Believe in Spring (Jett #8)(2)
“Remember that time we drove from Texas to California?” My dad says to my mom.
Her eyes widen. “Oh my god, that was the worst! I mean it ended up being fun, but the initial drive sucked. You had to get a new truck and everything.”
“Wow,” I say. “When did that happen?”
Mom smiles like she does when she’s recalling something special. “Years ago. We were supposed to fly, and then the airport was closed, and then his truck broke down, so we had to buy a new one, and then all the hotels were booked—”
“It was Christmas,” Dad says. He looks at my mom and his eyes soften. “But we made it special, right?”
She melts up against his shoulder. “Yes, we did.”
I smile, even though it’s a little awkward seeing them in one of their special romantic moments. My phone vibrates from my purse, and I bend down to get it.
“Hello?” I say.
“Heyyy babe,” Jett says back. His voice always makes my knees week. Good thing I’m sitting. “How was your test?”
“It was good. How was your practice?”
“It was perfection, as always,” he says with a chuckle. I can tell he’s a little out of breath which means he just got done riding. He’s probably covered in sweat, with the veins bulging on his muscles, which is literally the hottest state he can be in. It’s a shame I’m not there to witness it.
“I’m eating lunch with the parents,” I say.
“Which parents?”
“All of them.”
He laughs. “You poor thing. Have they embarrassed the hell out of you yet?”
“Not yet, but once they realize who I’m talking to, I’m sure they will.”
That gets Jace’s attention and he turns to me. “Talking to Jett?” he asks.
“Nope,” I say quickly. “I’m talking to a platonic girl friend.”
“Is that why you’re blushing?” Dad says.
“Oh my God, ya’ll are the worst,” I say.
On the phone, Jett laughs. “I’m sorry, baby. When you get done, come home. I need your help packing.”
“Don’t worry, “ I say, giving the parents the evil eye as they playfully make fun of me for being so in love. “I’ll be there soon.”
Chapter 2
Jett
Keanna sounded like she was in a great mood on the phone. It’s nice to see the stress of the school year evaporate, if only for a little while. I’m so proud of her for doing this college thing. I’m not even in college yet, and honestly, I don’t even want to go. Here’s hoping the motocross gig earns me enough money to retire early. Keanna is the star in this relationship. She’s the smart one, even if she doesn’t think so. She’s the one who takes care of me and makes my life so much easier.
I put up my bike and head inside to take a quick shower before she gets here. Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Dallas bright and early in the morning, so she’s coming to spend the night with me tonight. Sometimes I wish she’d just stay over here every single night, but since we’re neighbors, it’s not that hard to see each other. Keanna says it would be too weird if she stayed every night, because it’d be like she was living with me while I live with my parents. I totally get where she’s coming from, even though my parents are pretty damn cool.
As I shower, I think back to the life I had before I met her. I was going down a shitty path in life, much the same as most of the guys I know in motocross. Dating whoever, whenever, hooking up with hot girls just for the fun of it. I know my dad hated it, and I can’t blame him. When I met Keanna, I fell hard for the girl. All that other shit in my past just disappeared in an instant, and now, even thinking about the idea of random hookups makes me feel sick to my stomach. How could a guy want to live a life like that when you can have a perfect girlfriend every single day?
I love my parents, but I think it’s a little more than obvious that they love Keanna more than me now. I snort out a laugh as I get out of the shower and get dressed. Keanna is the girl who saved me from a reckless and stupid path in life. They have every reason to love her, and I’m glad they do.
After I get dressed, I stare at the open suitcase on my bed. It’s huge enough for Keanna to crawl inside and zip up—we know because we tried it out for fun once—and it’s black with the blue Team Loco logo on it. I could bring anything I want to, and yet I suck at packing. Right now I have three pairs of jeans, some sleep shorts, a few boxers, and some socks.
I freaking hate packing. I always forget something, from my phone charger to a knee brace or that one time when I forgot to bring my toothbrush but brought two tubes of toothpaste instead. Packing is the worst.
“I’m here,” Keanna calls out, her voice faint as it travels from downstairs all the way up to my room.
“In my room,” I call back. “I need help!”
I can hear her angelic laugh as she jogs up the stairs. “Let me guess?” she says, appearing in my doorway. “Your suitcase is too vast and big and you have no idea what to put in it?”
“Yep,” I say, meeting her at the door. I slide my arms around her waist and pull her close. She smells like green apple shampoo and a little like a Mexican restaurant.