Coming Home to the Mountain: Complete Edition

6. Meadow

CHAPTER 6

Meadow

L ulu pulls the car away from the street and immediately squeals.

"Oh, my God. Meadow, who in the heck is that guy? He is tall, dark, and handsome. And his smile..."

I laugh, shoving her as I buckle up. "I think he can hear you."

"So?" Lulu says. "He was a major hottie."

"A major hottie?" I shake my head. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk like that."

"Well, maybe because I've never seen a guy like that. Does he have any brothers?"

I smile. "Actually, yeah. He has four, and two sisters."

Lulu drops her jaw. "Are you fricking kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. He has a big happy family who are from Home. They're the Rough family."

"The Roughs, like the Rough Valley Campground? The Rough Mountain? The Rough..."

"Yeah, exactly," I say.

"Tell me everything," Lulu insists, and so I do. I explain how Reuben found me in the woods after I fell, how he carried me back to his adorable A-frame cottage, how he made sure my ankle wasn't broken.

"Honestly," I say, "he is incredible. Like, too good to be true."

"So, what's his flaw? Why is he single?"

I bite my bottom lip. "He's a single dad."

"Ooh, really?"

"Yeah. I guess he was married when he was really young, and they had a little girl. She's five. I met her."

"You met her ?"

"Yeah," I say. "She happened to be walking in town with her aunt getting drinks and..."

"Okay," Lulu says, nodding more slowly now. "But his wife died?"

"Yeah," I say. "A car crash. He's been through so much." I look out the window. Everything inside of me feels lit up, both over the sadness of his story and the intensity I felt when I was in his presence. Everything felt so good, so big, so much.

"Are you okay?" Lulu asks. "Sorry, I know I was coming on strong and being all excited, but now the mood seems to have shifted and I don't want to get this wrong. Do you actually like this guy? Like, like him , like him?"

"Yeah," I say. "We only hung out for a few hours, but he's taking me out tonight. We're going to make dinner and... I don't know, Lulu. It's different. He's different."

"You're kind of freaking me out now," Lulu says as we drive toward the campgrounds. "Do you want to talk to Mom and Dad about this?"

I shake my head. "No, not yet."

"Not yet? So you think this is actually going somewhere?"

"I don't know," I say. "I just don't want to assume it's not going to go anywhere because..."

"Wow," Lulu says. "All right. So, you really like this guy. This guy who has a daughter ."

"You say it like I don't know what I'm getting myself into."

"Do you?" Lulu asks. "Meadow, you've never dated anybody, you've never been in a relationship, and you've never even had se?—"

"I know I've never had sex, and I'm not saying I'm going to sleep with this guy. I was just saying, I really like him. He makes me feel really good, and I don't want that to end."

"What's his little girl's name?" she asks, changing the subject.

"Plum."

At that, Lulu literally screeches. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's cute, right?"

"Yeah. But it's also a stone fruit. Remember the tarot reading? The energy last week?"

"I remember," I say. "So the reading wasn't about a peach?"

"I don't think so," she said. "All right, I take back all of my hesitation.”

"You were hesitating?" I ask.

"Yeah. I mean, this is all a lot, but never mind. The cards don't lie. You're supposed to go out with this man, and I think it's going to be a lot more than that."

"A lot more than what?"

"I don't know," Lulu says, parking at the campground. "I just think... You've always talked about a man sweeping you off your feet, and this one literally carried you through the woods for a mile."

By the time I finish getting ready, my sister-in-law Jessica and my mother have peppered me with plenty of questions. "So, you just met this guy in the woods and now you're going to his house for dinner?" Mom's not convinced.

"Yes," I say, "because I'm a 22-year-old grown-up who can make her own decisions. Mom, trust me. Trust that you raised me to have a good head on my shoulders."

"All right," she says.

Jessica, though, is more insistent. "You better keep your phone charged the entire time. Text every few hours. If you're staying there later or staying the night..."

Mom's eyes widen. "Staying the night?"

"Why not?" Jessica asks. "She's a grown woman. She can do whatever she likes. I just think..."

Lulu cuts them off. "You guys, enough. What if they have dinner and it's super awkward and lame and she decides not to go out with him anymore and she comes home? Let's not make this into a bigger deal than it has to be. It's just dinner."

Jessica snorts. "Just dinner? I don't think I've ever seen Meadow look so starry-eyed in the five years that I've known her."

"All right, all right," I say. "He's going to be here any minute.”

"Well, here's the food that you are bringing over," Mom says, handing me a cotton tote bag.

I open it up. "You think I should bring wine?"

Jessica smiles. "Of course you should. Listen, Meadow, I hope you have an awesome night with him."

By now, Dad's joined us in the back of the RV where I'm sitting, putting on my makeup.

“Come quick. The triplets have cornered him outside.”

"He's here?" I say.

Dad chuckles. "Yeah. Just met him. He seems like a nice kid."

"Man," I say. "A nice man."

Dad grins. "Whatever you say, Meadow."

I reach for my crutch and hobble out of the RV, thinking that this cramped vehicle contains way too many vibes. I see my brothers, Jonathan, Jasper, and Jonas, circling Reuben. 14-year- old boys give off a vibe too. But when Reuben's eyes meet mine, he smiles.

"Hey," he says. "You send all the men after me? First your dad, and now these guys." My brothers laugh, reaching for a soccer ball under the picnic bench before running away toward a field.

Then, it's just Reuben and me. I look over my shoulder. My sister, sister-in-law, and mom are watching.

"Come on, introduce yourselves," I say to them. "Sorry," I whisper to Reuben.

"It's all right," he says. "Believe me, I understand what it's like to have a family who's up in your business."

A few minutes later, we're alone in Reuben's truck, driving away from the campground, and I exhale.

"Again, I'm sorry. They're very nosy."

"I don't doubt it. Considering you guys are living in two RVs, it seems like it would be hard to get away."

"It's usually fine because we're on the road in a nice, warm, sunny place, but it's also been one heck of a year. I never felt stifled when I was younger, growing up on the road, but now... I don't know."

"Now you want something different?"

"I think so."

"I want something different too," Reuben says as we drive up the road toward his cabin. "I want to let you know, I think you look beautiful tonight. Not that you didn't look beautiful today, but..."

I smile. "Yeah. I made sure I got all the twigs out of my hair and the dirt off of my knees."

He chuckles. "You look beautiful in blue."

"Thanks," I say. "You clean up pretty nice yourself."

"Yeah?" He looks over at me and grins, and he sure does. His beard looks like it's been combed. He's put on a collared shirt and fresh blue jeans. And ten minutes later when he parks his truck in front of his cabin, there's a moment of stillness that falls between us. "So," he says. "I’m so happy you’re here." And at the same time I say, "I'm so happy to be here."

He grins. Then, his fingertips brush with mine and I lean in close. His hand cups my cheek and he pulls me in for a kiss. It's soft. It's sweet. It sends my whole heart on fire.

"Oh," I whisper when he pulls back.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I've been thinking about doing that all afternoon. I told myself the moment I got you here alone, I wouldn't hold back. There's no Main Street watching, no family staring. Just you and me."

I smile. "I like that," I say.

"Good," he says, "because we got the rest of the night to hang out, and I'm pretty sure I'm planning on kissing you again."