my waist with his arm and pulls me in against him. I’ve wondered about this moment for two years. He leans in. My heart is about to plum leap out my chest as he closes the space between our mouths. Our lips are together and sweet Cheesus. His lips are pressed against mine, slowly taking me in yet still full of passion, as if he’s been waiting for this, too. I follow his lead move for move, slowly and gently. His grip tightens on my waist while my body presses against him. Butterflies are alive inside me, beating against my chest, trying to escape. Chills run down my spine and all the way to my toes.
Something clicks.
His hand is in my hair, pulling my mouth closer, and mine is wrapped around him, and that’s all we are. Anticipation and passion and longing. Feelings and things we didn’t say, for years, all finding us in this moment. His lips are the only thing I want, the only thing I care about. I’m kissing Beau Montgomery, and it’s good. So, so good. It’s even better than my imagination.
Beau stops, pulling away slowly, and I’m not sure how I’m still standing. He leans his forehead against mine, and smiles. “Wow.”
“I think we’re good at that,” I say with a smile.
“I think we always were,” he says.
He starts to kiss me again when Will yells, “Aren’t y’all done yet? How long do we have to wait here in the woods?”
<
br /> I laugh as we both look toward the trail of paper hearts and all our friends, standing there in the distance. Beau waves them all down, and they head our way.
“I love this song,” Haley yells, pulling Reyes away from his book to dance with her.
Everyone joins in and that’s how we spend the whole night, dancing. Each of us is different, but we’re all here—a group of people this little town brought together.
Beau wraps his arm around my waist and kisses my neck. “You okay?”
“I’m perfect,” I say.
All I could ever need is right here. This beautiful summer night, and us.
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Author’s Note
While this story is a work of fiction, there are teens everywhere who feel what Will did about coming out. Some stories play out the same way, but not all of them do. Some teens never come out; some never get a happy ending. You should never have to fear being yourself, and you are not alone. Please reach out to someone else if you need support.
Resources for Teens:
The GLBT National Help Center
Youth Talkline:
1-800-246-PRIDE (800-246-7743)
The Trevor Project
The nation’s only 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young people ages 13 to 24.
1-866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)
It Gets Better: http://www.itgetsbetter.org/
Check out GBLTnearme.org for a list of national and local resources: https://www.glbtnearme.org/
Resources for Educators and Parents:
The GLBT National Help Center
Hotline: 1-888-THE-GLNH (888-843-4564)
GLSEN https://www.glsen.org/
Acknowledgments
I am so proud to be writing these at the close of Will, Georgie, and Beau’s story. I felt an immense pressure to tell this story exactly the right way, and I think I accomplished more than I imagined, but I didn’t do it alone. So…
Thank you to my passionate agent, Nicole Resciniti, who told me that I had too much talent to give up. I’m grateful to you, Nic, for not letting me run away because something was too hard and scary. You always do that. Your faith in me is what keeps me moving forward.
Thank you to my amazing editor, Stacy Abrams, who loved and believed in this story from the day I pitched it, even though I said, “I don’t know how to fix it.” You did. Thank you for loving Georgie and Beau, and all of Culler, the same way I do. I value your input, your time, and your insight more than I can say. I’m so happy I get to work with you!
To everyone else at Entangled for all the work you to do to spread the love of books. A special thanks to Liz Pelletier for that night on the cruise ship when you told me the things you did. All of you at EP are champions.
To my friends who doubled as readers: Traci Inzitari, Will Walton, and Josie Leinbaugh. Your words and excitement for this story made my heart grow three sizes.
To my ever-constant cheerleader, Cindy Thomas, who especially has loved this story since I had the first line many years ago and never let me forget it. You’re my glue.
And to Lelia, for all the things you do as my right hand man, including endless gif texts and unicorn emojis.
There are so many people in my life who help me do this, just because they believe in me, and you know who you are even if you aren’t listed here by name. Honestly, there’s not enough space.
To everyone in the writing community who supports me, cries with me, laughs with me, and cheers alongside me. It’s a beautiful thing to be connected to you.
To Billy, who has been my friend since the first grade and never ceased. I can’t express how much you mean to me. The day you came out to me will be forever emblazoned in my memory, and I’m constantly inspired by your bravery and the way you have always lived your life: boldly, excited, and full of laughter. Will and Georgie’s story isn’t ours, but I hope you see some pieces of our friendship in it and that it makes you smile. This story is for you.
To the readers! Whether you are a teen, an adult, queer, straight, or “they/them”: thank you for reading this. There are a lot of beautiful novels out there, and I’m humbled you picked mine. This book is a love story through and through, not only romantically, but also the love shared between best friends. I hope that when you read it you feel that love, that friendship, and above all, that hope for the future.
About the Author
Danielle Ellison is from West Virginia, where she spent her childhood pretending to fly, talking to imaginary friends, and telling stories. She hasn’t changed much since then. When she’s not writing, Danielle is probably drinking coffee while fighting her nomadic urges, watching too much TV, or dreaming of the day when she can be British. You can find her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.
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