Covering the Carolinas

by Casey Peeler

  “Evenin’, Emmett. Why don’t you come inside?” Oh, shit! What is going on? I make my way inside and he leads me to the kitchen, where I see a shotgun lying on the table. Oh God, he knows, and I’m about to die right here in her kitchen. “Boy, lose that chicken shit look off your face. I need to have a word with you.”

  “Yes, sir.” I remove my deer in the headlights look and then take a seat at the kitchen table with only the gun separating us.

  “Do you love her?” he asks bluntly.

  “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “That’s good to know. I want to tell you something, but you can’t let Sunshine know that you know. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir.” Fear begins to envelop my body, knowing I’m going to have to keep something from her, but this is it. I’m going to have the missing piece to the puzzle.

  “I’m sick, Emmett. I have leukemia. We’ve been trying oral medication, but it’s not working. I had originally asked Raegan and Cole not to say anything, but you need to know. Because I made her promise me, she will not tell you. I start some hard-core chemotherapy on Monday. I’m not sure how this is going to turn out, but I need to know my Sunshine will be taken care of if I’m no longer on this Earth. Do you understand what I’m tellin’ you?” Oh, no. Raegan’s worst fear might come true, and she’s been keeping it bottled up inside? This is crazy. How am I gonna act like I don’t know the actual truth?

  “Yes, sir, I understand. I’ve known for some time now that she’s been lying about something. I knew it was to protect you, but I didn’t know why. Please, let me know if you ever need me or if there is anything I can do.”

  “Thank you, Emmett. I just need your word. She’s loved you since you gave her that stuffed bunny. You have no idea what she’s been through, and how one little gesture changed her life. I just need to know she’s taken care of when I’m gone, because we know death is inevitable.”

  “You have my word,” I say, realizing our relationship began to build long before we knew the meaning of love.

  “Oh, and Emmett, I know.” I have a puzzled look on my face, and then it clicks. Oh, shit! “Just know if you make me a great-grandaddy before my time, this shotgun has your name all over it.”

  And, just like clockwork, Raegan walks into the kitchen.

  Chapter 29

  Raegan

  By the look on Emmett’s face, I’m not sure what Grandaddy said to him, but I think he just informed him of the knowledge he gained today over a burger. “Hey, y’all,” I say. “Are you ready, Em?”

  “Yeah, nice talkin’ to you, Mr. Lowery,” he says, and Grandaddy smirks and gives him a head nod.

  I walk over to Grandaddy, give him a hug and tell him I love him, and then we are out the door. As soon as we are on the front porch, I look at him. “Are you okay?”

  “Um, not exactly,” he answers as I stop and face him. “You really do tell him everything, don’t ya?”

  “Actually, he figured it out, but I didn’t deny it when he wanted confirmation.”

  Emmett doesn’t say anything; he just takes me by the hand and leads me to his truck. As we make our way down the road, he glances my direction.

  “What, Em?” I ask.

  “Just curious…what did he tell you?”

  “Just to be careful and not to make him a great-granddaddy before his time. Then, he told me to get on the pill or something.” How can I just spit this out like it’s no big deal? It’s a major big deal, and I can’t believe I’m in the middle of this conversation. But, I guess if you are gonna do it, you better be responsible.

  “He said it just like that?” Emmett asks.

  “Pretty close. You know he keeps it real,” I say with a giggle.

  “I do, all too well.”

  “So, are you ready for tonight?” I ask.

  “You better believe it. Oh, and Cole said they were out of strawberry, so he got ya lemonade.”

  “Yummm. Let’s get our shine on,” I sing. Emmett looks my direction, and I can see in his eyes he loves me, and I love him.

  As we approach the Phillips’ farm, Emmett puts the truck into four-wheel drive and then parks beside the other vehicles. He comes around to let me out, and we make our way to the tailgate to chill with the moonshine in hand.

  Emmett places his hands around my waist and picks me up to sit. Before he can back away, I place my arms around his neck.

  “Em, thank you.”

  He looks at me, confused. “For what?”

  “For loving me,” I say, looking him in the eyes.

  He takes a second to grasp what has just left my lips. “Raegan, I don’t just love you. I’m in love with you.”

  “I’m in love with you, too,” I say, as we are now so close I can feel his breath on my face. He leans in and brings his lips to mine. “I love you, Emmett Bridges.”

  “I love you, too, Raegan Lowery.”

  I never would have planned for that to be the moment I told him I loved him, but it just felt right. The only thing I wish is that we would have been alone.

  “Are you sure you wanna stay here?” he questions.

  “Not really, but I wouldn’t mind dancin’ by the fire with ya later. Plus, Jordyn will kill me if I don’t show.”

  “True,” he says as he backs away and hops on the back of the truck beside me.

  As other trucks continue to pile in, it doesn’t take long for Jordyn and Ridge to arrive. She squeals as she runs to me. That girl ain’t right. Wonder how much she’s drunk already?

  “Are you happy to see me, or is that the booze talkin’?” I ask her.

  “Now, Rae! You know me better than that! I’m always glad to see my BFF. I’m just glad Emmett decided to share you tonight.”

  “Girl, like you’d even notice. You’ve been with Ridge every free moment you’ve had.”

  She thinks it over a minute and admits I’m right. “So, what’s in the jar tonight?”

  “Ya know…a little lemonade,” I say with a mischievous wink.

  “Ohhhhhh, my fav! Let me see it.” I pass the jar to Jordyn, as Ridge finally catches up with her.

  “Dang, slow down, baby,” Ridge says as Jordyn holds up a finger, telling him to stop as she takes a few more gulps of the sweet liquid.

  I try my best not to laugh, but when Emmett takes it straight from her mouth, I can’t control myself.

  “Hey, that’s not funny!” she whines as Emmett takes the jar and partakes.

  “Damn. That’s some good shit right there,” he says. Spoken like a true guy.

  “My turn,” I say, and Ridge follows after me. We’ve been here less than thirty minutes, and the jar is well over half-gone.

  The lower the sun sets, the louder the people become. As I scan the crowd, I see that Jace and his meathead friends have arrived. When he catches me looking their way, he smiles and raises a glass toward me. Seriously? I know he’s not happy for me. Oh, wait. I get it. I see his new mission approaching. Jace has moved on to Missy Tate. She’s everything I’m not, and I’m so glad. I give him a smile and return my focus to Jordyn, Ridge, and Emmett.

  We spend the majority of the time catching up on what’s going on, or rather, Jordyn tells us the gossip in our little town. When “Somethin’ Bad” begins to echo from the speakers, I look at Jordyn, and we walk toward the fire. Ridge and Emmett look at each other and just shake their heads. I sing the Miranda Lambert portion while Jordyn takes Carrie Underwood. Before we know it, all the girls are approaching and singing right along with us. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought the CMT Awards just rolled into Pleasant Hill at a dang field party.

  When the song ends, we stay put and continue dancing and having a good time. Before long, guys are making their way to their ladies, and when Emmett’s arms wrap around my waist from behind, I let my head fall back on his chest as we move to the beat of the music.

  Once the music slows, Emmett spins me around to face him and doesn’t let me go. I can’t help but smile when I listen to
the lyrics. “Raegan Lowery, I love you,” he says, as he looks me dead in the eyes.

  “Em, I love you, too.” I crash my lips onto his while we sway to the music. We continue to dance for several more songs until I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder. I glance over to see Jace standing beside me.

  “Hey, Jace, is everything okay?” I question, and Emmett stares him down.

  “Yeah, I was just curious to know if I might get a dance tonight.” I look at Emmett for the answer, and he looks as if he is ready to pounce.

  “What happened to Missy?” I inquire.

  “Ya know, she’s not half as fun to catch.” I can feel Emmett’s breathing increasing, and I know I can’t have him in a brawl with Jace. I know Em would win hands down.

  “Whatever, Jace. Can’t you find some bimbo willing to give you a piece to dance with?”

  Jace smirks, and I know whatever is about to escape from his mouth is going to be a cheap remark.

  As a smirk unfolds on Jace’s face, he begins to speak, “From what I understand, I heard you put out now, Miss Lowery.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Emmett hollers as he starts to swing at Jace.

  “Come on, Big Boy. Let’s see what you got.” Jace laughs, ready to duke it out with him.

  “Em, he’s not worth it,” I say calmly. When he ignores me, I yell for Ridge to help. Before I can process it, a crowd is beginning to huddle around. I never let go of Emmett, as he’s ready to give Jace what’s been coming to him for years. Emmett begins to hit Jace blow after blow and I’m thankful when Ridge jumps in to pull Emmett off Jace. One of the meatheads grabs Jace and helps him up. Ridge begins to push Emmett toward the truck, but when Emmett sees a chance to escape, he does, and I run after him.

  As Emmett tackles Jace from behind, I scream in horror as Jace tosses him over his back and begins to make contact with Emmett’s body. When Jace feels he’s had enough, he backs away from Emmett, then turns to walk away. As soon as his back is turned, Emmett stands slowly and eggs Jace on once again. After another round of blows, several guys pull them off of each other, and we finally make our way to Ridge’s truck.

  Ridge turns to me. “Get his keys and get him the hell outta here. Who knows what Jace will do next?”

  “I’m fine to drive, Rae!” Emmett shouts.

  “I’m driving. Do not argue with me,” I say as I shove my hand into his pocket and take the keys from him.

  Emmett

  Damn! When Raegan took control like that, it snapped me back to reality. Why the hell did I do something so stupid? Jace isn’t worth my time. Must be the shine talkin’. Who am I kidding? No one’s gonna talk about my girl like that.

  Once we are in the truck and halfway down the hill toward the main road, I finally decide to speak.

  “Rae, I’m sorry ’bout back there.”

  “It’s fine.” She says flatly.

  “Hell no, it’s not. I shouldn’t have let him get to me like that, but no one is going to talk about you like that… ever!”

  She slams on the breaks, and I lunge forward. “Look, the question is, how does he know? It’s not like I’ve told anyone but Grandaddy. I’m pretty sure Cole knows, too. That’s what pisses me off. Please, tell me you didn’t try to one-up him or something.”

  What the hell? Pain. That’s what I feel straight to my heart. I would never hurt her. “Rae, I haven’t said a word to him, I promise.” I take my hand and try to touch her, but she moves it.

  “Stop. I don’t want to hear it right now,” she says as she brings her hand up to swat mine away.

  “Let me drive. I’m good,” I say.

  “No,” she states, continuing toward the main road.

  “Rae, let me drive. I don’t want you to get a ticket. We drank a lot quickly tonight.” She looks at me and gives me an eye roll, but not before she throws it into park and opens the driver’s side door.

  I open mine, hop out, and meet her in front of the headlights. She tries her best to get around me, but I snag an arm around her waist and pull her to me, kicking and screaming. I give her no choice but to look me in the eyes.

  “Raegan, look at me, please,” I try to say without getting upset. “Please, I love you. I’ve never told anyone about us or you or your grandaddy.” And, in that moment, I know I’ve slipped up, and all hell is about to break loose. She tries to push back from me, and there is fear in her eyes.

  “What do you mean about Grandaddy?” Tears begin to fill her eyes. I have to decide to be upfront about everything or act like I’m clueless. I can’t lie to her now that I’ve messed up.

  “Rae, I know he’s sick. You don’t have to lie to me anymore,” I answer as I try to embrace her, but she goes into a full-out storm of emotions just as Cole had predicted.

  Chapter 30

  Raegan

  When Emmett slipped up, I was hurt, pissed, and wanted to scream to the top of my lungs. What gives him the right to know? Cole better not have told him! I’m gonna beat his ass, I swear!

  “Who told you?” I seethe.

  He shakes his head. “Tell me!” I say, beating his chest with my fists. “Tell me!” He continues to refuse.

  Speaking softly, he replies, “I promised not to tell.” I continue to hit him harder until I have no fight left in me. He pulls me so close to his chest I can’t move my arms. With my arms feeling like they are in a straightjacket, I give up moving, but I beg one more time. “Pleassseee, tell me, Em. Who told you?” My fear, anger, and hurt are replaced by an overwhelming wave of hopelessness.

  “Rae, I love you. I will never leave you, and you can count on me for anything. It doesn’t matter who told me. It only matters that I can be here for you now.” My body gives in, and I crumble in his arms. Without another word, he lifts me from the ground, embraces me in his steady arms, and places me into the passenger side before taking me home.

  As Emmett drives down the road, I don’t speak. Instead, I stare out the window and replay the events of the night and try to see into the future. The hardest part about the future is the unknown, and right now, I’d give my life to be able to see what our future holds.

  Emmett doesn’t take me directly back to the farm; he takes me down to the side road by the creek.

  “Em, what are you doin’?” I whisper.

  “Rae, I’m not taking you home like this. We’re gonna figure it out after you tell me what exactly is goin’ on,” he says with compassion in his voice. I nod in agreement as tears fill my eyes and begin to flow down my face. Emmett puts the truck into park and turns to look at me. Almost as if I’m taken back in time, I remove my seatbelt and crawl into his arms, as a child would do to their parents. In the seat of the truck, I let down my guard completely and all the pent-up emotions from the past couple of months come flooding through. I let Emmett see the real me—the girl who has lost her parents, who is losing the most important person in her life and is uncertain of what her future holds.

  He rubs his hands in my hair and continues to try to calm me, and when I can no longer cry, I begin to speak as my body begins to shake.

  “Em, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I’ve lost everyone important to me, and I can’t lose him. Not now or ever. I’m so thankful you walked back into my life.” I wipe the tears from my face and wait for him to respond.

  “Rae, he’s a fighter. He doesn’t give up easily. He’s worked for everything he has, and I know he’s gonna give this his best shot. He needs you to live your life. Regardless, you have me, and I’m never leaving.”

  “How can I live my life? He is my life!”

  “I understand that, but you remember what Mufasa told Simba, don’t ya?” What the heck? Did he just reference The Lion King?

  “Ummm, I think so, but I don’t want to talk about the dang Circle of Life. I want Grandaddy to live forever because that’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s always met everything head-on, lived life to the fullest, and he’s gonna outlive me. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Not like this.”
/>   Emmett must know not to push me further. He places his hand on my cheek. “Rae, I know this is tough, and I know you like to be in control, but sometimes life tests us, and this is a test for you, your grandaddy, and the rest of us. Let’s make a deal?”

  “What kinda deal?” I ask.

  “Let’s try not to worry about the future. Instead, let’s focus on the present. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I do know that as long as we all have each other, it will work out like it should. Who knows? This could work, and he’ll be back to his normal self. He’s healthy as a dang horse other than this.”

  “You can say it, ya know? Leukemia. I’m not scared of what it is, but I’m petrified of what it will do to him,” I state.

  “Like I said, let’s see how this goes, and Cole and I will be with y’all every step of the way.”

  I nod in agreement. “Do I have to go home tonight?” I ask him.

  “Well, unless I have a death wish, yes, you do. Why?”

  “Got any of that shine left? I wanna get drunk and take advantage of you,” I say with a small smile. Even though I know that’s not how I should handle this situation.

  “Raegan Lowery! I’d love to take you up on that offer, but I’m not gonna let you use my body to push your feelings to the side. I will let you get sloppy drunk and take you home, where I can lay you in the bed and make sure you’re okay. I will help you forget that way, but I will not let you tarnish what we have between us. I love you too much.”

  Those words sting, but I know he is speaking from the heart. I will thank him for it in the morning, as long as I’m not hugging a toilet. “Get me the jar.” Emmett shakes his head as he goes to get the remainder of the moonshine, but before we make our way to the creek bank, I see the screen light up on his phone. Wonder whom he’s texting?

  “Who was that?” I ask him as we sit down.

  “Cole. I wanted him to know where we were and to let your grandaddy know you might be late for curfew.”

  “Are you kiddin’ me?” I ask.

  “Nope, I didn’t want him to worry. Plus, I wanted Cole to know what happened tonight.”

  “Thanks, I guess. Are you okay? I mean, I know you won the fight, but you’re gonna have one hell of a shiner in the morning.”