Page 26 of Summer's Echo
“And Sonic,” we said in unison, our voices overlapping as we broke into laughter.
Mama nodded, her sharp focus fixated on the two of us with her arms crossed. She wasn’t saying much, but the gears in her head were definitely turning as she inspected us, her silence louder than any question she could’ve asked.
“You ready to go, Sun…I mean, Summer?” Echo said as he reached out to pinch the tip of my nose like he always did.
I swatted his hand away, but the corner of my mouth lifted. It was so natural with him, this easy rhythm we had. Still, I could feel my mother’s eyes burning into the back of my head, making me hesitate before heading back inside to grab my things.“Um,yeah. Let me grab my purse. I’ll be right back.”
When I returned with my purse slung over my shoulder, the scene hadn’t shifted much. Daddy was leaning on the porch railing, chatting with Echo in that calm, easygoing way he always had. Meanwhile, Mama remained in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression hovering somewhere between curiosity and disapproval.
Echo straightened as I approached, his trademark grin lighting up his face. As I slipped by Mama, I felt her hand gently fix a stray curl that had fallen out of place. “You have your phone and keys?” she asked, her tone softer now, but still laced with authority.
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, turning to give her a quick hug. I kissed Daddy’s cheek before stepping off the porch. “See y’all later. Love you.”
“Have fun, baby girl,” Daddy called out, his voice warm, “and remember what your mama said.”
“Remember your curfew, Summer,” Mama called after me in a tone that carried equal parts concern and warning.
“I always do,” I replied, glancing back over my shoulder with a small, reassuring smile. It wasn’t a lie—I’d never missed curfew, but her stern warning still made me feel like she thought I would chance it for mynew friend.
Without thinking, Echo grabbed my hand, guiding me toward his car. I didn’t resist. This was just us—easy, familiar, the kind of comfort that didn’t require second-guessing. As we walked, we bumped into each other playfully, our normal carefree banter. But just as I reached for the passenger door, Mama’s voice carried through the air, quiet but sharp enough to land.
“You see what I’m saying?”Her words were meant for Daddy’s ears only.
I hesitated, my fingers brushing the door handle. Daddy sighed, his tone weary but firm.“Tee, let it go,”he said, already turning back toward the house.
I sighed, shaking my head as Echo waited for me to settle into the passenger seat before gently shutting the door behind me.
“What?” he asked, sliding into his seat and starting the car.
“Nothing,” I said, securing my seatbelt. “Just my mama being my mama.”
I brushed it off, but the truth sat somewhere deep in my heart, too heavy to ignore. Mama wasn’t just fussing to fuss. She saw it. She saw the way Echo and I moved around each other, how we never quite crossed a line, but never really stayed in the lines either. She saw how I let him pull me along without hesitation, how he knew exactly what to do to make me smile. How he made himself at home in my world like he belonged there. Mama knew what that meant. She and Daddy were high school sweethearts, so she knew firsthand that friendships like this—the ones that felt effortless, the ones that made you forget where you ended and the other person began—those were the ones that could change everything. And not always in the ways you wanted.
Maybe she saw something forming the first time I introduced Echo to my parents. My sudden giddy and slightly ditzy demeanor wasn’t lost on my parents. And Mama? She noticed… Because she noticedeverything.She didn’t always say much, but the way her lips pressed together, shaking her head the way mamas do when they know their daughters are about to get caught up in something they can’t control. Since Daddy made it clear that he didn’t want to hear it anymore, I was sure she was on the phone with my auntie right now.“That boy got toomuch of your time, Summer.That kind of closeness? Itdon’t stay innocent forever.”
And maybe she was right to be worried. Because I knew it, too—somewhere deep down, in a place I wasn’t ready to face. Echo was special. And feelings like we had? They had a way of sneaking up on you when you least expected.
Chapter Thirteen
Echo
October 2019
Summer and I left the park a little after nine. I practically had to coax her into my car after she stubbornly insisted on driving herself home. She’d calmed down some, but she was in no shape to make the nearly two-hour drive back to St. Louis. As I double-checked that her car doors were locked, I made a mental note to text Maxell later and see if he could pick up her car tomorrow. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, staring out the window. Her expression was distant, her gaze unfocused, though traces of anguish still lingered in the tension in her jaw and the faint tremble of her hands. Over the past couple of hours, I’d realized that her sadness wasn’t entirely about the demise of her relationship. It wasn’t thewhatthat troubled her—it was thehow.Summer was grappling with the gravity of what she’d done, not the reasons she’d done it.
The Summer I knew was a people pleaser and a meticulous planner. I was certain that she had her life all mapped out—married by now, with a kid and another one on the way. The imaginary biological clock probably fueled her need to please Deshawn and everyone else who saw them as the picture-perfect couple. But the Summer I also knew was resolute once she made a decision, so when the dust finally settled, I was confident there’d be no regrets for her.
She leaned against the center console, her cheek resting in the palm of her hand. Tenderly, I reached out and swiped a finger across her brow, hopefully brushing away the tension etched there. My hand drifted to her nape, massaging softly, and the faint smile that graced her face told me that my actions were appreciated. But I could still see tears glistening as silence settled between us.
I reached for her hand, rubbing my thumb over her palm in slow, soothing circles. “You hungry?” I asked, breaking the quiet.
She shrugged, indecisive about everything. “I could eat.”
“Yes or no, Summer. I’m sure you’re hungry,” I teased, nudging her out of her vagueness.
“Yes, Echo. I’m hungry,” she said.
“What do you want?” I asked, glancing at her to see her brows furrowed as if I’d asked the dumbest question. We locked eyes for a beat before blurting out simultaneously,
