Scarlett Bound

Chapter 18

Devin pulls into the dirt parking lot. We drive up and down rows looking for a spot to park. It’s difficult to see anything with all the dust in the air that’s been kicked up by car tires. When we’ve been driving around for ten minutes without any luck we drive to the back of the lot where it's bound to be empty.

“If there aren't any spots back here I think we should just nudge a motorcycle out of the way and take their spot.”

“I don’t know if I can second that. A man’s motorcycle is something that you don’t mess with,” he tells me seriously. I press my lips together firmly to keep myself from laughing. Boys and their toys, you can’t ever make a joke about their precious babies. You would think I would know this by now with all the testosterone I grew up around and still deal with.

“There’s one!” I point frantically in the direction of the empty spot that's between two big pickup trucks. One has tires so big that it looks like it should be in a monster truck race.

He drives quickly and whips the car perfectly into the spot. With a triumphant cheer, we exit the car. I shove my phone into my back pocket, stick my cards in my bra so I know they are in a secure place, and hook my keys to one of my belt loops. Now I’ve got my hands free for food and drinks.

By the time I've finished stowing away all of my belongings, Devin is still collecting his things. His camera bag is unzipped allowing him to rummage around. He pulls out a few things and stows them away in the lockbox then pulls a few things out to add to his camera bag. Once he’s sure he has everything he needs he checks his camera. He turns it on and the digital display glows to life. I watch as his fingers quickly move around clicking one button then another.

When he’s done clicking and adjusting he recaps the lens and places the camera carefully back in the back. He zips up the precious cargo and then straps the bag around his shoulders. After locking up everything he turns to face me.

“Does it ever get annoying carrying around that big back everywhere?” I ask curiously as we make our way to the entrance. This walk is going to take us a while. It’ll be a good little workout for after I eat my weight in fair food.

“At this point, my camera is a part of me. It feels strange if I don't have it near. As if I lost a limb. It seems to annoy other people more than anything. Especially women who have an issue with wanting the spotlight on them twenty-four seven.”

“Oh, really? I’m intrigued.” I say playfully. Small puffs of dirt cloud around my feet from my steps. Turning around, I walk backward so I can look at Devin while he talks to me. I am curious and also terrified to hear about the relationships he’s had over our time apart. I imagine his stories include yachts, bottles of champagne, and bonbons.

I’ve seen some of the women he was photographed with. Drop-dead gorgeous doesn't even come close to how fantastic they all looked. I may be good with makeup and hair but the bodies those women had puts mine to shame. Those ladies had legs for days with flat stomachs, cute perky breasts, and bone structure that is so amazing you wonder if they had plastic surgery or were just lucky enough to be born with it on top of all their other amazing looks.

Seeing him with all those models throughout the years made me question our relationship even more. Why would someone as mind-blowingly beautiful as Devin who can get with any model he wants, spend a summer dating me? The man watched me through my awkward phases growing up, picked on me like one of my brothers would, and let's not even start on my looks. I’ll just keep it simple with the fact I’ve never had a flat stomach in my life and if I tried squeezing into a pair of size four jeans my calf wouldn't even fit in those bad boys.

“Those women were all the same, superficial. They were all smiles and sweetness in front of the cameras but once they weren't around they became completely different people. All obsessed with the fame, money, parties, gifts, attention,” he says with a sigh and roll of his eyes, “it was exhausting. Not to mention it wasn’t any fun. It was like I was dating two different people. The one they pretended to be for the media and the person they were in private.”

“I’m sorry.” Frowning, I slow my pace so I can walk next to him. “That sounds terrible. You didn’t deserve for them to treat you like a payday.”

“I take some of the blame. I realized that I was attracting all the same types of women because I was acting like my same old playboy self. It took me a while but I finally became aware that I needed to grow up. That kind of lifestyle wasn't for me anymore. I was ready to find something more and build a life with someone who understood me.”

As we get closer to the entrance the number of people walking around increases. Families toasting small children pull wagons behind them and juggle their belongings. Couples walk hand and hand with smiles on their face while they engage in conversation. The sun shining down brightens the day making it feel full of life and hope. 

“You’ll find her Devin. Besides, even though my mother would call you old, you’re still young. There’s plenty of time for you to find that special woman to build your life with.” I push past the burn in my throat and give him a big smile. Those are the silly old dreams of a young girl. Devin is in my life now as a friend and eventually, he will find someone and I’ll find someone as well.

“What about you? Now that I’ve shared my dating life with you I have to know about yours. Has your luck been any better than mine?” Laughing, I link my arm around Devins so we can squeeze pass people and find a short line.

“You were at the same dinner table I was last night, right? Remember how my mom set me up with one of her book club buddies kids. That’s basically been happening for years and after I ended up in the hospital it got even worse! She feels like I need a man in my life to help watch over me and take care of myself.” I roll my eyes as I think about all the horrific dates I've been on thanks to my mom and soon I'll be able to add another to the list. Shaking my head, I look up at Devin who is already looking down at me.

“I’ve always loved the little crinkle you get between your eyebrows when you are frustrated or thinking hard.” Devin chuckles and brings his thumb up to smooth the skin between my brows. I stick my tongue out at him quickly then relax my brows. “You definitely don't need a man in your life to take care of you. It’s about finding a man who wants to take care of you because you’re precious to him and he loves you.”

My eyes grow so wide I’m surprised they don’t pop. Hearing those words come out of the mouth of a man who has always been afraid of commitment is a shocker. I’ve seen how he’s grown since he’s come back into my life but the fact he’s talking about wanting to build a life with someone and I should find a man who wants to take care of me because he loves me is blowing my mind.

“Stop looking at me like I’ve grown a second head.” He says as we take a step forward in line. “I told you I’m over the playboy life. Growing up I was terrified to end up like my parents. Divorced with a kid and hating someone who I once loved but now that I’m older I’ve learned a thing or two. One is that my parents were never really in love. They married because they found out my mother was pregnant which is never a good reason to get married. From the start, their relationship was doomed. Two is that my mother is never going to stay married. I love my mother but she is a horrible person and will never be able to stay married to a man for the rest of her life.”

“I think I’m going to need surgery in order to get my jaw up off the ground. What the hell is happening right now?” I ask and flail my free hand around wildly. “Am I dead? Are you a clone of Devin? Was the original abducted by aliens and then they sent you to cover it up? I can’t believe what I'm hearing right now. My brain is literally having trouble processing it.” I continue staring at him as if he’s grown two heads.

Does him telling me all of this mean something? I look up at him and find him staring down at me with a little smile on his face. The look in his eye almost knocks the air right out of my lungs. A flutter of hope fills my chest. 

My arm is still wrapped around his but I’ve managed to push myself up against him. My breasts are pressed to his arm. He brings his head down closer to mind. It leaves only a couple inches of space between our heads and lips. This time the air is knocked out of my lungs. Holy s**t is he going to kiss me? The question races through my head over and over again.

“I can help who’s next” The ticket woman shouts, scaring the ever-loving s**t out of me and of course ruining what could have been the best kiss I’ve had since our summer together.

I take in a steady breath in order to calm my racing heart. Devin winks at me and goes to the teller to purchase the tickets but before he can hand over his card I bump him out of the way and give her mine.

“You paid for our day at the trampolines. It’s my turn to treat you.” I wink which makes him grin. The woman wraps our all-access passes around our wrist and after security checks Devin’s bag we are let in.

Booths line either side of the wide walkway with all the sell items set up. We pass a young woman in a crop top and beautiful flowing dress that is selling summer dresses. Another spot is selling t-shirts and tank tops with popular phrases on them. I point out a couple of them to Devin and we laugh.

The other side of the walkway is filled with booths selling jewelry. Some have toe rings, others hand make cloth bracelets, and the remaining ones have an assortment of all kinds. The tents and booths are all different sizes but what they all have in common is thick coverings to block out the sun and fans on full speed.

“Where to first?” Devin asks when we reach a fork in the road. To the rights looks like all different kinds of food and to the left more venders with items to sell. 

“Booze first, food second, then rides.” Grinning, I make my way toward the giant liquor sign.

“Isn’t it a little early for drinking,” Devin asks over my shoulder, and without looking I know he’s wearing a grin of his own.

“It’s drink o’clock somewhere.” I sing then start skipping the rest of the way to the line. “See we aren't the only ones drinking,” I whisper into his ear and tilt my head at the people ahead of us. It’s already five or six people deep. Most of them have a baby attached to the hip, leg, in a stroller, or all three. I can understand the early morning drinking. 

We sip our drinks while we examine our food options. There’s so many to choose from and they all sound so good. Eventually, we decide on getting a few things and sharing. Once we have all our goodies we find a table and dig in. I’m not going to lie, I'm totally big out but I'm not ashamed. I won't pretend to be on a diet in front of someone when I’m not. I love food and that's a big part of why I've never had a flat stomach.

“This is so good. You have to have a bite before I eat it all.” Devin says after he swallows the mouth full of food he was chewing. He fixed me up a cheese-covered chip with a good helping of smoked pulled pork and other delicious nacho toppings. I open my mouth, ready for the delicious bite but it's bigger than I thought it would be. Warm cheese gets on the side of my mouth. I’m too busy groaning because of the delicious food to clean it up.

“That is so good.” I moan with my eyes closed as I savor the smokey flavor of the pulled pork. When I feel a finger wiping at the side of my mouth my eyes pop open. Devin puts the thumb in his mouth and sucks on it before slowly pulling it out of his mouth. My eyebrows shoot up my forehead.

“Delicious.” He smirks but I get the feeling he’s not talking about the food.