“Yeah . . . but it wasn’t a good move. Believe me, I’m happy we did move here, specifically because of you. But my older brother, Emjay and I moved up here from Southwest Florida. Just before my sixteenth birthday, my mom and dad were . . .”

He paused and looked down at me, caressing my face. His brow scrunched together and his chin began to quiver. I knew this wasn’t going to be good, and I didn’t want to cause him pain.

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if it’s going to upset you.”

“No, Samone, I want to tell you. I want you to know all about me, because I want to know all about you, too. I don’t want us to have any secrets.”

He pulled my hand up and pressed his lips to the top of it, weaving his fingers through mine as he continued his story.

“My parents were on their way home from the airport. My dad had gone to pick up my mom. She’d been visiting her sister, my Aunt Robin, here in Atlanta. She had a late flight. They were at a stoplight when a drunk driver going eighty-five miles an hour hit their car.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. It felt like a bag of rocks had settled in my stomach. I lay there frozen in his arms as he went on.

“The coroner said that Dad died instantly. But Mom didn’t. When the ambulance got there, she was alert and begging my dad not to leave her and their boys.” He leaned his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose. “They had to use the jaws-of-life to get to her, and by the time they did, she was gone, too. My best friend’s dad was one of the EMTs on the scene, and he told my brother and me later that she died holding Dad’s hand.” His breath caught. “And her last words were ‘Tell my boys I love them.’” He squeezed my hand and looked up to the sky. “The drunk driver lived and is now serving a sentence at a state prison in Florida.”

I couldn’t breathe, and my chest hurt as I watched the tears flow freely down Alec’s face. As my own tears fell, he held my hand tighter.

“Since Emjay was eighteen, I was able to stay with him. Mom and Dad both had hefty life insurance policies. Our inheritance was enough to get us moved up here with Aunt Robin. We still each have money for college with savings left over.”

He gazed down at me as I gently rubbed my thumb over his fingers.

“But we both had to get the hell out of that town. Everyone was nice and helpful, but everywhere we looked, we saw pity in people’s eyes. Just when we’d have a day we were able to get through without falling completely apart, all it took was those sorrowful looks from neighbors or the postman. It would bring it all crashing back. It made the pain of losing Mom and Dad even worse.”

Alec startled me when he jumped up and leaned against the tree.

“I’ve never been able to talk about this with anyone before.”

“I’m so sorry, Alec. You must think I am such a baby for being so sad and missing Jolie like I do since she was the drunk driver in her accident.” I choked on a sob.

“No, no . . . definitely not,” he said as he sat back down and held me close, kissing the top of my head.

“In life, no matter the cause or who’s at fault, all deaths leave wounded hearts and broken loved ones behind. People make mistakes; it’s part of living, Samone. But it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t mourn them when they’re gone.”

His words choked me up. They reached into my soul and made me feel whole and hollow all at the same time. It was like he spoke out of one of his old English poetry books. But I knew the words came from his soul directly to touch and heal mine.

“I love you, Alec,” I whispered.

He smiled down at me. “Love you always.”

How he could have experienced the devastating loss of his parents and still hold compassion in his heart amazed me and left me in awe of him. I realized then that this incredibly sexy, sweet guy was also a beautiful old soul, and I was so grateful that he was mine.

Our love continued to grow with each day. As the summer before our senior year came to an end, Alec surprised me with something I’d always dreamed of. The sound of tapping woke me up. I cracked my eyes open, waiting for everything to come into focus. The sun peeked through my bedroom curtains. It was such a beautiful morning. Shaking my head with a wry smirk, I crawled off the bed, knowing only one person would be plinking pebbles at my window.

I shuffled to my window and spread the curtains wide. Smiling up at me was my Alec. I didn’t know how it was possible and had never experienced anything like it in my life, but damn, I loved him.

He waved me down, and I noticed he had a Starbucks cup in his hand. He knew me too well. I was a coffee and hot tea junkie and thanked God every single day that we had a Starbucks within five miles from anywhere in town. I threw my bathrobe on over my sleep shorts and tank top and ran downstairs to see what my sweet guy was up to.

“Hi baby,” I said as I wrapped my arms around him and my body molded into his.

“Good morning Samone,” he said back as he smiled. “I have a surprise for you,” he chuckled, knowing how I loved surprises, especially from him.

“Tell me please, please, please. Alec, don’t make me wonder this time. I’m dying to know.”

He handed me my crème brûlée latte, bringing a smile of appreciation to my face.

“How about I just give you a hint?” He smiled down at me and squeezed me tight.

“Oh, okay” I drew out the last word before I took a drink.

“It’s such a nice day, and the sky is so clear, I thought looking at the mountains would be amazing from a higher vantage point.”

“Hmm, cryptic much?” I pouted.

“Why don’t you go inside, grab a shower, and get dressed, maybe a light sweater would be a good idea, too.”

A light sweater? Was he crazy? It was in the high seventies outside, not hot, but certainly not cold enough for a sweater. In fact, it was my favorite time of year. It was absolutely beautiful outside.

I ran inside and showered. I dressed in my favorite jeans and his worn Falcons t-shirt. It was so comfortable, and I was going to keep it as long as possible. My sweater caught my eye as I walked out of my closet. I shook my head and grabbed it before leaving my room.

When I walked downstairs, Alec was having a cup of coffee with my mom and dad. They were outside, my parents at the porch table and Alec sitting on our swing, all of them laughing. He patted the seat beside him, and I walked over and sat down. When he handed me my latte, I smiled knowing he’d heated it in the microwave for it to still be nice and hot.

“Well we better get going, Samone. Mr. and Mrs. Lang, always a pleasure.” He kissed the top of my mom’s hand and shook my dad’s.

Mom laughed. “Alec, you’re such a charmer.”

“You kids have a great time today,” my dad replied as he slipped a folded paper into Alec’s fist when they shook hands goodbye.

I looked at Alec, curious what that was all about.

We drove for about forty-five minutes. I watched out the windows, looking for some clue to where we were going. Finally, we came to a field with a lone warehouse and something I couldn’t quite make out in the distance. The sign, however, answered my ever-growing curiosity, and I squealed with glee.

“We’re going on a hot air balloon ride!”

He chuckled as he pulled his truck up into the parking area.

We went inside, and he signed us in as Alec Morris and Samone Lang. I smiled as my mind flashed to the inside tab of my school folder where I had doodled Mrs. Samone Morris about a thousand times.

We took a seat in the waiting area. Alec rested his hand on my thigh as I flipped through an issue of Travel and Leisure they had in a magazine rack. The man behind the counter called our names, and we walked up and had to show our ID’s. It was then Alec pulled out the folded piece of paper my dad had handed him. It was a parental consent form since I was still seventeen. I looked up at him and he winked. Smartass always thought of everything.