Forever (Cruiser & Lex, Book 3) (20 page)

“For starters, I want to rejoin my old clubs, especially orchestra.” He looks at me. “You’re on your own with theater.”

I shrug.

He looks at Mom. “Can I have violin lessons again?”

Mom looks like he told her she’s gonna be a grandmother. “Of course you can!”

“I want to get into a music academy and be a great violinist one day. Wait here.” He runs up the steps. Returns a few minutes later with his violin.

“’Bout time you’re holding that thing again,” I say.

“Shut up,” he says as he tucks it under his chin. “You want to hear me play or what?”

And we do. He should be rusty. Should somewhat suck. But he doesn’t. It’s like he and his violin are two parts of a heart that are coming together again. The result is the most amazing music I’ve ever heard in my life.

Mom’s eyes shine with tears. I feel mine start to well up, too. Rey’s back. He’s finally back.

Lex

As soon as I walk through the doors of Juice Me, I expect to see the familiar, loving face of Cruiser Dalton, just as I’ve always seen when I dropped by. But of course he’s not here. I turn to Dani. “The whole place looks different without Cruiser. It’s like it’s not the same shop anymore.”

Dani follows me to the counter, where we wait on line. “Yeah, it does.”

I scan around. It’s not just that the place looks different, it feels different, almost like we’ve entered a parallel universe. When Cruiser worked here, the place felt more alive. He always wore a smile on his face and made the whole experience of buying a smoothie more enjoyable.

“Maybe that’s why Jackie promised Cruiser he’d get his old job back as soon as his arm heals,” I say to Dani. “Because she knows how much of an asset he is to this place.”

Dani orders pineapple and I order banana mocha. We settle down at a table in the back and slurp our smoothies. “So how’s everything going?” I ask. “It feels like forever since we’ve hung out.”

“Yeah. I blame our boyfriends.”

“I know. They need to understand that we need Girl Time,” I say, then laugh.

“How’s Cruiser doing?”

“He’s great. He and I met with Ms. Carter the other day. I think we learned a lot about ourselves and what we want, both for ourselves and for each other.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Oh? I found Cruiser in the halls the other day, moaning about Carter being a moron.”

I can’t help but laugh. “You know how private Cruiser is. But once he started opening up to me in her office, we actually made good progress. He admitted to me some of the fears he had, about the attack and how he was worried about losing me. And he also admitted that he wants to join the Navy, but that he felt like he was betraying his love for me.”

Her eyes widen. “Wow. Pretty heavy stuff. So what was the conclusion?”

I feel a smile tug my lips. “He’s going to join the Navy!”

She smiles, too. “That’s amazing! I know he’ll be one hell of a sailor. I mean, as long as he takes orders and does what he’s told.”

We both laugh. “I know he will be a great sailor,” I tell her. “And a great captain one day. He has it in him to be whatever he wants to be.” When I finish talking, I realize Dani’s looking at me in a funny way. “What?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m just happy for you. You seem to be really happy with where you are in life. I know you didn’t always feel that way.”

My eyes drop to the table as memories start to play in my head. Beginning with the accident and ending with the double date I had with Cruiser, Rey, and Melody. “It’s been a long journey, hasn’t it? With all the hurt I had from the accident and the pain I’ve been through with Cruiser, all the doubts I had…I feel like I’m a much stronger person than I was. That’s why I’m so sure Cruiser and I can have the Navy life. I
know
we can.”

She gnaws on her straw. “Are you sure?”

“Do you think we can’t?”

She shakes her head. “Not at all. I know how determined you can be. I just want you to make sure you can handle it and are not just trying to convince yourself. You need to be honest with yourself. If you feel you can’t, you need to tell Cruiser. Because if you don’t…”

“I know. I’ll ruin everything we have.”

She nods.

I play with my straw. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. I know it’ll be really hard. I’ve been reading some forums where military spouses and parents talk about how hard it is. I admit that a lot of it scares me and makes me worried about the future of our relationship. But then I think about Cruiser and how his whole face lights up at the mention of the Navy. I imagine him dressed in his grandfather’s uniform. And I know deep in my heart that that’s where Cruiser belongs. It’s his destiny to be a sailor. Just like it’s my destiny to be a dancer. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, our hearts will always be in the same place.” I laugh sheepishly. “Okay, that was really sappy and lame.”

Dani laughs. “Maybe. But it’s the truth.”

We’re both quiet as we chug down some more of our smoothies.

“How’s it going with you and Simon?” I ask.

She gnaws on her straw again. “We’re starting to talk about the future, too. I mean, we both are thinking about what colleges to apply to next year and what we want to study. He knows how much I’m dying to get into USC. I told him a million times that we can make the whole long distance thing work and that he shouldn’t only apply to schools in California. But he told me it doesn’t matter what school he goes to. All that matters is that he’s with me.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” I say.

She rolls her eyes.

“C’mon, Dani. You need to appreciate how sweet he is.”

She shakes her head, though I see her fighting a smile.

“He’s turning you into a mushy marshmallow,” I tease.

“Hell no.” It looks like she wants to throw something at me, but there’s nothing around. So she just rolls her eyes again.

“And how is everything else going?” I ask. “You know, how are the
two
of you doing?”

Dani’s face turns a little red. “We’ve been discussing…taking the next stage in our relationship.”

I almost drop my cup. “Wow. Are you ready for this?”

She nods slowly. “I think so. We’ve been talking about it a lot. Simon says there’s no pressure and that he’d wait a million years—yeah, right—but I think I’m ready. I know we both love each other and I honestly can’t imagine my first time being with anyone else. He’s been so great to me. I think…I think he’s the right one. I don’t believe people can actually find the right one in high school, but—”

“
Excuse
me?”

“Fine. I don’t think many people find the right one in high school. But I don’t want to close any doors.”

“You’re going to end up with him, Dani. You’ll see.”

She once again shakes her head, but I see her fighting another smile. “What about you and Cruiser? Have you…?”

“No. I mean, we talked about it a while ago, but with the attack and Rey and everything, we never had a chance to bring it up again. But it doesn’t matter. Cruiser and I are going to be together forever and we have time. We don’t have to rush. It’ll happen when it’ll happen, and I know it’s going to be the best thing I’ll experience.” My whole face heats up.

An awkward silence follows. We busy ourselves with our drinks.

“How’s Rosie?” Dani asks. She’s been driving Rosie and me to school ever since Jamie left for Arizona. I hoped Rosie would have gotten over the school bus problem by now, but whenever I try to bring it up, she shuts me down. Maybe one day. The important thing is to obey her wishes because I don’t want her to be miserable. I’ll do anything I can to make her load in life easier.

“She’s okay,” I say. “She and Jamie have video chatted a few times. I think Rosie’s somewhat at ease because Jamie’s nowhere near done with the recovery period and it’ll be a long time before he tries to move his legs. I’m worried what will happen if and when he does, but we’ll deal with it when the time comes, as a family.”

“Which reminds me. Are your parents doing okay?”

I feel my lips lift in a large smile. “They are. They go on a romantic date once a week. I’m not saying things are perfect with them—they argue just as much as the next couple—but they love each other and don’t want to go through what they did a year ago. They know it’s not just for them, but for me and Rosie, too.”

Dani’s gaze drops to her lap. “Jimmy tried contacting me.”

I feel my jaw drop. “What?”

She nods. “He sent me an email. He said he tried texting and calling, but obviously I changed my number.”

I touch her hand. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

She lifts her head and grins. “Simon’s a green belt in karate. He’ll whoop Jimmy’s ass.”

“You forgot you’ve got an orange belt,” I remind her. “You can whoop his ass, too.”

It looks as though the thought hasn’t occurred to her. “You’re right. I can.” She laughs.

“If you feel threatened, notify the police.”

She nods. “I will.”

I move my hand so that our hands are locked. “You know something, Dani? I think we’re going to be okay.”

She smiles. “I
know
we will be.”

Cruiser

Instead of heading straight home after school, Rey drives to the mall. Claims he’s in desperate need of new clothes. I don’t blame him—half the clothes in his closet got trashed when he tried his new “look” and the other half are worn out. “So why am I here?” I ask.

“Is it so wrong to ask advice from my older, wiser brother?”

“You’re shooting down every one of my suggestions.”

He laughs as he looks through some shirts. “Give better advice.”

I don’t get him. He’s never asked me to come shopping with him before. We’re too different, have different styles. It’s not like he’s starting to dress like me. So why didn’t he ask Jared or Derek to go with him? I guess he wants to hang out. Now that I can’t play video games due to my broken arm, we don’t have a lot of things to do together.

Rey’s phone beeps. He quickly takes it out, scans it, and texts back. “Melody?” I ask.

He looks up. “What?”

I nod to his phone. “Is that Melody?”

“Oh. Yeah. It’s Melody.”

I feel my forehead crinkle. “You’re lying.”

He laughs and continues to search through the clothes. “You can look for some stuff for yourself.”

“What’s the point? It’ll take me forever to get anything on with this thing.” I motion to my sling.

Rey’s eyes dip to it. “Oh, right. Sometimes I forget about it.” His face washes with guilt.

I’m about to tell him he shouldn’t feel bad about it anymore—I forgive him and want to put this behind us—but his phone beeps again. He scans it and smiles. “Okay. Let’s go.”

I narrow suspicious eyes at him. “What’s going on, Rey?”

He gives me this innocent look. “What are you talking about?”

“Who’s texting you?”

“That’s a private question.”

“Tell me or I’m grabbing your phone.”

“Let’s see you try.”

I bang the back of my head against the wall.

“Are you coming or what?”

I look at the pile of clothes in the shopping cart. “You’re not gonna buy any of that?”

His eyes move to it. “Oh. Nah, I don’t want any of that. Will you come already?” He grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls me toward the exit of the store. I don’t need twin telepathy to tell me something’s up. It’s almost like Rey’s keeping me busy for some reason. Keeping me away from the house. Why else would he go shopping if he didn’t plan on buying anything?

Once we’re in the car and Rey drives home, I say, “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

He rolls his eyes. “Nothing’s going on.”

“Liar.”

He shrugs.

My fingers tap on my thigh as we continue on home. I’ve got to tell myself there’s no point in trying to figure out what’s going on because Rey’s not going to tell me. The ride seems to take forever. But when we finally get there, I see Rosie outside my house with Lex. They both have big smiles on their faces.

I get out. “What’s going on?”

They give me innocent looks and say, “What?”

I look at Lex, but it’s obvious I’m not going to get anything out of her.

“I’m not stupid,” I say. “I know something’s up.”

“Oh, trust me,” Rey says. “You’re actually quite stupid.”

I make a move to slap the back of his head, but he ducks.

“How about we go up to your room?” Lex suggests.

I narrow my eyes. “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on or what?”

“Cruise, just get your ass upstairs,” Rey says.

“And just so you know,” Rosie says with this smile on her face that makes her eyes light up. The brightest I’ve ever seen. “I was a part of it, too.”

I stare at her. A part of what?

Lex puts her finger over her lips, then reaches for my hand. “Come. Rey, will you get Rosie into the house?”

“Sure.”

“It’s not fair,” I hear her say as he wheels her away. “I want to see the look on his face, too.”

What. The. Hell?

Lex laughs. Kisses me on the lips. “Don’t look so glum. Come on.”

The front door to my house is unlocked. Lex twists the knob, then pulls me inside. All the way up the stairs. Until we’re right outside my room.

“I need to put this on you.” She holds out a blindfold.

“You serious?”

“I don’t trust you not to look.”

“Lex, what’s going on?”

“It’s a surprise. Can I please put the blindfold on you?” She’s bouncing on her heels.

I nod. She ties it tight around my head. I hear the front door open, followed by footsteps. It’s Rey.

“Okay,” Lex says. “I’m going to count to three, then open the door. You’re going to step in, and I’m going to take off the blindfold.”

I got no other choice but to nod.

“Are you sure he can’t see anything?” Rey’s voice says.

“I tried it on earlier today. He’s blind. Okay, Cruiser. One, two, three.” I hear the sound of the door swing open. Lex takes my hand and carefully guides me into my room. For some reason, having only one arm and being blindfolded makes me feel unstable. Like I might lose my balance or something. Maybe I’m scared I’ll trip over my feet and won’t be able to break the fall due to my lack of arm.

“Don’t worry, Cruise,” she tells me. “You’re safe.” I feel her come closer. No, I smell her come closer. Then I feel her warm lips brush against mine. “Are you ready?” Her soft breath tickles my cheek.

“Been ready since Rey dragged me to the mall.”

They both laugh.

“Okay. I’m going to untie the blindfold. One, two three!” Her fingers get tangled in my hair. Pulls on a few strands. I try not to wince. When she finally gets the knot out, she slips it off my face.

Something is sitting in the middle of my room. Where it used to be. Where it belongs.

My cruiser ship. In one piece.

Lex gives me a sweet, loving smile. Snuggles up to me. Rey’s got the biggest grin on his face.

Words get stuck in my throat. I swallow a few times to clear it, but it helps crap. Somehow, I ask, “M-mine?”

“All of it,” Lex says softly.

Tears enter my eyes. At first, I fight them. But hell, there’s no use in it. I blink and let them fall. Lex hugs me. “How?” I ask.

“I searched online for hours,” Lex says. “For someone who repairs model ships. I couldn’t find anything. Then Rosie offered to help and we found a guy who lives in New Jersey.”

“Lex called me and asked me to ask Gramps about it. He visited the guy and found out that he was the real deal. I packed it all up and sent it to Gramps. He brought it over to the guy. It took him a week to restore it.”

I should be embarrassed by all the tears. But I’m not. I want to gather both of them in my arms—and Rosie—and jump around.

“I was so nervous you’d find out.” Rey laughs. “I put an identical shoebox in your closet, hoping you wouldn’t look at it. Thankfully, you didn’t.”

Yeah, because it was too painful.

Lex hugs me again. “Are you surprised?”

“Yeah. Still in shock.” I cup her chin and raise her face so we can look into each other’s eyes. “You did this for me. First my bike and now my ship.” I kiss her. First softly, then with more intensity. More passion. Until it feels like my lips are going to fall off. “My god, Lex. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I glance at Rey. “You, too, Rey.”

He nods. “Right back at ya.”

“Come.” Lex tugs on my arm. “Look at it. He had to add some things to make up for some of the damaged parts. But it looks practically identical. Your grandfather said it’s in a better shape than it originally was.”

“He said it’ll last for decades,” Rey says. “So long as no one breaks it.”

“Stay out of my room, you jerk,” I say. Then I grab him and ruffle his hair. “Thanks, Rey.”

“I’ll leave you two alone to marvel at your baby. Later.”

Lex pulls me closer to my ship. We get down on our knees and study it. Lex is right—it looks identical to its original state, but better. My eyes start to tear again. I quickly rub them away. Lex kisses my cheek. “I love seeing how emotional you get,” she says.

“I feel like a wimp.”

“No.” She rests her forehead against mine. “You love it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I cried, too, when I saw it.”

I touch the case. “You bought a new case.”

She nods. “Think of it as your second anniversary gift.”

My arm comes around her. “Thanks so much for doing this for me, T. Rex. It means so much to me. You’re amazing. I can’t stop telling you how much I love you. I want to do so much to show you how much I appreciate you.”

“You don’t have to do anything. Just continue being the awesome person you are.”

We study the ship for a little bit, pointing out the new improvements and marveling at how sick it looks. Every so often, my lips trek along different areas on her face. I’m obsessed with this girl. I don’t know why I deserve to have her in my life, but I’m never going to let her go.

I stand, loop an arm around her waist, and carry her to my bed. Gently, I lay her down and crawl on top. Our lips latch onto each other’s like it’s been days, weeks, months, years since we last kissed. Her hands rest on my chest, her touch so soft. It ignites this fire in me, and I yank her closer, wanting to give her everything. With my kisses, I promise her many things. That I will love her for the rest of my life. That nothing can ever change the way I feel about her. That even though we will be apart in the years to come, it won’t change the way my heart beats for her. Won’t change the way my body reacts to her. Won’t change that she is my T. Rex forever and ever.

When we both can’t breathe, we pull apart. I lift her to my chest and hold her tight. She closes her eyes. Rests her forehead against mine. We stay like this, allowing our breathing to regulate. Our faces are so close that our noses touch.

“I’m going to marry you one day, Lex Woods,” I say in the softest voice. “One day, you’re going to be Mrs. Dalton. Mrs. Cruiser Dalton.”

I feel her heart beating so fast. It matches the way mine beats.

“I’ve dreamed about it for so long,” I continue. “Even when we were kids. Yeah, I know how ridiculous that sounds, but it’s the truth.”

“Cruiser,” she whispers, her voice choked with tears.

I tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “If you won’t marry me, I’ll become a monk.”

She laughs. “Cruiser.”                           

“I’m serious. I don’t want to be with anyone else. I’d rather be celibate.”

She laughs again. “Don’t worry. I told myself when we were thirteen that I was going to marry you. You have nothing to worry about.”

“You did?”

She nods. Then she gives me the most loving kiss she’s ever given me. “It’s like you said. Our love doesn’t know time, place, or distance. Just that our hearts belong together.”

I tighten my hold on her. “My T. Rex.”

“My Cruiser.”

“I will always love you,” I say. “Forever.”

“Forever.”