Page 35 of The Road Ahead
“Rio, no,” Cooper said quickly, pulling me close and nuzzling into my curls. “My dad isn’tyourdad. He was heartbroken when Uncle Robert reacted the way he did. No matter what, he’s not going to wash his hands of me,oryou. It might take him and Mom a little time to come round, but our family isn’t going to be torn apart because of this.” He sounded so confident that I found myself believing him.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” Cooper told me. “You make me happy, Rio, and I can’t wait to discover what it’s like to share my life with you.”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I blinked them away. “I can’t wait either,” I said.
I knew we’d have challenges ahead of us, but we’d face them together. I had Cooper’s back, and he had mine.
We stood to make our way back to the cabin, but as we were passing the rock mound, I tugged on Cooper’s hand to bring him to a stop. “Just a second,” I said. I was still holding the heart-shaped rock in my hand, and I reached up to perch it on top of a flat gray stone at head height.
Cooper wrapped his arms around me, and we stood for a long moment, just looking at our stone nestled in with the others that were placed there before us. Neither of us said anything, not needing to. We both felt the weight of history, and the silent support from the dozens, maybe even hundreds, of couples who had defied society for their love for one another in this exact spot.
When we finally turned and headed back to the path, I was sure I could feel the blessing of the pathfinder and the preacher’s daughter whispering to us on the wind.
Chapter 16
Cooper
“Brad and I are going to go for a hike after lunch,” Teresa announced when we made it back to the cabin. “We need to talk and make some decisions, and I figured it would give you two some time alone as well.”
“You gonna be okay?” I asked.
Teresa grimaced. “No idea. I guess we’ll see if we both think it’s salvageable.”
I pulled her into a hug. “If you need me, just text. Okay?”
She squeezed me tight for a second before stepping back. “That’s very sweet, but I’m sure you’ll be too busy to respond to a text.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Cooper,” she said slowly. “We’re going out. You and Rio will have the cabin all to yourselves.”
“Oh!” I said. “Sweet.”
Teresa laughed. “Just don’t start until we’re gone.”
I held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“That would mean more if I knew you’d been a scout,” she said. “So, where’s Rio?”
“Getting changed. They said they’d heard something rattling when we were driving the other day and they wanted to check it out before tonight.”
Rio entered the living area then, and I looked over to see they’d changed into a pair of skinny black jeans and a white tank top.
“I’ve got a question, Rio,” Teresa said.
“Oh?” they asked, crossing to stand next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Are crop tops kind of like Pokemon? And are you trying to collect them all?”
Rio grinned. “Oh, haven’t you heard of the secret Pokecrop League?”
“Can’t say I have,” Teresa deadpanned. “Maybe I’m not cool enough for it?”
“It’s quickly gaining popularity,” Rio assured her. “Although the demographic tends to be mostly twinks, enbys, and boyband members, more and more college sports stars are starting to collect them.”
“You’re such a dork,” she told them with a laugh. She turned to me. “Did you know your datemate is a dork?”
