For a Boy

Chapter 1

"Evelyn, Dwayne's at the door for ya!" called the voice of my mama from downstairs. At the mention of my farmboy, I bolted from my bed and rushed down the stairs. Just outside on the porch stood Dwayne Robertson, my cowboy. My boyfriend.

"Hey, sugar." I opened the screen door and stepped outside to hug him. The taller country boy hugged me tightly to his chest, taking a deep breath through his nose, inhaling the scent of my strawberry shampoo.

"Hey, sweetheart." Dwayne placed a kiss on my head before pulling away from me, holding me at arm's length. "Let's go for a walk. To our spot." I furrowed my eyebrows. We only ever go there for serious stuff or if we want privacy away from everyone.

"Everything ok, sweetpea?" I asked, now noticing a sort of crestfallen look on the boy's face.

"Everything's fine, baby. I just need to talk to you about something. And no, you didn't do anything wrong." Dwayne placed his larger hand on my cheek and brushed his thumb against my cheekbone. "Let's get goin'. Don't wanna be out there with the coyotes running around after dark."

"Yeah." I stepped back and poked my head into the house. "Ma! Dwayne and I are goin' for a walk! We'll be back soon!"

"Be safe, you two! It's almost dark!" My mama shouted from the kitchen. Dwayne chuckled.

"We know, Ms. Moore! I'll keep her safe, you have my word!" Dwayne pulled me out of the house and toward the gate to the open field.

"Dwayne, what's goin' on?" I asked again. "You seem sad." He didn't answer me right away, opting to stay quiet for the whole walk there, simply holding my hand and rubbing his thumbs across my knuckles. "Talk to me, sugar. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

Dwayne sighed as we entered a clearing we had found when we were about 10. There were a few trees with limbs twisted together and it was easy to climb if we wanted to. Dwayne sat on the ground and leaned against one of the tree trunks, patting his lap. I straddled him, my bare knees digging into the fallen pinecones and sticks as I did. "Dwayne Arnold Robertson, I can't take the silence anymore. Spill it. What is wrong?"

"Nothin's really wrong, I'm jus' gonna miss home, is all." Dwayne finally spoke, confusing me. "Ya know how the Junior Goodwill Games are coming up?" He placed his hands on my hips as if we were gonna start slow dancing, tracing circles on my hip bones.

"Yeah." I shifted on his lap, now sitting on his lower thighs.

"Well, they need a hockey team for the US." He looked up at me with the dorkiest smile I'd ever seen and it made me laugh. He sighed in relief like he'd known that had calmed my nerves a little with his antics. "And you are looking at one of the newest players."

"No way!" I exclaimed. "Just you?"

"Nah, me an' Darla both." Dwayne looked happy that I didn't seem sad at him having to leave home. I was, but I was more excited about this opportunity for him. As much as he loved it here in Austin with his farm and his family, he loves hockey just a bit more. "And I told them the only way I was goin' is if I got to bring someone with me." He looked at me. "For emotional support."

"Yeah?" I tilted my head a little and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so you might wanna start packin'. We leave tomorrow night." Dwayne grabbed my hands and my eyes widened.

"Dwayne." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I already talked to your mama and she said you could come with me if you wanted to." Dwayne barely got the words out of his mouth when I surged forward and kissed him. My soft lips press against his chapped ones, my fingers slowly getting tangled in his hair at the base of his neck. He kissed me back and lightly gripped my hips with his warm hands. But I pulled away sooner than I'd liked to.

"Of course, I'll go with you, dummy," I said. "What kind o' stupid question is that?"

"Well, I didn't know if you'd wanna leave home or not, so I was just askin'!" Dwayne laughed and began showering me with kisses all over my face. My cheeks, my forehead, my nose, and finally my lips again. This kiss was soft, short, and sweet, quick to end, but left both of us smiling. "Now, we should head on back. You need to get home and so do I. I need to give Mr. Tibbles a call so he can getcha a plane ticket."

"Mr. Tibbles?" I leaned back, my smile growing at the name.

"That's what I said." Dwayne patted my thighs. "Up ya get. We need to get home." I begrudgingly made my way to my feet and went to brush the dirt and stuff off my knees when Dwayne gently smacked my hand away, doing it for me. I huffed. "Don't huff at me." I said nothing and took the cowboy hat off of the boy's head, placing it on my own as he continued to brush the dirt off. "What d'you think you're doin'?"

"What's it look like, cowboy?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"You know the rules, Eve." Dwayne looked up at me with a small smirk.

"I do, and yet, you aren't gonna touch me unless I give you the go-ahead. Now, let's get home so I can get mad at Mama for keeping a secret from me." I stepped back and my boyfriend got to his feet, brushing the dirt off his jeans.

"'Course I wouldn't." He took his hat back and placed it on his head. "Now," he leaned down and picked me up bridal style, making me squeal in surprise. "Let's go home, gorgeous." The walk back to the house was filled with smiles, small kisses, and laughter. When we got back to my house, my mama was standing on the porch.

"'Bout time y'all got back. The streetlights turned on 10 minutes ago!" Mama placed her hand on her hips.

"Mama, you're mean! You knew why Dwayne wanted to talk to me and you didn't give me a heads-up!" I huffed and shook my head at my mother.

"It was a surprise, Evelyn." She rolled her eyes. "How'd it go?"

"She's comin' with me!" Dwayne smiled brightly and I laughed.

"Yeah, there's no way he's leavin' home without me."

"I could never leave my girl behind." Dwayne placed a kiss on my cheek and set me down on the ground gently. "Honestly think I'd die without ya."

"Yeah, 'cause I keep you from doin' somethin' stupid." I patted the boy's cheek and he smiled more.

"Like I said. I'd die without ya."