Page 111 of Verses

With a raised eyebrow, he glanced over at me. “Really? And to think I didn’t even try.” He chuckled and then said, “Merry Christmas, songbird.”

“Merry Christmas to you.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, but he was busy turning the corner. “By the way, I just wanted to let you know what to expect. I never know who’s going to be at my mom’s house on the holidays, because her doors are always open to extended family. Sometimes there’s nobody there and other times there are cousins I haven’t seen in years or one of mom’s friends I’ve never met before.”

“Ah. Your mother must be a good cook.”

I laughed. “That’s debatable—but shehasspent a good chunk of her life perfecting her Christmas recipes, so there’s that.”

“I’ve had my fair share of bad food—and I’m sure your mother’s is passable.” Finally, we were heading east down Charlotte’s Main Street and in just a minute, we’d be out of town. “Truck’s already gassed up, but do you want to stop somewhere and get coffee or something else to drink for the road?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Wolf stopped at the last convenience store in town, and I got a bottle of water while he got a cup of coffee. I paid for his at the register before he’d even gotten up there. When the cashier told him I’d already paid for it, he said, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know…but it’s the least I can do.”

Once we were buckled in again, Wolf started up the truck. “Remember what I said about fixing your car. I know you don’t need it right now…but having it running will make your life a little bit easier. I know you walk everywhere in Charlotte, but a working car would give you some freedom to go farther if you wanted.”

I took a sip of water as Wolf pulled out onto Main Street heading east—but it was at the end of town, so the road’s designation would soon simply be a state highway. “I know. It’skind of stupid to have a car that doesn’t run just sitting around collecting dust. I’m still paying for insurance and tags and stuff.”

“So it’s settled.”

“I guess it is.” And what would I do for Wolf in return? I’d have to give it some thought.

“When’s the last time you visited your folks?”

“Hmm.” Whenwasthe last time? I didn’t go there often, so the times Ididgo kind of stood out. “It was last Christmas. Kyle was with me.” Shit. Why had I saidthat? Even though it was true, I hadn’t had to say it out loud. But that was the second to last time Kyle saw my family. We’d spent Christmas Eve with his family and then the next day with mine.

The last time Kyle saw them was at Liam’s funeral. I wasn’t sure why they’d come…but it had actually been comforting.

But thinking about Kyle last Christmas led to another pretty important topic—and it was as if Wolf was reading my mind.

“Just to get things straight before we get there: Are we going as a couple or just friends?”

He didn’t seem to be bothered by whatever my potential answer might be. “I was thinking about that—and I wanted to show you off as my perfect boyfriend.”

Although he smiled and winked at me, he sensed where I was going. “But…”

“But there’s my mom to consider. I know she hasn’t kept in contact with Kyle, but they’re friends on Facebook. And I know how she is. What if she got it in her head to post a bunch of pictures of us on Facebook? She wouldn’t just stop at saying we were dating. It’s like she gets some thrill living through me and my brother and sister.”

“Could be.”

“So I hate to ask…but can we act like we’re just friends today?”

“I got no problem with that, bird. It’s better for the band.” After a second, he glanced over at me, a sly smile appearing in his facial hair. “I’m gonna have a hell of a time keeping my hands off you, bird.”

I all but giggled. “The feeling is mutual.”

We grew quiet for a bit, and I simply took in the landscape. Charlotte wasn’t exactly a place to write home about…but it feltlikehome. Itwashome. It was located in the westernmost part of the prairie, where the plains end and the Rocky Mountains begin. Even though Charlotte wasn’tinthe mountains, the Rockies were the backdrop, beautiful dark blue peaks surrounding us to the west, and I’d grown to love them.

The closer we got to La Junta, the less we’d see of the mountains in our rearview…and we wouldn’t see them at all once we got there.

Although the scenery for the drive wasn’t too exciting, I hadn’t been out of Charlotte much in a long time, especially heading east—so I was absorbing everything I could about the trip.

And I could hardly believe I was taking it with Wolf.

As he picked up his coffee cup from a holder and took a sip, I said, “Last night’s get together felt pretty good.”

“Agreed.” As he placed his cup back in its slot, he said, “I haven’t felt that sense of family in a long time. There was just something about it.”

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