Pieces of You (12 page)

She nods at me and smiles as she picks up an empty plate and walks away teasing the customers as she always does. I look around the room, and everyone lights up when she approaches them. She may be the owner, but she gives every customer one on one attention and they all appreciate it.

Stepping back outside I decide to hang the ones closest to eye level and call it a day. I have a lot to think about and come to terms with, and I don't know if being high upon a ladder with a nail gun in my hand will be a good idea while I'm distracted.

Chapter 15

Waking up that morning, I feel energized. We stayed at my house last night since her car was already packed with her items. The plan is to stop on the way out of town and pick up snacks for the road. Sue offered to have some sandwiches made for us at seven and some coffee to go as well. She's such an amazing lady. Always taking care of people in this town.

I roll over and feel her with my fingers, gentle strokes on her arms cause goosebumps to rise in the wake of my touch. Slowly, I press my lips to the small of her back causing her to wiggle and moan slightly.

"Wake up, sleepy head."

"Mmm, mmm." She objects with a moan.

"We need to go."

"I don't wanna." She groans into her arm.

Laying beside her, I kiss her cheek and urge her awake one more time before sliding my foot over the side of the bed and pulling on my jeans. Walking to my dresser, I open the third drawer and remove my super comfy t-shirt for the trip. I need comfort if she wants me to be on the interstate for fifteen hours.

From the bed I hear Riley sigh and turn in time to watch her pull the blanket around her body and roll over. Her dark hair covers the pillow in a messy nest. Her face is nice and puffy from sleep and has creases where she rested on the pillow. "What if I said the trip was a ruse so we could stay in bed for an entire week and everyone would think we were gone?"

"I'd say, nice try. Get dressed we need to be on the road if we're going to make it to the hotel in good time."

In a dramatic swoop, she throws the blankets off of herself and sighs. "FINE!" She twists her body and sits so her back is facing me. "I'll get dressed. I really don't want to get out of this bed though. This was quite possibly the best sleep I have had in over a week."

She starts to pull on some clothes and stands, sliding her sweats over her hips and pulling a hoodie over her head. Turning back to me, she twists her hair up in a ponytail and crawls to me over the bed. I stand here, unmoved since I saw her naked backside. Instead, I am frozen and watching her.

"I thought you said you wanted to get a move on. Where's your shirt, bucko?" She pokes my abs making my skin jump from her touch. I find myself dumbfounded and momentarily unable to speak. Finally able to clear my throat, she laughs at me and walks out of the room. I shake my head and finish getting dressed, following shortly behind her.

Tossing the strap of my bag over my shoulder, I leave the bedroom, making sure all the lights are off before I do. Reaching the living room, I find her drinking a glass of water, ready to go. Noticing me enter the room, she finishes the rest of her water and smiles at me. "Ready?"

"I sure am!" I reply over eagerly. I'm sure she can see right through me, but she doesn't say anything, instead she winks and picks up her bag and her keys from the counter. We leave my place and head to Sues for the road food that was promised. The bell above the door chimes as I walk in and Sue is just packing everything in bags.

"Here you go, Ty. I hope this is everything you'll need. You shouldn't be hungry until you reach that motel later on today." She folds the top of the bags down and pushes them toward me on the counter.

"Thank you so much, Sue. I'll be back in a week and come by here first. If you need anything, I'll take care of it. How much do we owe you?" I reach in my back pocket for my wallet, and she shakes her head.

"Absolutely nothing, darlin'. With all the stuff you do around here for me, this is the least I can do for you. I've put some cold drinks and candy bars in the bag as well. You shouldn't need to be stopping for anything but a leg stretch and a bathroom break." Her solid hands lift the bags and push them into my arms with a chuckle.

"Alright, thank you."

"Now get yourself outside to the car so you can take this journey. It's past due." She shoos me away with her hands and busies herself around the restaurant.

I turn and leave. I suppose I was hesitating. It's nerve racking having to do this for the first time in a year. I can't pretend I won’t be nervous every time there's a semi-truck or an intersection on the road. I just have to face it and learn to get past my past.

Riley's eyes open wide when she sees the items I'm carrying, and she clambers out of the car to help me open the door.

"What in the world is in those bags?" She laughs as she climbs back in, leaning over the console to roll up the rim on one of them.

Dismissing her with my hand, I tell her to mind her own business, and I hand her the cup of coffee that was meant for her. Cheering, she brings it to her lips and takes a deep sip, sighing when she does.

"Sue makes THE best coffee in town." As I take a sip of my own.

Tucking the coffee cup into the cup holder, Riley backs out and slowly pulls down the road ready to hit the interstate. Silently, I say goodbye to the town as we pass certain areas. I know I won't be gone long, but it just feels really odd leaving for the first time since that last time to a place that wasn't my parent's place. I clench my jaw several times and tap my fingers on my thigh when she merges onto the interstate. Riley notices my anxiety and takes my hand in hers. Squeezing my hand slightly she reassures me that I'm going to be okay.

* * *

Three hours into our trek and I am finally comfortable enough to take my eyes from the road for a few minutes at a time.

"Babe, can you pass me a candy bar please?" Riley asks since the bag is at my feet, and she needs to keep her eyes on the road. I'm sure she's doing it because I started to stress out a little bit. She's always distracting me when she can tell I need it the most.

Reaching into the bag, I jump when Riley screams. Panicking I sit up as fast as I can and grab my chest, preparing myself for anything. When I look around I see nothing, but I'm still near hyperventilating. Looking at her with wild eyes, I realize why she's screaming. Riley reaches over and turns down the radio.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry, Ty." Her brows are furrowed and deep regret is etched into her face. She covers her mouth and blinks her wide open eyes. "I just got really excited when I heard what was on the radio," she admits and turns up the sound.

"Are you kidding me right now?" I scold. "You nearly gave me a heart attack for Rick Astley ... are you serious?"

She snickers into her hand and nods slowly.

"So you seriously, seriously just screamed because Rick is never gonna give you up? Really?" I shift in my seat and face her. "I can't believe that."

"Pretty ridiculous, huh?" she asks and chews the inside of her lips.

"Beyond ridiculous." I stare at her and drum my fingers against the glass. "Did you Rickroll me? Is that what you would call it?"

She's laughing wildly at me now. I continue to watch her as she laughs heartily while driving down the interstate. She's beautiful. The sun is shining through the window causing her hair to halo her head. Her smile lights up the whole vehicle and her eyes sparkle. I could very easily fall for this woman if I let myself. I don't know if either of us are ready for that, but it might be heading in that direction.

"Well, let's hear it then. If it was that exciting, let's hear it." I reach over and turn up the volume and the sound of Rick never giving us up makes my head spin. Riley starts singing along and although the song is ridiculous, it's absolutely adorable to see her this happy. I shake my head and join in on the last chorus, shaking my head the entire time.

When the song ends, she gives me a dirty look.

"What?" I ask. "Why do I get a dirty look?"

"My candy bar, you never did pass it to me." She pouts, and I shake my head before bending over and collecting one for her.

"There. This make you happy?" I ask after opening it for her and watching her take a big bite.

Once she chews and swallows she turns to me and shakes her head. "Nope, it doesn't make me happy."

"No?"

"No."

I look out the side window and watch the landscape whiz past. "What makes you happy then?"

Her hand falls on my thigh and she squeezes. "You do. You make me happy." Snapping my head back to her, I see the look on her face. She’s absolutely glowing.

"You make me happy too, babe." I confirm with her. It's absolutely honest. She makes me smile and fills me with warmth. Leaning over the console, I kiss her cheek and her smile widens.

"Just wait until we stop. I've got something special for you." She winks and makes a kiss sound with her lips.

"Intriguing," I counter and she laughs. "You wanna give me any hints?"

"Nope," she replies, popping the P as she does.

"Fine, I don't want to know anyways." I pout and pull myself closer to the car door, in an attempt to hide my smile I scratch my chin.

"Oh don't be a baby." She teases and slaps my chest lightly, causing me to cough and sputter.

"Be gentle, baby!" I bring my hands to my chest playfully.

"I'm pulling over at the next rest stop. I need to stretch my legs." She shifts in her chair, stretching her back and her shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, I make my difficult decision before sharing it with her.

"When we stop I'll take over and drive for a while."

"You sure you want to do that?" she asks. "It's not necessary. I just need to stretch a little bit."

I chew on my cheek and nod. "I'm really serious. I can do it for a while. I don't know how long I can do it, but I can certainly try to do it for a while, you deserve a break."

"Just tell me if you need to change. I will gladly change back," Riley whispers. Neither of us are sure I will be able to do this.

Just up ahead is the turn off to the next rest stop. Shoulder checking, Riley puts on her signal and slowly merges off of the interstate. My nerves start taking over.

After she parks we unbuckle our belts, climb out of the car and stretch our legs. Taking my hand she walks us to the edge of the turnout and then back. We walk slowly, just enjoying each other's company.

"Want to have lunch now? Or do you want to wait?" I ask when I hear her stomach rumble.

"Maybe we should eat now. We can always hit a gas station for snacks in a couple of hours if we need to," she replies as we reach the car.

Pulling her in front of me, I lean down slightly and press a kiss to her lips. Her arms reach around my neck and she kisses me back. We pull back slightly and look into each other's eyes. My heart fills when I see the look she's giving me. I'm really lucky.

"Here." I lift her up onto the hood of her car. "I'll get our lunch. Sit tight." I kiss her nose and rush around to the passenger door to retrieve the food bags packed by Sue. Carrying them to the front of the car, I place the bags on the hood and begin pulling out the lunch as prepared for us.

Pulling out the plastic wrapped sandwiches, we also find potato chips and desserts. Sue pretty much thought of everything. Opening the plastic wrap, we find that she used her amazing roast beef for these and my mouth begins to water.

"Wait until you eat this, you will never find another sandwich that will ever compare to it."

"Is that so?"

I nod and unwrap her sandwich for her handing it to her. She takes it and pulls it toward her mouth. "Just eat it, you'll see," I tell her and wink while unwrapping my own and taking a bite, moaning around the meal.

Riley follows suit and in no time she's moaning along with me. Her eyes are wide and she dives in for another bite even before she finishes the first.

"You are so right. Oh, my God. Remind me to kiss Sue when we get home."

I love the sound of that. We and home in the same sentence gives me something to consider for the future.

My nerves start taking over.

Finishing our meals, I take the keys and go around to the driver's side. Climbing in the first thing I do is change radio stations.

"What are you doing? You can't touch that! It's my car." Riley chirps and slaps at my hand. Calmly I turn to face her.

"Riley. When you were driving you chose the radio station. You screamed because of Rick Astley and, by the way, scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry, but you have to admit it was pretty funny."

"Maybe. But since I am driving now, I get to choose and let me tell you. I will not be screaming over Rick Astley or Justin Bieber or Nick Jonas." She raises her eyebrow and eyes me speculatively. "Yes, I know who they are. Sheesh."

"Fine, you change the station. See if I care." She crosses her arms and sits back in her seat, pouting as she stares out the window.

I smile and turn up the volume before pulling the car away from our temporary parking space and getting back onto the interstate. My palms are slightly sweaty, and I quickly wipe them off on my jeans. Riley notices the radio station doesn't change, and she turns back placing her hand on my thigh.

"It's going to be fine, babe. We can switch at any time, just say the word." She reassures me and leans over the console whispering into my ear, "Thank you for not changing the station."

"Thanks, babe." I try to keep my voice calm and my heart from racing as we continue on our journey.