Page 29 of Jag

“You’re bossy.”

“Yes, I am, and hot by your admission,” I replied, chuckled as I stood, then placed my hand on the small of her back to lead her out.

“I’m surprised the bike doesn’t tip over from your swollen head,” River mumbled as we reached the bike.

“I guess because both my heads are swollen. It balances out.” I grabbed the helmets and handed one to her.

“I can’t believe you said that!”

“You brought it up, literally.” I winked, then leaned in before giving her a quick peck on the lips. She slammed the face shield down, and I smirked. “Gonna jump on the highway a couple miles up the road. The place I want to show you isn’t far from Shades Valley.”

River nodded, and I mounted my bike. Once she was on and wrapped around me again, I started the bike and pulled out.

When we got on the highway, and I increased the bike’s speed, she tightened her arms around my waist. As we cruised down the highway, I rested a hand on one of hers and rubbed it with my thumb. We fit, she fit. I briefly wondered how long it would take me to convince her of the same thing.

Taking the highway cut the time and a little over an hour later, I was taking the exit we needed. It was another spot me and the others found while out riding. No one but locals knew of the spot unless someone accidentally came across it if they were lost. Getting to it, the scenery was thick with trees and foliage blocking out everything until you reached the one spot that let you know what all it was hiding. We rode through the curve, and I slowed and eased off the road onto the soft and gravelly ground.

“Oh...my...God,” River said. I stopped the bike by one of the few picnic tables that were there. It was the first time I stopped there and no one else was around.

River got off the bike without looking away from the sight. Once I was off, I grabbed her hand and walked her to the guardrail that kept you away from the dropoff.

“I thought you might like it,” I said and squeezed her hand.

“It is beautiful. I know the ocean is farther than it looks. But it’s like the mountains are teasing you with what is on the other side of them.” The awe in her voice made me smile.

“Whoa,” I said as she stepped over the rail. “I know there’s a good bit of grassy area there, but you never know if the cliff’s edge might slide. You definitely don’t want to fall into the ravine.”

“I wonder if you could follow the ravine to the ocean.”

“That would be one long trek. Not sure it even runs that far.”

River sat on the rail, and I straddled it beside her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“I don’t remember much about living here, I was almost five when my mom and I left. But since I’ve moved back, the beauty of the area and especially this, just makes me more confused on why my mother left. Why would anyone leave here and move to an overpopulated area where to go anywhere you are stuck in traffic?”

“That was the one thing I hated when I lived in the DC area. I learned a lot of back ways to avoid I95. Rush hour never failed to turn into a parking lot. Especially if you were in a hurry to be somewhere.”

“You didn’t want to stay in the military?”

“Maybe at some point the thought entered my mind, but if it did, it didn’t stay long. I knew I would come back here. It’s home.”

“Why an attorney?”

“The law was interesting to me. I wanted to go to college while the others decided they wanted to see more than where we grew up. My plan was to get my law degree and come home and be the MC’s attorney. I was on track for that, too. Then one visit when we were all home at the same time, hearing them discuss what they’d done and their experiences, I thought what the hell. I went back to school and visited the local Navy recruiting station. So when the time came to graduate law school, I was already committed to the Navy. With the six years commitment with them, they covered my loans. Now I’m the club’s VP and attorney and can help my club with everything legal wise and I don’t have astronomical debt hanging over my head. What about you? Sami mentioned you were probably going to be Ally’s teacher. Did you always want to be a teacher?” I asked, and before she answered, she straddled the rail, then leaned backed on me. “Come on, let’s move to the picnic table, it will be more comfortable.”

I helped her up and moved us to the table. She sat on top of the table, and I went to the bike and grabbed the couple bottles of water that I threw in before I left the house. They’d be a little warm, but at least it was something wet. When I offered her one, she shook her head, and I set them down in reach, then joined her on the table, putting my arm around and pulling her into my side. It surprised me when she laid her head against my shoulder.

“So, did you always want to be a teacher?” I asked again.

“Yes. I used to play in my room with my stuffed animals as my students.”

“Did you teach in Connecticut?”

“I didn’t get the chance to. After I graduated, I married, and Thomas wanted to start a family immediately. Which now I’m grateful I got my degree.”

“Why wouldn’t you have gotten one?” I looked down to see her face when she chuckled and in a tone that had nothing to do with humor and everything to do with bitterness.

“You’d have to know my mother. She didn’t understand why I wanted to go to college in the first place. My step-dad is a partner in the same law firm as Thomas’s dad. We grew up around each other. Thomas is four years older and from since I could remember my mother saw him and me together. I think she thought why bother if he would eventually join the same law firm, I wouldn’t have to work. I could spend my time helping build his clientele by hosting parties and volunteering for charities run by high profiled people. I attended college after I explained to her that I would be done with college as Thomas graduated law school. I mean she was discussing this as if Thomas had already proposed, which he hadn’t. I was just getting ready to turn eighteen.”

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