Say You Will (The Alexanders 5)

"I'll be back." She danced away, disappearing into the room. Trent used the time to make a list on his cell phone of the places he wanted to take her. When he looked up next, she was standing in front of him in a white tank top and jeans.

He raced through his own shower, yanking on an old faded blue t-shirt and jeans. He met Mara in the living room and offered her his hand. Once the elevator hit the lobby, he pulled her to the front doors. Ernesto waved at them as he opened the doors.

Mara looked at him in confusion when he started walking.

"No driver?"

He grinned. "No driver. When I was in high school I used to ditch my driver all the time and take the L because we thought it was cool. My father would have had a heart attack back then if he'd known about it."

"Is that what we're going to do today?"

He shook his head. "No, we're going to compromise and take a cab today. I want you to be able to see everything."

He put up his hand and a cab pulled over immediately. Mara climbed in and then grabbed on to Trent with a squeal as the cabbie pulled out wildly into traffic. He pointed out Fifth Avenue as they passed and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Are we going to the museum?" She twisted in her seat as they passed the entrance.

"Not today."

When the cabbie pulled over at the curb, Trent handed over a few bills and hopped out. Mara followed him, looking around in confusion.

"Where are we?"

"Central Park." He led her across the grass to a bench. He squatted next to the bench and peered at the side of it. "Yeah, this is the right one. Tia, Avery and I used to hang out in the park all the time. I was sitting here the first time I told Tia I loved her. I was also sitting here when I made the decision to leave New York. I scratched my name on the side here."

Mara leaned over to look at the faint scratches. When she looked up at him, he could see that she got it. That he was trying to show her the places that had changed the course of his life.

"I like this bench." She sat back and closed her eyes, tilting her face up to the sun. "I like it more knowing it helped lead you to me."

"Me too." He looked around. There was always activity in the park. An older man on the next bench read a tattered paperback, his cane resting against his leg. A woman jogged by, the white cords of her earphones dangling down her back. The wind fluttered through the trees.

"It's a good place for thinking. You can be surrounded by people but yet be all alone."

Mara squeezed his hand. "I can see how that could be very comforting when you don't want to be at home."

A group of kids ran by screaming and the sudden noise broke the tension. "Okay maybe I take back the part about comfort."

Trent snorted. "Just wait until we have kids. We'll probably have eardrums of steel. According to my mother, I was a screamer."

Mara covered her mouth with her hand. "Great. That's something to look forward to."

"It is. I'm looking forward to all of it." He gestured around the park. "I made the decision to leave New York because I wanted a chance to put everything that happened behind me. But I was just existing. Putting one foot in front of the other, day after day. You were the one who truly brought me back to life."

"I'm glad. That's all I want to do. Because you make me happy, too."

A group of fat, gray pigeons waddled by, cooing loudly. "I'm pretty sure these are the same pigeons that were here when we used to come here, too. Or I guess it must be their grandchildren by now. Damn if that isn't a depressing thought."

"No depressing thoughts allowed today. I want to see more of the places you used to go when you were younger. I want to see it all."

He stood too, tucking her beneath his arm.

"Trent! Hey, Trent!"

Movement to his left caught his attention. A girl in a long, flowing skirt waved her hands back and forth. She was standing next to a bare-chested man with long, tangled hair who sat in front of an easel. Trent squinted and then whipped around when he recognized her. Avery had mentioned one time that their old friend Trix was posing for an artist but she was supposed to be living in Portugal not here. He tucked his head and walked faster.

"Trent! Wait!"

Mara finally heard the commotion and looked over shoulder. "Is someone calling you?"