“No,” she responded after a minute. “Can’t—” Her lips thinned into a tight line.
“What?”
She hesitated before releasing a rough breath. “Can’t Beau talk to them? Be like, ‘Hey, y’all aren’t being fair,’ or something?”
A stunned laugh left me. “No. No, he can’t. They would . . .” My head shook quickly. “Madi, he’s so afraid, that he doesn’t even really talk around them.”
“I know,” she said, her face creasing like she was trying to figure out how to explain what she was thinking. “But it just doesn’t make sense. Beau . . . Beau Dixon . . . afraid of anyone or anything.”
“He isn’t afraid of them, he’s afraid of what they can do. You saw how fast I was gone last summer. He’s terrified that if he so much as says the wrong thing in front of them—let alone loses control—they’ll send me back to my grandparents’ until I graduate.”
Worry danced across her face as she nodded.
“You remember how bad it was when he told them he wasn’t gonna break up with me,” I said. “That fight between my parents and his.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” She glanced to the side. “I guess it must be really hard for him between that and trying to prove to his mom that he doesn’t need to go to the military academy.”
“Yeah,” I whispered.
That.
Coming home last summer only to find out I’d almost returned to Beau being eight hours away at the Marine Military Academy had shaken me to my core. It had put everything about Beau and our relationship on a delicate, razor-sharp edge.
One that we struggled every day to remain balanced on because the threat of either of us being sent away still lingered overhead.
Thankfully, his dad was very much on the side of not sending Beau away for now. But just loving Beau was reason enough for my parents to want me away from him. One wrong move, and I would be back in Utah.
I loosed a long sigh when my cell phone rang. “Surprise, surprise.” Flipping it open, I pressed the answer button and held it to my ear, “Hi, Mom.”
“Savannah, where are you?”
“At Madison’s,” I said slowly. “Remember, I’m spending—”
“Okay, we’re outside. Come here please.”
I should’ve probably tried to seem shocked or something, but I just stood from the bed and said, “Be right down.”
After ending the call and tossing my phone next to Madison, I gave her an exaggerated eye roll and headed for her bedroom door as Madison’s giggle sounded behind me.
I resisted the urge to fold my arms as I left Madison’s house and headed for the idling car, knowing it would only make them angry. But my irritation had to be written all over my face.
My dad rolled down the driver’s side window when I rounded the car, and my mom leaned over him, looking closely at me. Analyzing my pajamas, messy bun, and makeup-free face.
“What are the two of you doing in there?” she asked.
“Talking.”
“Who else is here?”
I slowly dragged in a breath before releasing it. “Her parents.”
“And?” she urged.
“I dunno. Maybe some ghosts.”
She scoffed and sat back in her seat, waving off my sarcasm. “Your sass isn’t appreciated, Savannah.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sorry.”
“Where’s your phone?” my dad asked.
“Up in Madison’s room.”
He glanced at the second story, looking like he was debating on making me get it before asking, “Has Beau called you tonight?”
“No. Why? Did something happen after we left?”
He raised a hand to try to comfort me. “The boys left for that party, and we want to make sure the two of you aren’t planning on going there with them.”
I gestured to my outfit. “I’m clearly not going to a party. I already told mom it was only for the sports teams anyway.” At least that part was all true.
My dad nodded after a moment before putting the car in reverse. But instead of backing up, he pointed at me. “No party. No leaving. No Dixon boys.”
My lips parted to accept their rules, but a question I’d wondered for so long slipped free instead. “And if it wasn’t a Dixon?”
Dad’s head snapped to me, surprise written all over his face when he didn’t receive immediate obedience. “Excuse me?”
“You said ‘no Dixon boys.’ If I was dating Philip,”—I sneered his name, hating that my parents loved Philip Rowe so much and always brought him up like he might ever be an option—“would y’all still be like this? With these rules and checking on me multiple times a day? Making it so I couldn’t even hug him? Always reminding me that I could be back in Utah at a moment’s notice?”
Shock and irritation fled from my mom, but it was my dad who spoke up. “Why don’t you do everyone a favor and find out?” The words a pure challenge.
My mouth formed a hard line as my head slowly shook.
“If not?” he continued. “Well, what happens is up to you. No party. No leaving. No Dixon boys,” he repeated slowly.
“I know.” It was a whispered acceptance, but it was enough for them.
With another nod from my dad, they reversed out of the driveway, and I made my way back into the house and up to Madison’s room.
In the time I’d been gone, she’d already cleaned it up and was fixing her hair at her vanity.
She gave me a wide-eyed look. “Do they need me to come out there too?”
“No, they left.”
Her eyes darted over my face, studying me. “I’m sorry, friend.”
I shrugged and headed for my bag. “I wonder if they’ll ever realize that if they weren’t like this, I wouldn’t sneak out or go behind their backs.”
At that, Madi snorted. “Um . . . you do realize that I do all this sneaking out and sneaking people in with you?”
I paused from pulling out my clothes, my lips stretching into a grin. “Valid point.”
“What do you think?” she asked, gesturing to the skimpy little outfit she’d laid out on the bed.
“Super cute and super sexy.” I turned to face her, my voice dropping to a whisper. “But how long are you actually going to be wearing it?”
Her cheeks reddened, but she just shrugged. “It deserves to be worn, even if only for a few minutes. And don’t think I didn’t notice which way you decided to go tonight.”
My grin turned mischievous as I finished pulling one of Beau’s older football jerseys over my head.
“His favorite,” Madison said bluntly.
“His favorite,” I agreed as I stepped into my little dance shorts. Once I was dressed, I pulled my hair out of the bun and searched for my brush. “When are we gonna call them?”
“Already did as soon as you left,” she said, looking all kinds of excited. “Hunter said they’d be here in a bit.”
I sucked in a deep breath when hummingbirds took flight in my stomach. “Can’t wait.”
I needed this. Beau and I hadn’t had any alone time since the beginning of summer. With our junior year starting next week, and everything that came along with it, alone time was going to be even harder to find.