Page 147 of Perfect Pitch

He interrupts, “I do.”

“Good, then let’s go.”

* * *

Kensington is an upscale suburb that screams Americana located west of Austin. The town fathers were determined to maintain its quaint charm even throughout the decades, which is why it feels like I’ve stepped back into the 1950s with the black-and-white store signs for modern eateries like Subway and Rodeo Ralph’s mixed in with high-end dining and shopping.

Every eye is on me and Beckett as we make our way down the street to where we’re going to get some lunch. He breaks our comfortable silence. “Despite everything that forced me to leave, this is probably the thing I miss the most.”

I reply dryly, “The monotony?”

He barks out a laugh. “No, kid. Of all the things I don’t miss it’s the monotony. Although you should embrace your roots. There are good things about living here. I was just too mired down to recognize them. Your mama, and hell, I should have come back for the barbecue if nothing else.”

“Barbecue? That’s why you should have come back.” I practically trip over my indignation beside him.

“I’m kidding.” He hesitates. “I didn’t realize it wasn’t Kensington, per se, that was so bad. It was my personal situation. And maybe if I’d reached out to a teacher, someone, I could have changed it. Changed the past. Back then, my family was shit. And it wasn’t until the end I knew why.”

“I still don’t know why.”

“My parents caused an accident. Then they spent the rest of their lives drunk to avoid caring about the repercussions of it.”

“That’s tragic in so many ways,” I murmur.

He’s apologetic, “They weren’t like your mama. They weren’t present in my life. They didn’t worry whether or not I was home, so it was easy to slip out of the house. God, I remember on days like Founders’ Day, I’d walk miles to get to town. And then I’d just sit by the band and listen to them play for hours.”

“Does Mama know this?”

He nods brusquely. “I told her when we were... we were. Austyn, I don’t want you to ever believe I didn’t love your mother.”

I stop in my tracks. “Beckett, get real.”

His look is affronted. “Who are you to tell me what I did and didn’t feel?”

“I’m not telling you what you felt. I’m telling you that you still have the same feelings for her now. Gee, am I the only one who realizes the two of you can’t be in the same space without the air sizzling?”

When he can’t formulate words, I pat his cheek. “Don’t worry about it. I think it’s because I’m a part of you that I can read you both so well.”

The mist grows in his eyes. He covers it by slipping on a pair of sunglasses. “I need more.”

“What do you mean?”

He hooks an arm over my shoulder, guiding me toward our first stop—to satisfy the crater in our stomachs. “It means I want her to care about the man I am today, Austyn, not the memories we share because we’re both connected to you. Christ, I sound like I’m composing a love song.”

My laughter draws the attention of several people. A few wave. I wave back. “Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

The hope is evident in his voice. “You don’t?”

“Nope.” I pop the P.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you’re the only man I’ve ever seen drive her absolutely out of her mind.” Just as we reach Nina’s Barbecue, I reason, “No one else has, and no one ever came close to winning her heart. So it must be the start of something enormous.”

He shakes his head before telling me, “You’re insane.”

I primly inform him, “I’m told I get that from your side of the family.”

A bark of laughter escapes from him just as a giggle emits from me. Casually, he throws out, “So, you and Mitch? How did that come about?”

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