Claire

“Let’s go,” Aiken called from my back porch. Smitty was already out there, running circles, tail wagging, zipping around the yard, thrilled to be with his main dude. I looked out my bedroom window and took a deep breath, filling myself with false confidence. I might have been slightly older, but that didn’t mean doubts didn’t fill my head.

They did.

Like a hot-air balloon.

Zippering my suitcase, I took a few deep breaths, inhaling, exhaling, and repeating.

We were off to New York. Aiken had never seen the city, so we were spending a few days sightseeing, doing the tourist thing, before heading to a beach bungalow somewhere on Fire Island. I hadn’t planned any of it. Aiken and his computer skills did all the research, even locating a pet-friendly hotel in the city and a beach rental that allowed dogs.

I hadn’t left Smitty in three years, I wasn’t about to now.

He was my steady.

“Here I am,” I said, lugging my suitcase down the steps and out the back door.

“Richards, that’s what you have me for—the heavy lifting. I thought you would’ve swapped places with me and sent me back up. Now, I see I gotta tell you what to do every step of the way.”

“I’ll have you know, this is my workout for today.”

He snatched the suitcase, easily carried it down the driveway, and tossed it in the back of his truck, secured the cover, opened the door for Smitty and me, and off we went.

“I made a small list of things to see, but you can tell me what’s at the top of your list,” I said when we exited our little town for the highway.

“You, smiling in bed, coffee on the nightstand. You underneath me. You next to me, walking, holding hands.”

“Come on, play along with me. What do you want to do?”

He turned for a quick second, and I caught my reflection in his mirrored aviators. I pulled my hair out of my messy bun and tried to smooth the lines in my face. If I was honest, I felt older for the first time since we’d been together.

“Uh-oh, the wheels are churning. I see them chugging. Chug-a-chug-a-chug.”

I didn’t know how he continued to do that, but he seemed to read my mind.

“Aiken—stop. Come on. Don’t push me.”

“I need to check out the 9/11 memorial and definitely want some New York-style pizza, but I think today we should do Central Park. We can take Smitty, so he’s not cooped up in the car and then the hotel.”

“Really?”

Like that, I felt light again. It was impossible to be serious around Aiken’s zest for life.

“Yeah, really. I’m a thoughtful guy, remember?”

I nodded, my words getting clogged up in a traffic jam in my throat.

He was.

“Sounds perfect. We can grab a pretzel and a hot dog from one of the vendors in the park.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

For most of the drive, we listened to music and chatted about scenery, Smitty sprawled out in the back. Aiken’s dad called, and he sent him to voice mail, saying he’d call him back later. His phone rang a second time, and he said, “I got to take this. Do you mind?”

I shook my head and checked the email on my phone.

“Hey, Bruce, what’s up?”

The other man’s voice filled the cab over the Bluetooth. “Hey, Aiken, all good here. Wanted to tell you that a guy by the last name of Wagner is going to call you. Runs an orchard up near Harrisburg. He’s expanding and wants to drive more traffic to his store.”

“Thanks, appreciate the business.”

“No problem. We love the site. Been telling everyone in my farmer’s group about it. But that’s not all I called about. Been thinking about Jeannie a lot since you were here. Wondering where she went. If she’s okay. Hope she didn’t find more trouble.”

“Thanks, Bruce. My mom was definitely some sort of trouble finder, but I don’t know much more. I’ve been meaning to ask my dad, but I haven’t found a good time to bring it up. Too upsetting and all that. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Same here. Was getting my oil changed the other day, and Roscoe mentioned your grandparents. He’s still got their car in his heap. He’s gonna scrap it.”

“Well, that’s probably all it’s good for. Listen, Bruce, I’m heading on a quick trip with my lady. When I get back, I’ll come by, and we’ll chat.”

“Why didn’t you say? Goodbye.”

The phone clicked off before Aiken could say goodbye.

“You can call your dad back if you want.”

“I don’t,” Aiken said, matter-of-fact.

He turned up the music—something country, twangy blanketed the cabin, and I stashed my bare feet on the dash.

We drove all the way to New York like that, making one stop so both Smitty and I could go steal a potty break.

As soon as we checked into the hotel, Aiken’s feverish excitement rubbed off on me. We hit Central Park, Smitty leashed and raring to go. The sun was high in the sky, but a few clouds and a million skyscrapers lent us shade.

“Look at that.” Aiken pointed toward a young guy down on one knee near a cluster of rocks, obviously proposing to the young woman dressed in all black and standing tall in front of him. Her long hair blew in the wind, her smile visible from where we stood at a distance.

“Cute, if you’re into forever love and all that jazz.” I leaned into Aiken’s shoulder, not daring to make eye contact. At one point, I’d believed in all that jazz.

“I kind of am.” He pinched my side. “With you and all that...jazz…”

“Don’t even finish that thought. I’m not even going to say what I’m thinking, because you already know.”

“Ooooh, is someone being sensitive again?” He poked my side, eliciting a yelp and a laugh.

“Not really. Sort of, but it’s an issue. I was married before, and it didn’t exactly go as planned. And I’m older. And…David lost interest.”

“David wasn’t the right guy. Plus, you’re the fancy-pants psychology professor. Don’t you know age is only a number? A chronological thing, not a barometer for how we should live our lives…once we’re an adult…feel me? Maybe I’m an old fogy at heart?”

I brushed my lips along his cheek, not bothered by the coarseness of his scruff.

“You kind of are an old fogy.” I jumped on his back. “Can you even give me a piggyback ride?” Smitty barked and stared at me. He’d never seen me act so frivolous or impulsive.

“You have to say giddy up.” Aiken started prancing.

“Oh, come on.” I slid down his back, and he whipped me around the front of him, my legs staying wrapped around his waist.

“Give me that mouth.” He gathered me close with the hand not holding the leash and melded our lips together.

His tongue snuck in for a brief sneak attack, before he nipped at my lower lip. With our foreheads touching, he held me tight, Smitty at his side. “You know what? I’m the lucky one, because I got the whole hot love thing and the forever deal wrapped up in one mighty fine package.”

I closed my eyes and tried to digest his words.

“Don’t think so hard about it, Richards. I more than like you, and you more than like me. End of conversation.”

We were diverted when a group of street performers set up near us, boom box blasting some funky dance music as they did tumbles and flips. I welcomed the distraction, still taking in Aiken’s sentiment.

We spent a few minutes watching, before dropping a few bills into their hat and making our way toward the reservoir.

Looping the water sanctuary, we held hands, taking in the sights and sounds.

“I don’t think I could live here,” Aiken admitted.

“Me either. Too fast, too crazy, too hip. Even though I was raised in Pittsburgh, I’m a small-town girl at heart. Not that Pittsburgh is anything like here, but it’s a busier city than the center of the state where we live. I like the pace, the change of seasons, the leaves, how the whole town bustles from the college, all of that. Probably why I never left rural PA. That and tenure. I thought about it a lot after Abby died, but I just didn’t want to leave.”

“Makes sense. You have roots.”

“What about you? Where do you see yourself putting down roots one day?”

“Did you hear what I said earlier? With you. Used to think near my dad, now I’m not so sure.”

“Aiken, don’t.” The breeze felt good against the beads of sweat forming on my neck. I took my hand back and busied it with tying my hair in a messy knot.

“I mean it. With you. I always thought it’d be back in the Midwest, but I like your place and mine, and I like you better than all of it combined.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m not really of the age for putting down roots. That was like a decade ago for me.”

“Shh, don’t ruin the moment, Claire.”

He took my hand back, the leash in his other one, and led us down a path. “Let’s go get some good grub and enjoy ourselves. You don’t know it yet, but we are putting our own roots down every damn day.”

He squeezed my fingers, and I shut up.