Page 21 of Something To Talk About
“Bet you aced it,” Devin assures me two hours later as we walk through the fairgrounds. It’s the first fair of the summer and we can’t miss it. It is where our romance started and where our love affair went public.
“Yeah, I bet I did too,” I agree with a giggle and a bounce of my shoulder.
It is a beautiful spring day, and all my classes are done. His classes at the local high school let out last week. I did not expect him to change his entire life plan when we met. Even after our summer romance, I still figured we would be long distance while he went to Baton Rouge, or he would ask me to come up there with him.
No, my sweet, handsome boyfriend said this is his home. Pine Grove is where he wants to be. Because he wants to be with me, and this is my home. I tried to run from it a few times. From the whispers I thought I heard, from the judgement I thought I felt. It was probably all there at one time but that was a long time ago. Small towns always want something to talk about and for a while it was me and my drunkard of a mother.
Now they talk about the new developments coming to our small town, about the casino being built by the river. They talked about our romance for a while, but now the gossip is all about the actress who just moved to town and all the men fawning all over her. Our romance is not forgotten of course, because half the town was there the day we first said I love you.
“I love you,” he says now as we walk through the crowd at the fair, hands tangled as I take a bite of fluffy cotton candy. “I am so proud of you.”
Flushing from his praise, I duck my head. I love making him proud. I have made myself proud too. I did run from him last summer because I gave up on myself. I never gave up on him. I came back because I wanted to tell him at least once that I was in love with him. That he had made me stronger and no matter what happened, he had healed part of me, so I was grateful.
“I love you more. I am proud of us both. Your students adore you. That principal of yours wants to be me,” I tease him about the principal at the high school who clearly has a crush on my man. I will be there soon to keep an eye on her, but since she’s in her fifties and married, I am not too worried.
“Stop it. The entire town wants to be me,” he mumbles as he nods at a group of young guys wearing my band’s latest merch.
None of us want to tour right now, but we still do shows whenever we can. Sometimes we’ll go to True Ridge or Sunset Springs for a weekend but mostly we stay close to home. We’re all settled down now so the rockstar lifestyle no longer calls to us the way it once did.
Grinning at him, I wiggle my fingers in a wave at the guys, laughing when they dramatically clutch their chests and fan themselves. Beside me, Devin grumbles under his breath before he breaks out in a big smile. He loves that I still play music, that I never tried to change myself for him. I never felt as if I had to tone myself down or change how I dress or talk or how I behave, even if as we grow together, it happens a little naturally.
“Come on, we need to hit the Ferris wheel before you perform,” he tells me with a waggle of his brows as he drags me that way.
Once again, I flush because the last time, we were on the ride was a lot different than the first. We might have fooled around before but last time...we spent over an hour on that ride, most of it with me riding him as it circled in the night, all the other buckets close to us empty to give us some privacy.
Just thinking about getting on that ride makes my panties wet. I rub my thighs together as we stand in line, Devin holding me close as he rains kisses all over my throat, my shoulder, his hand sliding beneath my lace top. I don’t even care if people see us up there. We both agree it is part of the thrill.
We make love anywhere the mood strikes us. At the beach, in the water, under the pier. We’ve had loud, raucous sex at the adult theater while we hid in a back booth, we’ve done in the car at the drive in, and even one time after skating at Skateland, we found a hidden alcove and he pinned me against the wall and railed me—while we were both in skates.
“This is my favorite ride,” I tell the ticket guy as he straps us in.
Beside me, Devin chuckles again because we suspect they know just why it is our favorite ride. Before we’re even off the ground, I hook my legs over his, letting him see I didn’t bother to wear panties tonight. I knew we would wind up on this ride and just what we would do once we did.
“God, it’s so pretty,” he hums as he pushes my skirt out of the way as the ride heads for the skies. The cool air feels good on my skin and his fingers slide between the slit, making me moan before the car rocks to a stop. I stare at Devin, just a little fear hitting me as he stares back, pushing two thick, wide fingers inside of me. “We’re going to be up here for a while, baby,” he hums, his thumb passing back and forth over my clit. “I am going to watch you come up here the way I did the night we met. God, I was in love with you before we ever got back down, Debi.”
Staring at him in awe as his pretty words fill the cool summer air in the warmth of twilight, I press a hand to my chest. That empty, jagged cavern that took up space there for so long is full now. Overflowing. Not just because of him, but he is a big part of it. Before I can tell him that, we’re at what we call the top of the world--and the ride jerks to a stop.
Fear slices through me before I feel his hand on the back of my neck. It grounds me, the same way my hand holding his grounds him if he is having a panic attack. I am calm the minute I feel his skin on mine, the second my gaze meets his. We’re not afraid of being up here, we’re not afraid of anything if we’re together.
Well, until he holds up a tiny diamond ring, his mouth trembling as his light eyes shimmer in the neon light of the fair. I start to nod my head before he even gets the question out. We’ve talked about growing up together, and lately we’ve joked about growing old together too.
“Debi, marry me. Please, be my wife. I knew I wanted to settle down one day, somewhere just like Pine Grove, with someone kind, someone brave. I am having a damn good time becoming an adult with you, baby. Now, I want to grow old with you too. Be my wife.”
“Yes. Yes, a hundred times yes. I am having a good time being a grown up too, baby,” I stutter, my hand trembling as he slides the ring on.
Devin pulls gently on the back of my neck, his mouth slanting over mine. I don’t see but feel his fist go up in the air and I laugh into the kiss when I hear a ruckus of applause and shouts of congratulations from below. Looking down, I laugh even harder when I see half of the fair is standing there, watching him propose while the rest of the ride is empty.
“Before they take us down,” I start, taking a shaking breath. “I have something to give you while we’re on top of the world,” my voice shakes even harder as I let out a breath. Taking his hand that still holds mine, his fingers spinning the pretty diamond ring on my finger, I press it to my belly. “Looks as if our best news always comes at the county fair, baby. I’m pregnant. Guess your rockstar is about to become a rockstar mama.”
It takes a moment for him to react. I think a hundred things in that moment, but not one of them is bad. That ugly voice my mother helped create in my head is silent. I am thrilled to be pregnant, to be a student who will become a teacher, to be a part-time rockstar, and soon, a wife. I will be a good mother no matter what happens because I am not her--I am me.
Devin smiles, so big, so bright his eyes light up. “Jesus, now I am truly on top of the world. You’re having my baby! You’re going to be my wife. I cannot wait to grow up with you, baby. To have our children, to be boring old teachers together. I love you so much. Did you hear that,” Devin shouts, leaning out to shout at the watching crowd below. “We’re getting married! And we’re having a baby too! Hell yeah!”
Laughing, as the crowd erupts, I sigh--I guess we’re giving Pine Grove plenty to talk about.
