Page 40 of Promised Summer
Jones beamed, laughing as he hugged me in celebration. I stayed in his arms for a minute, soaking in that sunshiny scent of his. I wished I could bottle up his scent and carry it around with me.
“Are you going to come back later? After you drop Karla off at Jada’s?” Jones’ question tickled my ear.
This was the first time I’d be away from Karla for an extended period, but Karla insisted she would play with Imani by herself. Besides, I trusted Jada. She was Jones’ cousin, and I knew she was a good person from seeing her over my summers here.
Even knowing all that didn’t turn off my dad-brain, and terrifying thoughts that something would happen without me around still popped up in my brain. Oh god, was I a helicopter parent? I wasn’t trying to be overprotective, but how the hell could parentsnotbe overprotective of their babies?
“Ryan?” Jones asked. He must have felt me stiffenin arms. “Are you worried about Karla staying there alone?”
I nodded into his chest, and he gave my back a comforting pat.
“We can wait for her here and can pick her up right away if she calls. Their house isn’t far from mine,” he reassured me.
I looked up at him. “I’m sure you have better things to do today than sit around with me. I’m probably gonna be all mopey.”
I was now apparently a helicopter parent.
Jones flashed his pearly whites. “Trust me. There’s nothing I want more than to mope around with my boyfriend. Maybe our double moping can cancel each other’s out.”
I froze and processed his words. When I didn’t reply after a couple of minutes, Jones waved a hand over my face and called my name.
“Boyfriend?” I finally managed to choke out.
“Yeah, isn’t that what we are?” He laughed, but I noticed how his smile was a little too tight, like he was nervous. “Or I could just call you my man. Actually, I think I might like the sound of that better. You are mine…right?”
The hint of vulnerability that shone in his eyes honestly relieved me. It was horrible of me to say when he was feeling uncertain like this, but it also meant I wasn’t the only one who was worried about our relationship.
I kissed him, nice and slow. “Yes, I’m yours,” I replied against his lips.
“You’re not going anywhere, right? Both you and Karla,” he whispered back, and I wasn’t feeling so happy about his uncertainty anymore.
I knew I was to blame for his doubts. I’d gone and left him without saying a word once before, so he was probably worried I could do it again.
I wish there was a way to reassure him that leaving this place—leaving him—wasn’t possible. If I had it my way, he was it for me.
Maybe he’d have more faith in me if I actually had a permanent residence here? I hadn’t heard from my real estate agent about potential rentals since the last disastrous showing, but I’d call her Monday in case something had popped up.
I wanted to prove to him with something tangible that I wasn’t the flaky teenager I used to be. But for now, I tried to reassure him with words.
“We’re not going anywhere. Kither Springs is our home now.”
“Yeah,” Jones repeated and kissed me again. His lips were unyielding over mine. It was a claim and a display of how reluctant he was to let me go.
We pulled apart when Karla and Lily ran back to the front yard. She’d picked some flowers from nearby, claiming they were for Auntie Jada and Imani.
Jones picked her up, pretended to be hurt, and grumbled about not getting flowers of his own. Karlamerely giggled and tucked a yellow flower behind his ear. She gestured for me to lean in and tucked one behind mine as well. Of course, she didn’t forget to adorn herself with one, too.
My little girl was really the best girl in the world, though I might beslightlybiased.
Jones came with us to drop Karla off for her playdate. The flowers miraculously stayed in place the entire ride there.
“Looking good,” Jada said when she saw her cousin. There was a glint in her eye and a teasing smile on her lips.
Karla ran to hug Imani as soon as I got her out of her seat. While the kids were busy, I saw Jones discreetly giving his cousin the middle finger, which only made Jada laugh.
“Come here, you idiot,” Jada said, pulling Jones into a hug. The cousins laughed and teased each other again, while I turned my focus to my daughter.
“Karla, are you sure you don’t want Daddy to stay and watch you play?” I asked, just to be extra certain. She could be having second thoughts.
