Page 85 of New River Gorge(ous)
Melanie’s eyebrows shoot up into her hairline. “That woman. She’s … your ex?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
“Oh, I just … know her from a few years ago at a conference in California for content creators... She was never very nice.”
“That sums it up.”
I check my watch—there’s still an hour before I had planned to be back at June’s. Addie might be trying to ruin my date, but she’s not going to ruin my life anymore. I knew it the moment I started singing to Brooke. I can’t help it, I’m in love with her, and will be until I die.
That prayer to know when it’s time—it was answered when I held her in my arms and a lifetime of love flashed before my eyes.
“Hey, Logan?” I call.
Logan rolls his eyes because he already knows what I’m going to ask, but he owes me.
“Would you take Matt and Melanie back to June’s?”
Logan shakes his head. “You sure?”
Beck nods. “Positive.”
“I can’t talk you out of it?”
“Not a chance.”
Logan shrugs. “Then sure.” He looks at Matt and Melanie. “There’s absolutely no making out in my truck, you two. I let it slide on the boat, but not while I’m driving.”
The three of them walk away, leaving just me and Brooke standing in the dirt lot of Billy’s. Brooke’s blue eyes sparkle in the starlight, and I’ve never been so sure of something in my entire life.
47
Brooke
I’m enraged with Addie and frustrated with Billy.
“Why’d you let them do that to you?” I hiss after Logan, Matt, and Melanie walk away.
Beck smiles gently down at me. “It’s just Addie. She’s not worth it.”
“Seems like someone needs to put her in her place,” I grumble.
“She’ll end up stuck in the mud with no one to help her one day,” Beck muses. “Come on, I have something I want to show you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” Beck walks to his truck and opens my door.
I get myself situated, and he leaves Billy’s behind, driving through the dark mountain roads to the sounds of old-school country music on the radio.
He’s quiet, but so am I. I expect anxiety, but I don’t have any. I decided to trust Beck completely, and my body actually got the memo this time.
He follows the road around twists and turns, and I can tell we’re going up, but it’s hard to see because of the Virginia pines lining the road and casting their shadows over us.
Beck reaches a clearing and parks. “Would you wait here for a moment?”
I don’t know why he’s asking me to wait, but I will.
I nod.
