Page 108 of Sometimes You Fall

“When I’m worried about a trespassing charge, that’s hard to do. I mean, if I get the cops called on me, my son will never let me live it down. You do remember our recent run-in with the law, don’t you, Grady?”

He takes my hand and guides me across the street to the front lawn. “We’re not going to get arrested. I’ve already cleared it with Derek’s parents. They know we’re here, but they’re in Florida visitingfriends.” He taps his temple. “If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a planner, Scottie.”

I can only shake my head as Grady lifts the latch on the house’s side gate, leading me into the backyard. And suddenly, a wave of memories from the night I was last here comes rushing back to me.

Grady points to the side of the yard with a smirk on his lips. “You might not recall, but that’s where you did a keg stand.”

“Are you trying to remind me of how crazy I was back in the day? Because I’m aware.”

He chuckles. “No, but that was the moment I realized you were unlike any other girl I’d ever met, and I knew I was really going to fucking miss you when you left.”

My heart begins to pound. “Oh.”

“Come on.”

He leads me back out front and over to the tree where we sat that night, and as soon as my eyes see the tire swing still hanging from the thick branch, I turn to face him. “Are we here to remind me of when I puked all over the grass right here because of that keg stand?”

He throws his head back and laughs. “No, but I’ll never forget that because you were always so concerned about me getting sick and you puked pretty violently that night.”

“Karma has a way of catching up to you, Grady. Don’t forget that.”

He leads me over to the swing. “Wanna hop on?”

I stare down at my belly that feels like it’s getting larger by the minute. “Not sure I can fit.”

“Yeah, you can. I’ll help you.”

With Grady steadying me, I thread my legs through the tire, and he begins to push me gently, rocking me back and forth.

I wait a few moments before I ask, “Why are we here, Grady?”

“Nostalgia. Memories. Feelings,” he says cryptically. “That night could have changed our lives if I had just acted on what I wanted back then, Scottie.”

Silence stretches between us as I think back to the night we were here last. “Do you remember what we talked about that night?” I finally ask.

“Every word of it.”

“What’s the part that stands out the most?” I whisper as Grady pulls the tire to a stop and comes around to face me.

“You asked me if I was ready for what comes next,” he says, his eyes locked on mine.

And suddenly it feels hard to breathe. “Okay…”

“Come here.” He helps me out of the tire swing and then pulls me into his chest, or as close as we can get since my belly is making that harder to accomplish. Cupping my jaw, he says, “I think it’s time that I tell you what I want—what I see coming next for us.”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Oh…”

“Scottie,” he starts, but my phone rings in my pocket, interrupting the moment.

Glancing down at it, I’m worried when I see my mom’s name on the screen. “Uh…”

Grady nods. “It’s okay. Answer it.”

“I’m sorry. She knows I’m out with you, so it’s weird that she’s calling,” I explain as I swipe across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Scottie,” my mother says, urgency in her tone.

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