Always the One (Always and Forever 1)

Right, selfish. I forgot that word.

“Yeah, but it still didn’t make it okay to treat him that way, and then make her scheduled visits miserable and revolve around her.” Flipping his hand under mine, he joins our hands and squeezes.

“You don’t talk about her much. When’s the last time you saw or spoke to her?” He’s right, moving to Seattle got me away from her. My dad, however, followed me there, moving himself to Portland, which isn’t too far from me. My dad’s my best friend. He is so kind, loving, and a big teddy bear. Tom Donovan is the greatest man to ever love me, and I’m not reluctant to say that I am a daddy’s girl through and through. Moving with us was his way of saying sorry for trying to keep Mom for so long, even though it was bad for us all.

“I haven’t seen her since the day before we left for Seattle. I’ve called her maybe twice.”

“Were they long calls?” He hasn’t looked at me yet and I’m thankful, I need the privacy.

“Yeah, but surprise, it was forty minutes of nothing but talking about her.” He stays quiet, letting me stew, getting it all out. I don’t want to talk about her anymore. She’s not around enough to affect me like she used to.

“I haven’t talked to my dad all week. I’m not sure how to tell him about you,” I state, biting my lip and changing the subject. Trey’s eyes shoot over to me for a brief second, shock written all over his face. Not even his sunglasses can hide his facial expression.

“Why?”

I would think he’d know my dad is aware of his past. But instead, he’s looking at me completely dumbfounded. “Really? I don’t know, because I’m his little girl and you’re my first boyfriend and other things.” Coolly saying the last part, hoping he doesn’t catch on.

“What other things?” He switches lanes smoothly.

I concentrate on staring at the dashboard, with great purpose, avoiding his side profile. “We grew up together and all he’s ever known you to be is the player who ran around with Kingston…” I don’t want to make him feel like crap for his past, but it is what it is.

“Do you mean to tell me your dad thinks I’m a horny slut who spent all my adolescent days screwing around?”

Maybe not in those words.

“Well, kinda.”

I feel bad for bringing this up, but better now than later, right?

“He wouldn’t say that, but he wasn’t born yesterday. He raised Kingston for heaven’s sake, so he knows what kind of…stuff you guys did.” I wasn’t clueless to his promiscuous days, but I sure don’t like thinking or talking about it.

“But your dad and I always got along. Shit, we used to laugh about all that shit together. We were bros, babe.” His voice is quiet, a voice of someone reminiscing on good times. This really is upsetting him.

“Honey, that was before you were dating his daughter.” His hand leaves mine for a quick second so he can rub his chin in thought. Before returning it back to my hand.

“True. Shit, maybe you should wait to tell him.” He doesn’t do a good job of hiding his disappointment, it’s apparent on his face.

“Trey, I’m going to tell him when we get home, okay?” He shakes his head in surrender.

“How about some music?” I plug my phone into the aux cord and turn on iTunes, letting the first song start. This is too much heavy for what’s supposed to be a fun road trip.

After a few songs pass, he starts to loosen back up. Every once in awhile we exchange a laugh or thought, but for the most part it turns into comfortable silence and I doze off to sleep.

“KINGS, HELP ME UP!” I yell at my big brother, hoping he will let me up in his tree house. He only lets the other big kids up there with him. Well, the boys that it is, but sometimes he lets me up there. That’s because we’re best friends.

“Hey, do you think he’ll let me up there, too?” I look over and see Lana. She’s the one who helped me after I fell off the monkey bars last week. I had no idea how she knew where I lived.

“I don’t know, he really only lets older boys in there. I’m the only girl who he lets come up because I’m his sister.” We look up to the tree house at the same time, and when we see the boys laughing at us, I look back to her.

“Don’t mind them, they’re just big meanies. How did you know where I lived?”

“Me and my family just moved in down the street. I heard a bunch of noise and saw some other kids running over here, so I followed them.”

I laugh because she’s funny, not like all the other girls around here. She’s more fun.

“Cool, that means you can hang out with me. I’ll get us in the t

ree house. My brother will have to let you in since you’re my friend. Thanks for helping me the other day, I was so embarrassed when the other kids saw.” She just smiles and shrugs her shoulders.