Chapter Twenty Six
Aralyn shifted from foot to foot anxiously as Principal Stratton called the student’s names in his monotone voice.
Tiffany stood behind her in line. Aralyn had just squeaked by to qualify as an honor grad, which made her happy because it meant she and Tiffany would walk across the stage one after another. Had she missed the GPA cut off, she would be called in the general graduating class.
Tiffany nudged her forward.
“Aralyn Elizabeth Duke!”
A grin spread across her face as she walked confidently forward to shake hands with the principal and accept her diploma cover.
The cheering got louder and there was a loud group shout of “yee-haw!” from her entire extended family in the audience, followed by a the Dixie horn.
“Tiffany Grace Duke!”
Tiffany smiled and followed her cousin across the stage. The students were supposed to keep moving but Aralyn wait at the end of the stage for her. There was a second loud group “yeee-haaw!” from their family and another Dixie horn. Aralyn turned back towards her cousin, who returned her grin.
Both wished Tim was graduating with them, instead of in two more weeks from his Academy.
Tiffany reached the end of the stage and the cousins hugged tightly, then linked their arms together and walked off the stage to the cheering crowd.
As the students searched for their hats after enthusiastically flinging them up in the air, Aralyn met Cam at their predesignated spot. The football field was full of graduates and family.
He smiled when he saw her and she threw herself into his arms. Holding her tightly, he lifted her up and spun her around, their lips meeting. Finally, he let her slide down enough that her feet touched the ground.
“We made it,” she laughed. “We graduated!”
Cam forced the grin, wishing the deep cracks of pain creeping through his heart would stop. She’d be gone in a few days. He had spent the last few weeks memorizing every detail of her face, and Dean ahad slyly taken a lot of extra pictures of them
“I can’t believe we’re free1” she said gleefully.
Dean and Tiffany joined them just then and there was hugging, and the families started to swarm around them. Cam tried not to think about what was coming. He wanted to focus on the good parts. Like how after the big dinner tonight that the families were celebrating together, they graduates were having their own party at his apartment.
Cam hugged Aralyn to him and the camera came out for pictures of him and his friends.
***
Aralyn blinked back her tears as she swung gently with Cam in the porch swing. Their soda sat on the porch railing, untouched, as the sun dropped lower. Neither had said a word for over an hour, just snuggled together. The warm summer evening wasn’t still or silent, a light breeze blew periodically, and there was the soft hum of the night bugs, and children playing in the neighborhood.
Cam planned to hold her as long as he could. He knew why she was so quiet. Even at the graduation celebration last night she had been unusually quiet. He knew why they were here, at his place, instead of hers.
“I should be getting home,” she said softly, sitting up.
Cam didn’t point out it was Saturday night.
Aralyn turned to him, and he could see her eyes were glistening.
“This is it, isn’t it?” he asked softly, a lump in his throat. The girls would be leaving in a few days for their roadtrip.
Aralyn nodded. “I’ve spent so much time thinking about it Cam, and I just—I don’t see any other way.”
Cam nodded. “I’ll walk you to your bike,” he said quietly. The vice grip around his heart tightened.
They held hands as they walked to her bike. Aralyn turned to face him.
“I can wait,” Cam murmured, looking down at her. They had had this conversation more than once already.
Aralyn shook her head, trying to blink back the hot tears poking her eyes. “We’ve been over this, Cam. It’s not fair to you.”
“There won’t be anyone else.”
Aralyn forced a laugh as she took his hands. “You’re starting college in the fall. There will be all sorts of new people, new girls, and you don’t know who you might meet.”
“I don’t want anyone else,” he answered, pulling her to him. Aralyn wrapped her arms around his, knowing ithat the action would only make the next few moments even more painful.
Aralyn smiled and knew she couldn’t hold her tears back much longer. “You say that now. Cam…we need time apart. We need to grow. Maybe…maybe some time later we can see if there’s still chemistry.”
Cam felt the grip on his heart squeeze a little harder. “There will always be,” he said quietly. “I know you’re it for me, Aralyn.”
And I think you’re it for me, she thought. But she couldn’t say it. She couldn’t. She needed to do this. She needed the space, the freedom. She needed to be sure of who she was.
“Please don’t say that cheesy line about letting loved ones go,” he said softly, resting his forehead against hers.
She shook her head. She had already cut off her hair, the golden waves were now short sexy spirals that barely reached her chin. It would make life on the road easier than her longer hair. Tiffany had cut her s to her shoulders.
“There’s always a new chapter,” she murmured. “A new adventure to be had.”
You’re the only adventure I'll ever need, Cam thought sadly. Or will ever want.
“You know I’ll be here, when you decide to take a break from the adventure,” he forced the words over the lump constricting his heart. It was nothing compared to the stabbing pain in his heart that was growing bigger by the second.
“Don’t think for a minute I don’t love you, Camden Aaron Kent,” she said, looking up at him, tears threatening to fall. “Because I do. And I always will.”
“I love you, Aralyn Elizabeth Duke, and that’s never going to change,” he said mournfully, hoping his tears wouldn't fall. “I will always be here for you.”
Aralyn shook her head and the began to leak down her face. “I promise I’ll come back someday. I just don’t know when.”
“There’s no one that can ever replace you,” he whispered, touching her soft hair one more time.
“I don’t want you to hurt,” she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his chest, “but I have to go. I have to roam.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not trying to stop you. You need to follow your dreams.” He could feel the fissure in his heart widen.
Aralyn looked up at him and the tears came faster. “I’m sorry, Cam.”
“Don’t be. Know that I love you.” A tear slid from his eyes as he stared at the face of the only woman he knew he would ever love.
“I love you.” They both whispered, as Aralyn pressed her lips against his one last time.
Cam released her and she picked up her helmet, looking over her shoulder at him again.
“Stay out of trouble, Duke,” he said.
Aralyn just nodded, slipping her helmet on. Starting up the bike, she roared off.
Cam gasped as the pain shot through his heart and it shattered.
Once Aralyn was around the corner she pulled over, shut the engine off, and removed her helmet to cry.
***
Monday morning dawned bright an early. The girls’ packs were ready and on the bikes waiting for them. The Clan was there to hug them goodbye. The only one missing was Tim, his graduation wasn’t for another two weeks. Aralyn had asked Cam not to come, she had wanted their goodbye to be private and didn’t need her family to witness her fall apart at leaving him.
Finally Bo walked Aralyn to her bike as Trixie wiped her eyes.
“You be careful out there,” he said, looking at his little girl.
“I will, Daddy,” she smiled up at him, heart aching. She would miss Bo most of all.
“My little girl’s all grown up,” he held her by the shoulders.
Aralyn felt her tears poke at her eyes and threw her arms around him. “I’ll always be your little girl,” she sniffled.
Father and daughter hugged tightly for a moment before Aralyn pulled away. Tiffany was being hugged by her parents. The rest of the family buzzed about, hugging and talking and giving advice. The twins had been unusually quiet all morning, and Aralyn was surprised by the strength of the hugs they gave her. They had just finished another growth spurt, and she expected by the time they got, they’d be as tall as her.
She leaned over to talk to Sean, who looked unhappy.
“Hey, big guy,” she touched his face. He raised teary, sad blue eyes to see her. “I’ll send lots of pictures and I’ll call a lot, I promise.”
Sean nodded.
“I need you to do something for me, okay?” she asked. “I need you to take care of Mom and Dad. They’re kind of getting on in years and they’ll need looking after. You know we can’t trust the twins.” He smiled slightly. “You be my eyes and ears and okay? You send me emails everyday if you want. And make Dad eat his sprouts.” She grinned. Sean smiled but his eyes were full of tears that threatened to spill over. “I promise I’ll be home for Christmas.”
Sean threw his arms around his only sister and hugged her tightly. Aralyn blinked back her own tears.
Bo glanced down the street and saw the white Jeep. He knew there was a brokenhearted young man sitting inside of it, respecting her wishes to not be present but unable to stay away completely.
Putting on their helmets, the cousins started up their bikes. Waving to their family, they pulled out of the driveway.
“Keep it ‘tween the ditches!” Luke called after them.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
***
Author’s Notes
- A huge yeee-haa to Ronda, my lovely editor who helps keep me on track!
- We’ll hear periodically from Tiffany and Aralyn on their roadtrip, but in the meantime, there are plenty of other cousins on the way to hear the stories of first. Click the next button to see who’s up next!
- Word Count, 1,685
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