Hometown Love

Callie

I don't know why I was willing to give him another chance. I was still furious and heartbroken, but I had known Colton well enough to know when he was being genuine. Maybe a part of me wanted to show Colton how well I was doing without him. Or at least how well I pretended to be doing.

Seeing him get dragged in the dirt made it a little easier, too.

I still couldn't look at him too closely, but it was a start.

"So, how long are you in town for?" I knew he wouldn't be here long. I hated how sad my voice sounded when I asked.

"I've got training camp starting back up in three months, so I guess til then."

I nodded, unsure of what to say next.

"So are we done with this unruly bastard for the day? I don't think I can handle any more."

"Don't you get tackled by, like, 300 pound dudes every day?" I challenged.

"I do the tacklin', babe." He gave me a cocky look and I felt my cheeks heat up.

When the silence lingered for a beat too long, Colton spoke again.

"So what do you have planned for your birthday this year? I'm guessin' some big elaborate thing?"

"Yeah, right," I chuckled sarcastically, "you remember how much I love grand parties." I rolled my eyes. "I haven't really celebrated my birthday for a while."

I didn't tell him that I hadn't celebrated my birthday since he left. He always made my day so special, and it was our thing. It just didn't feel the same without him.

"But you'll be 25. That's something to celebrate. If you don't throw a party, I'm gonna!"

I threw my head back and laughed.

"You always did throw a good party, Colt. But I'm not really into my birthday anymore. Beau usually just takes me to dinner."

Colton's nostrils flared and I saw something flash behind his eyes, something I knew he did when he was getting angry. But honestly, what could he be getting angry about? He hadn't been around to celebrate my birthday in three years, he didn't have a say in how I celebrated now.

Colton's face seemed to straighten out, like he had caught himself getting angry. Then he smiled up at me.

"Do you remember your 17th birthday? When we broke into the high school pool to swim and then spent all night in Farmer Poppins' pond?"

How could I forget. I smiled, recalling one of the best birthdays I'd ever had. Colton had skipped football camp to spend the day sipping milkshakes at The Ugly Duckling with me—something he got in a lot of trouble for. Afterward we drove around the backroads of Cambridge, blasting Rhett Akins and singing along.

That night, we had checked every single door at the high school until we found the single unlocked one. We snuck past the sleeping security guard and stripped down to our underwear to swim. Colton had looked downright sinful in his briefs.

After getting chased by the newly-awakened security, we ran to Farmer Poppins' farm and waded into the pond to catch frogs. We let most of them go— the fun was just catching them—but kept a couple to sneak into the Lawsons' car to get back at them for throwing a snake at Whitney while she was sunbathing the week before.

Colton had made that day feel so uniquely mine; he always did. I smiled back at him, nodding my head and laughing at the memory of the Lawsons screaming and running out of their car at summer school that Monday.

Colton started talking again, but I couldn't hear him over the rest of that memory playing in my head.

At the end of the night, Colton had driven me home and said goodnight to my father after dropping me off. He then snuck around the house and through my window to give me my birthday present—a beautiful gold chain with a twisted knot on the end. It was timeless and beautiful and as he placed it around my neck he told me I would always be his best friend.