Bet on It (86)

She believed Walker when he said he loved her. She could hear in his voice that he meant it. The way he spoke about her was pained and impassioned, a tone she’d never before had anyone speak to her in. She could sense his desperation for her, and that emboldened her. But it didn’t make her any less afraid. Because she felt the same, with the same level of intensity that he had for her. And while she couldn’t predict the future, she knew that if they did this, she would be all in. What she needed was for him to show her that he would be too.

“I’m not sure what I can give you to prove that I’m serious about this other than time,” he said quietly, reverently. “I just need some time to make you see how much I love you, how dedicated I am to makin’ you happy. I’m ready for this. Let me show you.”

Damn him. How was she supposed to think clearly, to weigh the pros and cons of what action she took next, when his words were so fucking pretty? Not just pretty, but real.

Aja didn’t want to deny him. There wasn’t a single, solitary part of her that wanted to say no. Parts of her brain clung to that little niggling seed of doubt though, and she needed to push them away. Not just to the back of her head, but completely. If she was going to do this, she couldn’t afford to let herself harp on a potential negative outcome. It wouldn’t happen overnight, she’d have to work on it, but it was necessary.

It would require faith on her part. The belief that everything would work out because they would make sure it did, together. That their love was enough, not because it could conquer everything, but because the strength of it would make them strong enough to handle all that came with being who they were. And she wanted it.

She took the leap.

“Yes,” she breathed. “All right. Yes. Let’s do it. You and me.”

Walker grinned, making her belly flip.

“I get my girl, and I get to eat a nice, fresh cobbler. My fuckin’ Peaches.”

Then he kissed her, and she could have sworn the world shook around them.





Epilogue


Beaufort, South Carolina, had a population of just a little over thirteen thousand. It was big enough that it had its own Walmart Supercenter but small enough that you could drive through the main drag on a weekday afternoon and encounter no traffic. It also happened to be roughly thirty minutes from Greenbelt.

Aja and Walker had spent a year and a half making the most out of a long-distance relationship. With Walker working fully remote, he was able to travel to Greenbelt during the week, while Aja typically took the hour-and-a-half drive to Charleston on the weekends. They made time to see each other at least two weeks out of every month, and the two weeks they couldn’t, they took full advantage of FaceTime and Skype. Most of the time, those calls ended in one or both of them naked and spent, arms straining to keep a phone up to their face.

They were right when they’d predicted that it wouldn’t be easy, but it hadn’t been nearly as hard as they’d guessed either. Having some time apart was probably a good thing. They got to revel in their relationship without having it take over every aspect of their lives in an unhealthy way. They kept their friendships and their privacy intact while also taking the time to learn about each other. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked for them … for a time.

When they became dissatisfied with not being able to see each other every day or sleep in the same bed every night, they decided it was time for their relationship to undergo another transformation. Walker still had no interest in settling down in Greenbelt, and Aja believed more firmly than ever that she was not meant to live in a big city. The only option left had been to search for a place that was new to them both.

They hadn’t needed to look very far. A trip through Beaufort while on their way to the drive-in during the summer had proved to be enlightening. They’d taken one look at each other and made the decision then and there.

Miri, Jade, Olivia, and Ms. May had been with them when they’d picked up the keys to their rental house days before. The girls had graciously volunteered to help them move while Ms. May had sat on a lawn chair on the porch with a glass of sweet tea in hand and ordered them all around. She was still “healing,” of course. Even years after her accident she still claimed she could feel a tingle in her arms any time physical labor was involved. Benny had even been kind enough to bring by a Walmart gift card and order them a pizza for their first night alone in the house. Aja had to stop herself from squealing at the look of happiness on Walker’s face when his father had shown up.

Moving had been surprisingly painless, but they had quickly realized that they’d had a suspiciously easy go of things. Completely smooth sailing until it came time to figure out how the furniture was supposed to be situated.

“If we put the couch here, there’ll be a glare on the TV.” Walker had his hands on his hips like a pregnant person, and she had to work really hard to take him seriously.

“I understand, but the couch is the focal point of the entire living room, and it looks better there. Besides, don’t they have those antiglare things you can put on the TV to prevent that?”

He looked at her like she’d committed sacrilege. “And ruin the integrity of the picture with one of those thick-ass plastic things? I don’t think so, Peaches.”

Aja huffed. “What if we just … didn’t put the TV in here at all? We could put it in the bedroom instead.”