Chapter 27

The Hawthorne family is the breath of fresh air I needed to get my mind off of this horrible day. I'm so overwhelmed with all that's transpired that the only thing I know to do is forget about it all for now and just try to savor this time with Gale's family. As the day progresses, I find myself really taking stock of each Hawthorne. Find myself really seeing each of them for who they are. Seeing their differences and their similarities to each other.

Posy has kept me busy playing with her doll and making up silly games for us to play. My favorite thing about Posy is her childish innocence. She is so content with being in the moment. Doesn't worry about anything. Not about the things that weigh so heavily on the rest of our minds. I think back to a time when I too was that way, when the world was only happiness and butterflies. It seems so long ago that it almost doesn't seem to have ever really existed.

Rory and I share a bit of an unspoken bond. He knows what I did, what risks I took to save him. And I know how he in return saved me today. He knew I needed Gale and he sent him for me. Other than our previously exchanged thank-yous we don't talk about it. He's the spitting image of Gale and I think he likes that. He'll be a real heartbreaker in a couple of years. This kid will always hold a soft spot in my heart, that's for sure.

Vick is different than Rory and Gale. Seems more studious and methodical, less boisterous. I can tell just in our limited interactions that he is extremely intellectual. He tells me tid bits of information about plants that do well in the type of soil found in our district. Tells me about mineral deposits and other things that may make a difference in my gardening.

Hazelle. Oh, Hazelle. Where to even begin? She's so strong. Her mere presence seems to be the glue that bonds this family so tightly together. She's the perfect balance of fun and structure. And I love that she seems to welcome me into her home, into her son's life so willingly. And she treats me like a normal person, not a mayor's daughter.

And of course there's Gale. My Gale. It fills my heart to see him interact with his family. He's a father and a brother to his siblings. His love for them just emanates from his face. He twirls little Posy as if she's a ballerina. Wrestles Rory and lets him almost win. Trades trivia with Vick. He's everything to them and I can see clearly that they are his everything too.

When the sun is setting, Gale pulls me outside to sit on the steps with him. I rest my head on his shoulder as we watch the sky fade from blue to orange and purple. It's beautiful and calming. Serene. It's still sweltering hot even though the sun has slipped beyond the horizon. This dry heat wave we've been having is relentless.

"It's so hot. I wish it would rain and cool everything off." I say.

"I have an idea. But you'll have to really, really trust me." Gale says suddenly as his eyes come alive with mystery.

'What are you up too?" I ask cocking my head to the side and raising a brow at him.

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you." I say but keep the quizzical look on my face.

"Okay, two rules. First, you can't ask any questions about where we are going or what we'll be doing. Second, you have to be okay with us staying out late. Possibly very late. Those are the rules and I won't negotiate." He says, fully playing into the mystery of it all.

"I can try not to ask questions but the suspense may kill me. And I can stay out all night for all I care. I doubt anyone other than Mabel would even notice anyway."

"Then we have a deal. Let me tell my mother I'm leaving and then we'll be on our way." He says. He disappears inside for a moment and comes back out, grinning from ear to ear. Whatever he's up too, I'm very excited about it.

He grabs my hand and leads me not on the gravel path that goes through the Seam but through yards and grassy areas. In minutes we are standing at the perimeter fence and I realize he's taking me into the woods. My heart races. It's nighttime and I've never been out there before. Only fanaticized about what lays beyond that fence. I look up at Gale with wide eyes and I go to open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off before I can.

"No questions, that's the deal, remember?" He says putting a single finger to my lips and planting a kiss on my nose. "Just follow me, walk where I walk. I won't let go of your hand, I won't leave your side, I promise."

I nod and take a deep breath in as my stomach does flip flops. We climb through the fence and cross the field to the trees. The woods are dark. I can barely see but I'm not scared because Gale knows these woods like the back of his hand. I trust him. We're mostly silent as we walk. And we walk for what feels like a very, very long while before he finally whispers, "We're almost there." And squeezes my hand.

I squeeze his hand back but don't speak. There are a few more minutes of walking and then suddenly we're out of the trees. Standing on the shore of a lake, which shimmers under the moonlight. The sky is as full of stars here as it was in the clearing but combined with the beauty of the lake it's phenomenal.

"Wow. I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life." I breath out in a whisper so hushed I doubt Gale can hear me.

"Feel like a swim?" He whispers as he kisses my earlobe sending my stomach back into a flip flop.

"I don't know how."

"I'll show you." He says, then he stands back and pulls off his shirt and hands it too me. "Here, you can swim in this."

I take it, knowing I'm blushing even though it's too dark for him to see it in my cheeks. It hadn't yet occurred to me that I didn't have anything to swim in. He turns and gives me privacy as I slip out of my dress and pull his shirt over my head. It smells like Gale and I love how it feels against my bare skin.

"Okay. I'm ready." I tell him. He's waist deep in the water already, facing away from me but turns to me at the sound of my voice.

"Do you trust me?" He asks as he takes both my hands, pulling me to him as I ease into the water.

"With my life." I whisper. And I mean it with my whole heart.

All speaking between us ceases and he pulls me into his bare chest, fervently kissing me with a passion that I've never felt before. His hands hold tightly to either side of my face and his fingers tangle in my hair. I find my own hands clutching at his waistband as I kiss back with just as much emotion.