“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. Like the dead, really. My head hit the pillow and the next thing I knew, it was morning.”
“You work hard.” Mom’s smile is gentle. “I’m sure finals took a lot out of you.”
“They were tough. I’m so glad they’re over,” I say.
“Right. Now it’s nothing but relaxing family time for Christmas, and a long winter break. Though I think Ash has a little something planned for you two later today,” she says, tapping her finger against her chin.
“You’re in on it too?” I ask.
“He might’ve mentioned it to me. But I’ve been sworn to silence. You can’t get it out of me, so don’t even try.”
My mother knows me too well. I would’ve totally drilled her for information, though I’m sure she wouldn’t have shared a single detail.
The morning flies by with me helping Mom in the kitchen. She’s been baking nonstop, long before I arrived yesterday, and when she starts pulling plates out, I have to ask her what’s going on.
“We’re making cookie plates for all the neighbors,” she says as she grabs a roll of red cellophane out of the drawer. “Beck and I will deliver them later this afternoon.”
“How long have you been baking cookies?”
“For a few days.” Mom shrugs. “I find baking very relaxing. I’ve been doing it for the last couple of years, making the cookie trays for our neighbors. Now I think they’re starting to expect them.”
“You should win the neighbor of the year award,” I say jokingly.
Mom rolls her eyes. “Look, if you’d told me at your age I’d be baking cookies nonstop for my neighbors in my fancy kitchen and I had four kids with my rich, handsome husband? I would’ve laughed in your face.”
She offers these glimpses into her past life all the time, but it’s never quite enough to know what she’s really referring to. Rarely does she tell the full tale, and it always leaves me curious for more.
It leaves all of us curious. We’ve all discussed it before, and as the oldest, I feel it’s my duty to finally call her out on it.
“When are you going to tell us what happened when you were my age? When you and dad first got together?” I ask boldly.
“Now that’s a story. None of you would believe it, I’m sure.” She laughs. Shakes her head. “Someday I’ll tell you, but not today.”
“I know you had it rough,” I say, my voice gentle. “And that Dad was like your knight in shining armor.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. He saved me, but I saved him right back,” Mom says. “Kind of like how you saved Ash.”
I tilt my head. “I didn’t save him.”
“Yes, you did. He was on the road to nowhere until you two got involved. And once that happened, it was like a snowball effect. Every horrible thing you could think of, happened to that boy. You never faltered. Not once. Not that we saw. While your father worried Ash wasn’t good enough for you, I always knew he was. I could tell.” Mom’s smile is tremulous, like she’s getting emotional thinking about the past. My past. With Ash. “You two are perfect for each other.”
“I know,” I say softly. “He’s wonderful.”
“He is. And he’s going to go far. So will you. You’re going to live a very similar life to the one your father and I have created. Are you ready to be the wife to a NFL player?” Mom asks me.
Am I? That’s a good question. One I’ve never really given much thought to before. And that’s…a lot. My life would completely revolve around Ash’s. His schedule, what team he plays for, all of it. Could I handle that?
I want a life of my own, too. I told my parents at one point I wanted to be a heart surgeon, but I’ve quietly changed my mind. I don’t know what I want to do anymore.
Well, actually I do. My major is psychology, only because that was one of the easier majors to take to acquire a bachelor’s degree. But now that I’ve taken so many core classes, I’ve realized…
It feels almost like a calling, the need to help people. And I can do that if I’m a counselor or a psychologist, which means I need to complete my master’s degree. That also means even more college.
Can I do that, if Ash and I are together? If he’s traveling around, going to games? Will he expect me to be there for him, or can I stay home and still go to school, in whatever city we end up in?
Or am I completely thinking too far ahead and freaking myself out?
Yeah. That’s what I’m most likely doing. I need to hit the brakes and mentally calm myself down.
“…don’t you think?” Mom says, poking my arm, pulling me straight out of my thoughts. “Have you been listening, Autumn?”
“What? Uh, no. Sorry.” I offer an apologetic smile.
“Ash was asking us when you two should leave. I say stay for lunch and maybe you two could take off mid-afternoon?” Mom sends Ash a meaningful look, which I totally catch.
What are these two plotting?
“Do I need to bring anything?” I ask, wishing they’d give me more information.
“You’ll need to pack a bag. We’re staying two nights,” Ash says mysteriously.
“Two nights? Where are we going?” I don’t know why I keep asking. They’re not going to tell me.
“You’ll find out,” Ash says, a wicked smile curling his lips.
That smile is full of promise. Seeing it makes my toes curl.
I think I’m in for an early Christmas treat.
Chapter Four
Ash
By the time we hit the road a little after three in the afternoon, it’s starting to snow and actually stick. Autumn is squealing like a little kid, practically bouncing in the passenger seat of my truck as she watches the snow come down while I navigate the slick roads carefully. She’s wearing a thick coat and one of those cute hats with a fur ball on top of it. Her cheeks are rosy remnants from the chill outside, despite the fact that I have the heater on full blast. And I’m kind of sweating.
Reaching out, I turn it down.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks, her voice full of innocence. She’s been trying to work me over all day. I came close to spilling way too many times. Sucks that we can’t even check in until four o’clock.
“You’ll find out when we get there,” I tell her, purposefully vague. It’s driving her crazy, which has also been fun. I can never keep a surprise from Autumn.
Until now.
We drive out of her neighborhood and turn right onto the highway instead of going left, which would lead us back into town and eventually, off of this mountain. Autumn’s head whips in my direction the moment I make the turn.
“Why are we going this way?”
“You’ll see.”
An irritated growl leaves her, making me chuckle. I always thought she was fairly patient, but not today.
There are a few cars on the road, all of them keeping a fairly cautious speed level, which is a relief. I don’t have a lot of experience driving in snow, and I’m pretty damn grateful I’m not in my previous truck, which was old as hell and had shit tires by the time I got rid of it. I’d probably be slipping and sliding all over this road by now.