My Heart for Yours (28 page)

I can’t remember the last time I was really, truly alone.

It feels good. Better than good.

I lie on the dock in the last bits of sunset and pull my knees up as I watch the sky slowly turn into darker shades of blue.

There’s footsteps on the dock, and I don’t have to move to know its Tobin.

After all this time, so many things haven’t changed at all. I love everything familiar.

“
I still have a lot to figure out,” I say without moving.

He sits next to me, pulling his knees up and resting his elbows there. I love Tobin’s profile. I love that he’s here next to me.

“
Don’t we all.”

“
My parents are gone,” I say.

“
How long are you staying then?” He’s asking a lot more than my travel plans.

“
I don’t plan on going anywhere.” I reach my hand out to take his as I sit up, letting my body touch his side. Tobin feels like everything. My past. My future. My home. We’re not getting a redo, more like re-start, and it’ll take some time, but I don’t think either of use will take the other for granted. Not this time.

His arm comes around me and the silence wraps us up and relaxes me into his side. Who knew it would be Eamon who would bring us together in the end.

“
What do you miss most about him?” I ask.

“
Who, Eamon?” Tobin says, running his hand across his stubbly cheek. “Jesus, D, so many things. Every single day it’s something new. I miss everything about him. I even miss him giving me so much shit.”

I laugh. “I miss how he could never call me by my first name. Ever! It was always Miss Priss, or Gentry. I used to pretend that it annoyed me, but I really did love that. I loved him.” I can feel the tightness in my throat building and I almost wish I never brought it up, but being next to Tobin makes it okay.

“
He loved you too,” Tobin says. His eyes are soft and I can tell that some of the hurt in him is healing.

“
I’m glad you’re here.”

His fingers slide through mine as he squeezes my hand. “Glad doesn’t begin to cover it, Delia.” He leans toward me until our foreheads touch.

I blink a few times, trying to keep my tears away.

His hand reaches across and touches my cheek, sliding back until his fingers are wound in my hair, and his hand rests on the back of my neck sending a wash of emotions through me so powerful it takes my breath away. It’s all here. All of it. All of him. And me. And everything we are together.

I want to say something. To tell him how I love him, how I can’t believe we made it back here, but I know by the way he’s touching me that I don’t have to.

“
My heart for yours,” he offers.

“
Deal.”

And just after the very last pieces of the sun disappear, Tobin’s lips touch mine in the beginning and ending and middle of everything we had and will have. Together.

TOGETHER

There were friends

Who traded

Shirts for shirts

Hands for hands

Lies for lies

Mistakes for more

When white turned black

And black turned grey

It changed

Truths for truths

Hearts for hearts

Souls for souls

Lives for life

And we’re really happy.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all
-
Stephanie Campbell is a rockstar. She doesn't sleep. I'd send her the doc, and she'd work her a** off on it. I'd check my email one last time before going to sleep, and I'd have more writing from her. She lives FOUR time zones ahead of me. It was a blast to do this project together, and I know we’ll make time to do one again.

For my EVER patient husband
,
Mike, for listening to my "clacking" while he watches his man shows. If the clacking of computer keys slows down, it means that I'm about to make fun of something that happened on-screen, and he's pretty awesome about that, too.

My kids are amazing
,
and have learned to just laugh when I say - just a sec! Because we all know it'll take me longer than that.

Steph and I have some of the best author friends
in the UNIVERSE – so thanks a TON for your unwavering support.

-Jolene

Ditto
to what Jo said about us having the absolute biggest supporters and friends in the author world. We are so lucky! You know who you are.

For my husband Chris
, and my darling kiddos- Hailey, Liam, Finnian and Britta for tolerating me even though I don’t ever sleep- and often act like it.

Thanks to Jo
for being so willing to dive right into yet another project when she always has eleventy-billion other things in the works. Writing with you was a joy!

To Natasha Angelino and Shellie Fernandez.
You have been in my life since I was ten years old, and I never would have made it back to writing after the ordeal with B if it weren’t for your unwavering support every single day. I love you both so much.

And,

Thanks to Michael LeJeune
for letting me borrow your last name.


-Steph

About the Authors

Jolene Perry
grew up in Alaska, and for some crazy reason ended up back in Wasilla with her husband and two children. She plays the guitar, sings when forced, and used her degree in Political Science and French to teach math.

Also by Jolene are the YA novel’s THE NEXT DOOR BOYS, NIGHT SKY, KNEE DEEP, and the somewhere between YA and Adult, AFTER ALL (coming summer 2012). She has many more projects on the way.

You can find her at @jolenebperry, on her personal blog jolenesbeenwriting.blogspot.com, as well as her author site jolenebperry.com

Steph Campbell
grew up in Southern California, but now calls Southwest Louisiana home. She has one husband, four children and a serious nail polish obsession. Also by Steph are the YA novel’s GROUNDING QUINN (available now) and the upcoming companion books, DELICATE and FRIEND IS A FOUR LETTER WORD.

You can find her on twitter at @stephcampbell_ and her blog: stephcampbell.blogspot.com.

Both Jolene & Steph also contribute to a group blog devoted to Contemporary YA Fiction at fortheloveofcontemporary.blogspot.com.