Page 124 of It's Always Us

She bites her lip, trying not to smile, and I kiss her to expose it.

My phone buzzes, and I pull it from my pocket.

ROB: Kings want a meeting next week. I know you said you’re out, but this is big. Can you make it work?

“Shit.”

“What?” Lex moves to peek at my phone, and I show it to her. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s next week. I’m going back with you for your doctor’s appointment.”

“Mark, this is huge. You have to go. I’ll see if I can move it, or you can go to the next one. I have to find a doctor here, anyway.”

I push out a long breath. I don’t want Lex to go back to Ohio without me. I want to be there and hear everything the doctor has to say. If I’m really honest, which I don’t want to be, there’s a part of me that’s afraid she’ll be reminded of all she left behind and won’t come back.

“Tell him, yes, and I’ll—”

The doorbell rings, and Lex frowns. I shove my phone in my pocket, not wanting to think about her leaving, and happy my irrational fear is momentarily distracted by what’s sitting on the other side of the front door.

“What’s that look for?”

I grab her hand and help her off the counter. “What look?”

“That one.” She points at my face.

“Come on.” I pull her with me, unable to contain my excitement, and hope this will help her see that she can have part of the life she left behind anywhere with me.

“Mark, seriously,” she says tentatively as I pull her along. “You know I don’t like—”

I swing open the door, and parked in front of the house is a large transporter. On the trailer, ready to be rolled off, is a worn and rusted classic Ford Bronco.

My quiet and modest girl gasps. “What is . . . ”

“Your F-150 won’t cut it much longer.”

Her eyes widen as she takes in the old truck. “You . . . bought this? How did you . . . ”

I pull her along, meeting the driver. Lex leaves my side to get a closer look while I sign the paperwork.

She walks around the trailer. “What year? Seventy-one?”

“Seventy-two,” I say, waiting to know if she likes it.

The driver unhooks the straps, and Lex turns to me. Her eyes are bright, glistening in the sun.

“You seriously bought this for me?”

“Uh . . . it’s here and will be sitting in our garage, and we both know I won’t be touching it.”

She fists my shirt, holding onto me. “I . . . ” She blinks quickly a few times. “I don’t even know what to say,” she whispers and then throws her arms around my neck. “It’s so perfect. Thank you.”

“Yeah? You like it? You’ll fix it up?”

She sniffs. “Are you kidding? It’s exactly what I would have picked. I already have a list in my head of where to start.”

Of course, she does. I hold her tighter. “We’ll get you everything you need. Ok? You can fix it up and keep it or sell it. Whatever you want. Hell, create your own YouTube channel and show people what you can do.” I pause. “I just want you to be happy.”

She pulls away, staring up at me. “Thank you. Mark . . . This means everything to me. Thank you so much.” She pushes up on her toes to press her lips to mine. “I can’t wait to get started.”

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