THIRTY
Fallon
“So lemme get this straight. You actually won awards…for swimming?” Jack’s wide cognac eyes grew as if the notion were downright unbelievable, beach towel under one arm as we walked the dirt path to Landry’s only swimming hole.
“Bet your life, she did,” I chimed in, winking at Augusta Belle.
We’d been in town for over two weeks now, the quarters at Landry’s finest roadside motel becomin’ a little cramped. But all the quality time with Jack well worth the squeeze.
And Augusta.
Every day since the one we’d had our reckoning under the magnolia trees somewhere between here and Jackson had been as damn near close to perfect as any I’d had. Augusta just had that way of shakin’ up things, enough adventure to keep you on your toes and pushin’ for just a little more.
Augusta was my more.
Always had been.
I’d finally just gotten around to showin’ her that, every moment I had with her.
And now we were blessed with Jack, the wildly hilarious, unbelievably sarcastic eight-year-old who seemed to be adjusting to his new extended family shockingly well.
Guess somethin’ about the way Augusta and I came together all those years ago didn’t surprise me that we’d created life. It’d felt like the earth had flipped upside down and inside out, my world never the same again.
The night we met like two stars, combustin’ together in a perfect, beautiful storm not far from the banks of the Whiskey River.
“You wanna see a pro in action?” Augusta Belle’s sweet twang pulled me from my memories.
“Bring it!” Jack called, dropping his towel as soon as the pathway opened up and running as fast as his legs could carry him to the edge of the river. He turned, giving us each a wave before jumping off the small ledge, landing in an almost belly flop, and then coming up for air, radiant grin on his face.
We all erupted into laughter, Augusta already pulling her shirt over her head and discarding it at my feet, rebel twinkle in her eyes. She climbed up the taller slab of stone, Jack’s eyes the size of dinner plates as he watched her from water level.
A teenager launched himself headlong over the cliff and landed in a slow-moving whirlpool of river water below.
I gave Augusta two thumbs up when she reached the top of the stone, pulling her hair back into a ponytail before throwing both of us one last wave and an air kiss.
I sucked in a breath, the familiar sense of knots twisting in my stomach when she backed away from the edge, then sprinted on angel’s wings across the hard stone, launching headfirst over the side and arching like a swan, fingertips reaching above her head as she free-fell.
Jack watched, eyes bigger than the tires on my truck when Augusta cut through the water, disappearing under the current. We both waited, his eyes on the spot she’d vanished, mine on him.
My beautiful boy.
The last week ’Jack had been in my life, he’d brought more sunshine than I knew I was missin’, the thought of his absence becomin’ harder to take.
I still didn’t know what was next for Augusta Belle and me; we hadn’t talked about it. I wasn’t sure how I felt about things, but watchin’ her be a mom to Jack was like watchin’ a flower bloom after the first spring rain.
I couldn’t take her away from that, but what opportunities Landry had for me I wasn’t sure.
The thought of livin’ far away from this kid left a dark cloud hangin’ over my head, but I didn’t know if it was darker than the idea of stayin’ in Landry either.
I had some cash stashed, but I had no plans for retiring anytime soon.
Short of losing Augusta Belle, losing my lifeline—the music—sounded like another idea of hell.
But could I lose my boy?
Jack’s eyes searched the still waters, worry lacing his features before Augusta surfaced just out of reach of him, hair soaked down the length of her back, triumphant smile on her face.
“Dude, how did you hold your breath that long?” Jack looked up at the woman who’d birthed him, displaying the same rebel twinkle, upturned nose dotted with a spray of sweet freckles, deep brown eyes, and honey hair.
There was no doubt on the planet that he was hers.
“You’ve just got to practice. Even a few minutes every day can help build your lung capacity, and that’s the key to outracing the competition.” She pushed a hand through his wet hair.
“Holding your breath?” He ducked away, splashing her as he did.
“Nope.” She splashed him back. “Practicin’.” She splashed again, then turned, eyes set on me.
I held up my arms, shaking my head before she used both hands to paddle as much water my way as she could muster. Jack joined in, and before long, I was soaked to the core, pullin’ off my shirt and divin’ in after them. Jack laughed when I launched more water his way, before ducking and paddlin’ away.
“That boy can swim too.” I stopped as soon as he was out of earshot.
Augusta Belle snaked her arm around my waist, leaning her head against my chest as she sighed. “He’s the sweetest, smartest, most sarcastic human I’ve ever met.” She twined her fingers with mine. “Next to you.”
I grinned, about to grace her forehead with a kiss when a tsunami from hell caught me by surprise and an evil little laugh cackled just out of my reach.
“He’s definitely his mother’s kid,” I hummed under my breath before launching into the water and swimming toward Jack.
Augusta was hot on my tail, teaming up with Jack to soak me to the bones for the rest of the afternoon.
The very best time of my life.
* * *
“So, you’re tellin’ me I don’t have any grandparents left?” Jack asked, dribbles of watermelon still dripping off his chin as we finished what was left of our picnic.
“Well…” Augusta put an arm around Jack, ruffling the short spikes of his new haircut, something “cool” for baseball, he’d requested. “Life can be unfair sometimes, buddy.”
His eyes tracked from mine across the picnic table to Calvin’s and then finally landed on Augusta’s. “But I don’t understand. Dad showed me that picture. I had a grandpa, he knew about me.”
I swallowed the burn blazing a trail down my throat. I wished I had something to tell him, some consolation for the fact that sometimes people just weren’t nice. That was all I could ever come up with to explain the awfulness of the world anyway.
“I don’t know why he chose to do what he did, Jack,” Augusta finally offered.
“I bet not a day went by he didn’t regret it, son. And what have we always told you?” Calvin’s eyes held steady on Jack’s.
“That sometimes people just aren’t ready to raise a baby,” Jack recited.
I chewed on my bottom lip, wishing I had more to give. “It’s true, Jack,” I finally murmured. “Augusta Belle and I, well, we weren’t in any place to have a baby. And maybe life coulda been different, but who’s sayin’ life woulda been any better if we had? I’ve spent a lot of my life wishin’ I could change the past, and it was a lotta life wasted.” I pressed a hand on his back. “I’m not about to waste any more of that time.”
Jack frowned but nodded with reluctant understanding.
“The truth is”—Augusta’s eyes bounced from Calvin’s then to Jack—“my parents…your grandparents…well, I believe they thought they were doin’ what was best.” She knocked shoulders with our boy. “But I know for sure they wish they could be here now, watching you hit home runs with the Eagles and swimming like a star.”
He turned up his face, eyes catching the sun and glowing. “I want to go to Tennessee someday, see the ridge, and the river you used to swim in. I want to see the house too.”
My heart thrummed quicker with his words, the idea of bringing him home to Chickasaw, showin’ him all those places that were the backdrop of Augusta’s and my story… I didn’t know if I had the heart to relive it all, especially through his young eyes.
“Maybe someday, pal.” Augusta grinned. “How’s about right now we clean up and then head downtown for some ice cream?”
“Can we, Dad?” Jack asked Calvin.
He nodded. “Home by dark, though. You’ve got one more day of school before the weekend.”
“Ugh. Can’t I stay with Fallon ’n’ Augusta?” His little Southern drawl was more noticeable in the evening when he was tired. Reminded me of Augusta even more with that twang.
“We don’t really have a good situation set up for sleepovers, buddy.” Augusta glanced at Calvin. “That hotel is close, but there isn’t much room…”
“I can sleep on the floor. I don’t care!”
“That’s definitely not happening,” I announced, a little repulsed. “Maybe we could find something bigger to rent for the weekend?”
Calvin shook his head, patting Jack on the shoulder. “Maybe someday, buddy, but you best be movin’ on that ice cream if you want to get there before they close.”
Jack slipped his hand into Augusta’s, her cheeks warming as a slow smile crossed her lips at his contact.
I sucked in a breath, thoughts of what the world held for us as we took off for the sidewalk, sights set on ice cream, my mind a blur with possibilities.