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41

Taylor’s pov

I

didn’t mention to Colby about what Angelina said about him being with Alex.  I figured out that the event she was talking about happened after we fought by the caves.  That was before we were dating, so I couldn’t hold it against him though I had every right to.

I also didn’t want to screw anything else up between us.

“You ready to go?” Colby asked, patting my leg, “We just landed,”

I slept for the entire three hour plane ride.  Not that I wanted to, I just didn’t want my thoughts to overwhelm me.  
I needed peace.  And the only place I could get that was in my dreams if they were not filled with Ryan and my father.

Colby led us through the plane to the baggage claim area.  We landed the day before the fourth of July, and it was to our surprise that hardly anyone was on the plane with us. 
 
I grabbed my suitcase, placing it on the ground and pulling on the handle to drag it over to where Colby was grabbing his suitcase.  “Did you get your bag?” He asked, though it was a very dumb question because it was in my hand.

“Yeah,” I shrugged, “Landon texted me about five minutes ago.  He should be here any minute,”

Landon was my only brother, also my only sibling that was older than me.  It came to my knowledge that he was a month older than Corey since he was born in August, and Corey, September.

“Nice.  Are you excited?” He asked, slipping his free hand into mine as we walked through the crowd and to the entrance where Landon would be picking us up.

“Yeah.  I’ve talked you up, so my dad will be excited to meet you.  And I’m sure he’s told everyone by now, so they know you’re coming,” I said with a smile.

It made me really happy how my family had already accepted Colby even though they’ve never met him.
But that will change today.

“That’s him!” I took my hand out of his, pointing over at the rusted, dark green SUV pulling alongside the curb.
Landon stopped the car in front of us, and I was surprised to see my younger sister, Logan, in the backseat.

He rolled down the passenger window as the car came to a stop,  “Get in losers, we’re going shopping,” Landon said in his best girl impression.

“Oh the Mean Girl references,” Colby said quietly as we opened the trunk and put our suitcases in, “I don’t know how I feel about that,” 

I thought he was serious until I shot my head up, just to see a smile on his face.  I smacked his arm, “Be nice, Colby,” I said before laughing.

He pretended to flinch away from me as he shut the trunk, using his other hand to grab the back of my head and smash his lips into mine.

“No PDA around my family,” I whispered, winking at him before walking over to the passenger seat, leaving Colby to sit in the back with my sister.

“Hey Logan, How’ve you been?” I asked, getting cut off by Logan squealing in the backseat behind me.

I leaned on the center console so I could see what she was fussing about, figuring she was excited to see me.  But her hand flew to her mouth, looking and pointing respectively at Colby.

“Oh my god,” She said, her hand dropping to her lap.  Her mouth was open so big I thought it’d surely follow, but to my disappointment she shut her mouth quickly. 

“What?” I asked, clearly not understanding her excitement.  This is a stranger she’s freaking out about.

I looked over at Colby, seeing if he knew anything about her behavior.  I was met with a smiling and slightly blushing man staring back at me, and I wasn’t sure whether he was embarrassed or not.

“You’re dating Colby Brock?” Logan asked excitedly, grabbing my arm and shaking it.

“Wait, what the fuck?” Landon turned around in his seat aswell, getting a better look at Colby, “Oh shit, T, you are,”

Now it was my turn to blush. I had no idea why they were making a big fuss out of a guy they oddly knew the name of.

“Mom’s gonna love that,” Landon shook his head, smiling in the rearview mirror at Colby, “If you couldn’t tell, Logan’s a fan,”

“Wait, for real?” Colby spoke for the first time, talking to Logan but looking at me.  I could tell he was nervous about my family not liking him, though I assured him plenty of times that my family would love him to death.

“Yeah! I have merch, and I’ve watched every Youtube video except the Cerro Gordo series because I’ve started a job at the local ice cream shop.  I even have that life size cutout of you!” Logan counted on her fingers as she spoke, looking back and forth between them and Colby.

Logan was fifteen, and I briefly remember her telling me that she got a job at some ice cream shop I used to go to all the time before I moved.

“That’s you?” I asked as Landon began driving, humming along to the radio that was playing quietly in the background.  “No fucking way,”

“Yeah, it’s not the best photo of me,” Colby admitted, running his fingers through his hair.  Even after talking to myself and Angelina about how I felt about him, he sure as hell was sexy.  And there was no denying it.  

“And you’re in for a treat, by the way,” He nodded to Logan, who looked like she was going to die of happiness overload, “Cerro Gordo really was an interesting experience,”

“Yeah it was,” I said, turning back around to face the front like how the seat should be sat in, “I still can’t believe you found silver,”

“You and Corey found a locket! Now that’s cool,” Colby smiled, and I turned around to add who he was forgetting, “And Jake,” We said at the same time before laughing.

“Oh Lord, Mom is going to love this,” Landon smiled, shaking his head at Colby through the rearview mirror.

“Taylor you should really bring all of the Trapboys next time,” Logan crossed her arms, and if Colby wasn’t in the car I would have told her that she should hang herself by her shorts on a telephone wire.  But instead, I went with something more friendly: “Yeah, maybe one day you’ll meet them,”

Landon winked over at me, and I returned the gesture before actually starting a conversation with him, “So, how’s your construction business going?” I asked.

When I left, Landon was just beginning to start a construction business that 3D printed homes for people.  It was safer for the environment and cheaper, and that’s what he loved about it.

“It’s good.  We started a GoFundMe for a family who lost their home in a fire a couple weeks ago, and we’re only about two thousand dollars short of having enough to build them a home.  It’ll be the third one we’ve done,” He said, tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel as he spoke. 

I could see how passionate he was about helping people, it’s how he always was.

The conversations between the two of us died down the closer we got to my father’s house.  Logan kept asking Colby questions, who’d respond as kindly as possible.  It baffled me at how much patience he had for my sister, but he’s probably used to it by now seeing as he saw fans in public all the time.

“Oh my- Colby!” I patted my hands against my legs excitedly as we passed a familar building.

“Yeah?” He asked, looking up from his phone with a smile playing on his face.

“You have to see this abandoned place.  It was a murderer’s restuarant from the mid ninteen-hundreds and it’s so cool-”

He cut me off, knowing where I was going, “Yeah yeah.  Cut the bullshit.  We’re going,”

“Yes!” I threw my arms in the air, not even caring that my fists slammed into the roof of the car.

“Good thing I brought a camera,” He mumbled, partially to himself as he leaned back into his seat.

“Ladies and gents’,” Landon said, pulling us out of our conversation as he pulled the car down a familar road.

“Welcome home.”