Forever With You (Silver State Series) (41 page)

Kyle – 5:00 PM

“
K
yle.”  I glance up at the sound of my name snapping off Donna’s tongue.  “Calm down, son,” she says, moving her hand beneath the table to still my bouncing knee.  “You’re making the whole table shake.”

“Sorry,” I reply before switching to bounce my other leg instead.  I can’t seem to help the fidgeting – I drove home to see my grandparents on Tuesday after my last final, so it’s been four obnoxiously long days since I last saw Tawny.  Each minute seems to last an hour as we wait for the wedding party to enter the reception hall – how I ever managed to survive weeks at a time without seeing her is beyond me.  An ache flares up in my chest as another recurring thought bobs to the surface of my mind –
how the hell am I going to make it through an entire summer when she’s over a hundred and fifty miles away?

Eventually the doors swing open, and everyone stands as bridesmaids and groomsmen parade in.  As they reach the dance floor, each pair strikes some type of dance move.  I let out a deep belly laugh when Tawny comes into view – I can see how red her face is even from here.  She watches as the best man does some sort of funny little jig; when he gestures for her join in, I feel like I can almost feel her heart pounding in my own ears.  When she curls her fingers and steps one leg out to the side, I almost have to pick my jaw up off the floor. 
She’s doing the Thriller dance!
  I whistle with my pinkies in my mouth and clap loudly as I think back to the day I taught her those moves.

Of course, even after the grand entrance of the bride and groom, I still don’t get to actually
talk
to her.  Tawny goes off with the other bridesmaids to sit at the long table at the front of the room next to the wedding cake.  Dinner is served by waiters and waitresses in black vests and cummerbunds.  I make small talk with the other people sitting around our table, most of them from Winnemucca. 
Jesus Christ, will it never end?

Tawny – 6:30 PM

I
’ve finished eating, and I’m squirming in my seat,
dying
to run over to Kyle’s table but knowing I’ll have to wait till we’ve given our toasts.  For the first forty-five minutes after we sat down at our table, every time I glanced up his eyes were on me, but now he’s turned to the others sitting around the table with him.  On my left, Rhiannon is laughing with Blake; on my right, Ruthie and Corinne are having an intense conversation about someone at a neighboring table.  I sigh as I drag my fork through the leftover puddle of sauce on my plate.  My phone begins to vibrate in my clutch lying on the table, and I pull it out of the satin folds, embarrassed I forgot to turn it off.

You look fucking gorgeous

I smile but purposely refrain from looking up as I type a response.

Watch your language Freeman, you use that mouth to kiss your grandmother

I can’t help myself.  It’s torture sitting here just looking at you.

;) Not much longer now…

“Are we boring you, T?” asks Rhiannon. 

I jump and quickly put away my phone.  “No, sorry.”

She laughs.  “I’m just teasing you.  Don’t worry, fifteen minutes, then you can go get your guy.”

A moment later Adam stands to give his toast, then it’s my turn.  I clutch the microphone like it’s my lifeline as I tell everyone how radiantly happy my sister has been since she met Blake and how confident I am that they’re one hundred percent made for each other.  After that the band strikes up a song called “I Will Follow You,” and the two lovebirds share their first dance together as husband and wife.

And then finally,
finally
, I’m free to stand up from the table and go find Kyle.

Kyle – 7:00 PM

T
awny stands up from her seat and gazes out across the crowded room to the table I just came from.  I slip between a couple of people headed out to the dance floor and sneak up behind her before she can take more than a few steps away from her table.

“
Christ
, you scared me!” she says as she spins around in my arms.  Once she’s facing me she begins to laugh, but only for the second it takes me to capture her lips with mine. 

After a moment I reluctantly pull away and tug on her hand.  “Dance with me,” I say.

Once we’re out on the dance floor, I kiss her left hand before placing it on my shoulder, then drop my hand to curl it around her waist and pull her up against me.  I hold her right hand in my left and begin swaying to the rhythm of the music.

“I’ve missed you,” she says softly in my ear as she rests her chin on my shoulder alongside her hand.

I smile and grip her hand tighter, then bend one knee and dip her to the side.  She drops her head, and I bow over her, pressing a kiss against her cheek.  “You have
no idea
,” I whisper before slowly drawing her back up.

“Wow, Kyle, I believe I just saw another one of your tricks,” she says with a giggle.

“Damn straight,” I tell her with a wink.  “And there’s plenty more where that came from.”

She snickers again as she turns her face to rest her cheek against my chest.  “Donna looks really good,” she says after a minute.

I turn my head to the side to see my grandparents dancing not far from us.  “Yeah, she really does,” I agree.  “We’re not out of the woods just yet, but my hunch is we’ll make it there eventually.”

Tawny smiles; she looks thoughtful.  “I’m sure you’re right,” she replies.  “She’s got ‘survivor’ written all over her.”

I squeeze her waist.  “Just like you,” I whisper.

She chuckles, then shakes her head to correct me.  “No, just like
us
.”

Epilogue – Please

Saturday, May 21, Two Years Later

Kyle – 6:30 PM

M
y name is called, and I amble across the stage to accept my diploma.  I make sure to smile out into the auditorium as I shake the dean’s hand, even though I can’t see a damn thing through the glare of the footlights.  I file back down the steps with the rest of the students whose last names begin with F and reach my seat minutes before the announcer starts on the R’s.  When Tawny’s name is called I stand up and whistle as loudly as I can so she’ll know it’s me. 
God, even in a huge polyester robe she looks beautiful.

Tawny started school a year later than I did, but she still managed to show me up by finishing at the same time.  She completed her elective requirements during summer session last year, then carried an extra heavy course load the past two semesters.  After working her ass off, she was able to earn her bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four.  I feel like I could keep whistling all day, I’m so proud of her.

I can’t believe we’re really
done
– done with University of Nevada, at least.  Next fall we’re moving to New York for Tawny to earn her master’s in classical archaeology from Cornell.  First, though, we’ll be spending the summer in Burgos in the north of Spain, where my awesome girlfriend scored a kickass internship on a Roman era dig.  Really, she should’ve just majored in ass kickery and had done with it.

So, we’ll be living in contract housing outside the city, and I’ll be freelancing for a
revista
based out of Madrid, which is about 250 kilometers south of Burgos.  We’re all packed up and thrilled about starting our next big adventure – honestly, nothing could make me happier than being there to see one of Tawny’s dreams fulfilled.  I’ve never forgotten what she told me of her future aspirations during her very first week at UNR.

Once the ceremony is over, I step over people to scoot across the aisle and elbow my way up the center carpet to the R section.  When I see Tawny standing in the middle of the aisle waiting for me, I break out in a run and scoop her up in my arms before spinning her around in a circle.

“We did it!” she squeals as I set her back down.  “Can you believe it?”

“You’re brilliant, and I’m determined, so yeah, I can believe it.”

She laughs.  “We should go find our families.  You’re still getting a ride with Les, right?”

“Sure, babe,” I reply with a knowing smile.  “See you there in a bit.  Oh – and don’t forget, I left my phone at home, so if you need me before then, call Les.”

“Okay – I love you,” she says, reaching up on her tiptoes to give me a quick peck on the cheek.

“Love you more than life,” I call after her as she slips into the crowd in search of her parents.  I chuckle as I watch her disappear.  A couple of weeks ago Les let slip that she’s throwing me a surprise party; apparently she’s been in cahoots with Donna for quite a while.  Of course, I won’t let either of them find out I’m onto them – I don’t want to spoil it for them.  Considering this is just as much Tawny’s day as it is mine, I think it’s kind of absurd, but I’ll let them have their fun.  Besides, I guess they’re sort of lumping it in with my birthday, which is next week.

What Tawny doesn’t know is that I have my
own
surprise planned for this evening.  When I told Les about it, he was more than willing to act as a double agent.  So far everything is playing out just as I’d hoped.

Tawny – 7:30 PM

B
ack at the house Kyle and I are leasing on the northwest side of Reno, I quickly strip down to the teal dress beneath my ugly black robe and finger comb my hair, then walk back out to the kitchen.  The house is for the most part empty, since we already shipped our furniture and most of our belongings to a storage unit in Ithaca.  All that remain are the few things we’re taking with us to Spain.  Still, thanks to Donna’s and my fastidious planning over the past month, we’ve managed to whip up a nice little party in the backyard beneath a big tent we’ve strung with white Christmas lights.  Most of the guests are already here, milling around in the fading light with glasses of wine or bottles of beer.  All that’s left is for Les to text me and let me know they’re on their way – it was his job to stall Kyle for about half an hour before bringing him back here.

My phone chimes –
this must be it
.  Holding my breath, I tap on the screen to view the text message.  Sure enough, it’s from Les.

Slight problem – I took Kyle for a drive to kill some time, and now I can’t get him back in the car

I frown. 
What?!
  I’m in the process of typing a reply when the message light blinks again, and another text pops up from Les.

He says to tell you to come here, he wants to show you something

Oh God, this can’t be happening
.  Could his timing be any worse?  I look up and glance around at all our guests and suddenly feel a bit faint.

“What’s the matter, dear?” says my mom as she comes up behind me carrying a fruit tray.  “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.

“Les is having trouble getting Kyle back over here,” I reply.  “Says Kyle wants to show me something before he’ll come home…”

She sets down the tray, her forehead creased in concentration.  “Well, you’d better go then,” she says finally.

“Mom!” I protest.  “I can’t just go off and leave all these people!”

“Of course you can,” she argues.  “Look at them, they’re all having a good time.  No one will notice if you’re gone, as long as you think you can get back inside of an hour.  Donna and I have it handled.”

I gawk at her in amazement.  I don’t know who this woman is, or what she’s done with my uptight mother for that matter, but right at the moment I’m grateful to her for being here.  “Thanks, Mom,” I tell her as I quickly step away to send a message back to Les.

I’m on my way.  Where am I going?

8:00 PM

L
es texted me back with directions to some place that’s thankfully only about fifteen miles away.  As I drive north, the landscape begins to look vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place it.  When I zip past a horse ranch just over the state line, I begin to wonder if it’s a horse Kyle wants to show me – he knows I’ve been missing my dear old Queenie since she died about six months ago.  I’ve talked about getting another horse once we’re back in the US next fall.

I’m a little concerned about finding my next turn in the dark, so I begin to let off the accelerator in hopes I won’t fly right past it.  A couple of minutes later I spot the trail Les described that spurs off Highway 70, and suddenly I know
exactly
where I am.   It’s the old, long-closed fruit stand on the side of the road that tips me off and brings back memories of the beautiful, late summer day when Kyle brought me here the first time.

My heart rate triples when the big old barn comes into view – I haven’t seen it in years, unless you count the photos we have framed around our house.  I pull up next to Les’s Ford Explorer and flinch when I notice Les is sitting in the front seat – alone.  I climb out of my car, and he rolls down the passenger side window. 

“Where’s Kyle?” I ask, my voice shaking.

“Around here somewhere,” Les replies, a huge grin on his face.  “Go find him – I’ll wait here.”

I turn around and notice a footpath has been laid with dozens of tiny white tea candles.  Taking a deep breath, I follow the flickering lights around the side of the barn and try to ignore the fact my legs feel like they’re made of Jell-O.

I stop when I see Kyle standing with his back to me, staring up at the sky.  I follow his gaze upward to the wash of fading color that rests against the horizon, soon to be extinguished altogether and replaced with millions of stars.  The moon is already visible overhead, a glowing white orb that’s just shy of full.