Author's note: Okay, m. This is for you, and all my readers. Enjoy.
Chapter 25
It took another ten hours to drive through South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Alison laughed at Spencer because he drove like Grandma, and he promised her that, just for saying so, he was going to tickle her to death at the next rest stop. "Don't you dare!" she exclaimed, anticipating that delicious moment when tickling would inevitably turn into something else.
Altogether it was a very nice ride. Interstate 95 is not the most scenic of routes, but they found each other's company incredibly stimulating. They had a lot in common. And he could barely keep up with her wit. So for the first time since Maeve, Spencer felt like there was another human being on Planet Earth who could challenge him intellectually, and who could actually understand him. Like just at that moment: she was laughing at one of his jokes. She was laughing because she understood it and found its humor. And with the sun accentuating her highlights, Spencer thought she was a vision of beauty.
The intensity of his gaze made her self-conscious and she nervously asked, "Spencer?"
And he said, "I could love you for the rest of my life."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes, which were troubled once again. He finally looked away, out his window. That's right. They could talk about anything in the here and now. But the future was out of the question, although it was what mattered most.