Page 49 of The Moment Promised

Finn looks at me like he’s kind of scared but gets into the passenger seat anyway.

I shift gears, accidentally switching to sport mode and accelerating all too fast, immediately slamming on the brakes and jolting Finn and I forward. I smile hard. “Oops.”

Finn slowly inhales with tight lips, turns toward me, and calmly shifts the car back out of sport mode.

I pull onto the highway, driving as fast as Finn allows without him clutching his seat for dear life, which is a solid eighty-five miles per hour. I turn the radio up, letting the music wash over me, electrifying my pulse and bringing a wide smile to my face.

Finn eventually screams over the music, “Having fun over there, Miller?”

I grin at him. “The funnest!” I shout, remembering him telling me how we are going to have the “funnest summer yet.”

Using the word that doesn’t exist makes it all the more fun.

“Adeline, you’re going to hate me,” Finn says.

“Is it just me or is the road starting to look like space?” I ask, tiredly.

Finn yawns, a very obnoxious loud one. “I was thinking more like the circus.” He points to the road before us.

“Circus? Where do you see bright colorful lights and elephants doing backflips?” I ask.

He laughs. “Have you ever been to the circus, love?”

“No. Are there no backflipping elephants? Because if so, you might as well just tell a little kid Santa isn’t real.”

“Then yes, they do backflips,” he says.

I change the subject to a more productive one. “Just let me know when to take an exit.” I yawn, in need of a cozy hotel bed.

“That’s the thing…there aren’t any hotels nearby.”

I take a deep breath. My white knuckles grip the steering wheel. “One job!” I say, “You had one job!”

“If you get off on the next exit, I can direct you to a campground.”

I give him my evilest death glare. He looks down, like a wolf surrendering to the alpha. At least he knows who’s boss.

“In the moment promised, I hate you.” I turn into the exit lane and Finn tells me how to get to the camp site.

“Voila,” Finn chimes, attempting and failing to lighten the mood.

“How exciting, we get to sleep in the car we’ve been sitting inall day,” I say wryly.

“That’s the fun of road tripping.” Finn reclines his seat.

“No, that’s the fun of having a friend who doesn’t know how to use a GPS,” I huff.

“Ouch.” He touches his chest. “I’m just your friend, now, Adeline?”

He doesn’t realize the weight of the sentence, but it becomes a chainsaw tearing my heart to shreds. “You’re my best friend, but I’m tired and hungry so for now, you’re the friend getting in the way of a good night’s sleep.”

I peer into the back seat and grab a bag of sour gummies. I plop one into my mouth and say between bites, “Most delicious four course meal I’ve had in a while.” I hand one to Finn. I chew as loud as I can.

Finn laughs, grabbing at the bag of gummies while I tighten my grip. I don’t give up my snacks that easily, especially to Finn who eats handfuls at a time. He pulls even harder.

“Finn you’re going to—”Break it.Gummies go everywhere. Finn’s laugh echoes in the forest surrounding us.

A screech escapes my throat when he leans over me to grab my arms, pulling me onto his lap. He’s still laughing as he hugs me to his chest. My heart stops, wait no, maybe it’s beating so fast I can’t feel it anymore. Finn’s touch is everywhere on my body as he tickles me.

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