“Why?”
“Only-child thing. Plus …” I bit my lip and cut myself off.
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
He was right. It was important, and I worried about my dad. I loved him, but he was relentless in the pursuit of his art and little else.
“I just worry about him. After I leave, he won’t have child support checks anymore. It’ll be hard on him.”
Maddox squeezed my hand and then seemed to realize he’d done it and pulled back. “That’s a lot to take on yourself. Your dad will make it work.”
“I hope so,” I said, clearing my throat. “Is Gran expecting you back?”
He shook his head. He looked no more ready to leave than I did. “We could head to the River Walk.”
“I’ll buy you a Wet Willie’s.”
He rolled his eyes. “We don’t have to drink to have a good time.”
“No, but it sure is fun. Plus, alcoholic slushies.”
“I have to drive, and Gran would kill me.”
“True,” I said with a laugh. “But when we’re at SCAD, I will convince you to get one.”
“I heard SCAD is all house parties.”
I shrugged. “Fine. I’ll get you drunk at a house party.”
He rolled his eyes again, but he was smiling as we headed out of the square. We took Abercorn to Bay Street and down the atrociously steep stone steps that led down to River Street. I was glad that I was in sandals on the walk down. Girls took the steps like fawns. Their ankles teetering and nearly collapsing the entire way down.
The sun was low on the horizon, painting the sky over the Savannah River a kaleidoscope of pink and orange. I leaned forward against the railing and watched the tourists pile onto the sunset paddleboat tour.
“I wish I had my sketchbook with me,” Maddox said thickly.
I turned to face him. “Why?”
He stepped forward, bridging the distance between us. “Because you look beautiful.”
I swallowed, chewing on my hair to keep from reaching for him. I couldn’t do this with Maddox. I’d told Marley that I wouldn’t do anything with him. I’d made that promise in good faith. No matter how hard it had been to keep my word when we spent all summer together.
“What are you nervous about?” he asked, tentatively reaching forward and drawing the hair out of my mouth.
“We can’t do this.”
He arched an eyebrow and moved closer still. “Why not?”
“I promised Marley.”
Now, his eyebrows shot straight up. “Promised her what exactly?”
“That I’d stay away from you.”
“Did you need to stay away from me?” A step closer. So close. Kissably close.
“Yes,” I whispered. I tipped my head back to look up into his dark eyes. “Remember spring break sophomore year? When we went to Philip’s party and almost kissed?”
“Yeah. I figured you didn’t want to. I stayed away after that because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I wasn’t. I just … didn’t want to hurt you or my friendship with Mars.” I glanced away, crossing my arms over my chest. I’d never had a moment like this with a guy before. I’d never had anyone else in my life like Maddox before either.
Maddox tipped my chin up, so I was looking up into his face again. “Josie, did you want to kiss me?”
“Yes,” I forced out.
“Do you want to kiss me now?”
He didn’t wait for my answer. The word was already on my lips and clear on my face. I’d wanted nothing more than to kiss Maddox Nelson for two long years.
He tugged me tight against him and crushed our lips together. All the timidity fell off his shoulders as he took control of me. He’d been holding back more than I had, judging by the passion in his kiss. The slant of that mouth against mine that sent butterflies thwacking away in my stomach. The grip of his hands as he slid one hand around my waist and the other up into my hair.
A soft moan escaped my lips at the first brush of his tongue against mine. He tasted sweet from the ice cream. The feeling was like I was sinking into a down comforter. Like I’d always been meant to be in this moment.
I hadn’t realized that I was clutching on to his shirt for dear life. I slung my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through the curly strands at the nape. I’d wondered what it would be like to run my fingers through the unruly mess. I’d mussed them before, but this was wholly different.
Every part of this kiss was wholly different.
Body, mind, and soul, I belonged right here on the River Walk with this man.
A whistle broke us apart with a soft laugh.
“Guess we were giving them a show,” I said softly. My lips swollen and cheeks flushed.
“Let ’em see.”
“Since when did you become a rebel?”
“Since the girl of my dreams was in my arms.”
A rush of emotion hit my chest at those words. The girl of his dreams. No one had ever talked to me like that.
I rested my head against his chest as he drew me in closer. We swayed slightly as the sun fully sank below the skyline. I didn’t know where this was going or what was coming next. Next week, we’d both be at SCAD with a whole new college experience before us. Anything could happen. But I planned to revel in this feeling for as long as I possibly could. With a world of possibility between us.
6
SAVANNAH
PRESENT
A cloud of dust erupted out of a box. I fell over backward to escape it as I coughed violently.
My eyes burned as I straightened to a sitting position and stared at the pile of dusty boxes my mother had recommended I go through while I was here. I’d agreed because I hadn’t thought that I’d really left anything here after high school and college. Apparently, I’d been wrong. There were several large boxes full of my stuff. Too much to get through before I met Amelia for lunch.
I peered into the first box and found it full of old clothes. I removed my favorite pair of low-rise jeans with dismay. God, I hoped these never came back in style.
Well, most of this would have to be donated. It was a decade out of style. And even if I could get my ass into those jeans again, I wasn’t planning to wear them. I’d be damned if I had to go back to showing off eight inches of torso in a crop top.
I closed the dusty box back up and eased back onto my hands. My eyes scanned the half-full attic. I’d had no idea that my mother was a pack rat. She didn’t seem to throw anything away.
I hopped to my feet and walked over to my high school bedroom set. I ran a finger through the dust on the white four-poster. She’d clearly just moved it upstairs. There were four or five wildly out-of-date full bedroom sets that I picked out based on the headboards and the various mattresses.
The rocking chair that used to sit on the back porch for ages was up here. I moved the box that was on top of it to the floor, picked up the book underneath it, and sank into the chair, letting it lull me.
This was one of the few possessions that I’d coveted from my mother. It had belonged to her mother, and she hadn’t let her husband, Edward, get rid of it when they moved in together. I didn’t know what it was doing up here if she had fought so hard for it in the ’80s.