On the Rocks

by Kandi Steiner

  Ruby Grace melted into me, and my heart galloped and stuttered as she swept a hand through my hair, wiggling her way up my chest until her face hovered over mine.

  “I never said it back,” she whispered, hazel eyes dancing in the light from the makeshift stars. “And I’m sorry I didn’t. Because you were right, when you said it the first night you brought me here. I love you, too.”

  Her eyes watered as I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

  “I do, Noah,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry it took all this for me to admit it out loud. I was scared. I was… lost. As much as the wedding planning and pressure from my family was smothering me, I chose to hide under that rubble instead of trying to break free. I think a part of me was worried about what I’d find on the other side…”

  I nodded, understanding completely. I knew what it was like to have the town talk about you, to have your entire life uprooted in one single day. And I was sure that if I’d had a choice in the matter, I would have avoided it at all costs.

  “But, that worry was unfounded,” she continued, her plump lips spreading into a gentle smile. “Because I should have known from the very start that as long as it was you, as long as it was us, together?” She shook her head again. “There’s no way life could be anything but perfect.”

  I smirked, capturing her chin in my hand. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’d be embarrassed to love me, too.”

  That earned me a laugh and a swat on the chest, but I killed her laughter when I pressed my lips to hers.

  We both breathed into the kiss, inhaling each other, and when she let out a soft, longing moan, all the blood rushed to where her leg rested between my legs.

  I groaned, rolling my hips to let her feel me. “It hasn’t even been twenty minutes, and I want to bury myself in you again.”

  She bit her lip on a smile. “What are you waiting for?”

  “Energy,” I confessed honestly.

  Ruby Grace laughed, kissing my nose before she balanced over me again. For a while we just stared at each other, listening to the insects, fingers trailing lightly over each other’s skin.

  “I think I want to do it,” she whispered after a while.

  I groaned. “Me, too, woman, but I need water. And a protein bar. And, like, at least thirty more minutes.”

  “Not that,” Ruby Grace said, wide grin splitting her face. I counted the freckles that dotted her cheeks as she shook her head. “I mean AmeriCorps.”

  My heart stopped at that. “Yeah?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I can’t believe you applied for me. I was so overcome with emotion when you told me… I just wanted to throw myself into your arms and thank you and thank God for sending you into my life. It was the first moment I realized you loved me… before you even told me. Because no one had ever done anything like that for me before. Ever.”

  I ran my hand down her cheek. “So, you want to go?”

  “I do.”

  “Good,” I said, smirking. “Because an email came through to my inbox yesterday. They want a phone interview for the position in Utah.”

  Her lips parted. “What?”

  “They want—”

  “AN INTERVIEW!” Ruby Grace screeched, throwing her arms around me and rolling until she was on top, surrounding me in every way with every limb as she squeezed and squealed. “Oh, my God. Noah!”

  I laughed. “If this is the reaction I get, I’m going to apply for every job that exists in AmeriCorps.”

  Ruby Grace just squeezed me more before sitting up. She straddled me now, her legs around my waist as she pressed her hands to my chest. Her eyes searched mine, worry etched in the creases. “And you’ll wait for me? If I go?”

  “Are you kidding?” I asked, maneuvering until I was sitting up, too. We were chest to chest, then, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. “Anything, Ruby Grace. I’d do anything for you.”

  She kissed me, long and slow, our bodies melding together again before she fluttered her eyes open once more.

  “I’ll go, if they hire me. But only on one condition.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Well, two conditions.”

  I chuckled. “Okay. You going to tell me what they are or just keep adding on?”

  “One, you have to come visit me. Every chance you get. And I’ll come home when I can, too.”

  “That’s a given.”

  “And two,” she said, trailing her finger down my chest and tapping it once. “When I’m done, we sail around the world together.”

  I threw my head back on a laugh. “It takes a lot of money to do that, Ruby Grace. And a sailboat.”

  She frowned. “Fine. Then when I’m done, we go sailing. Period. We can drive down to Florida, or up to Maine. Charter a boat. Whatever we have to do to get you on the open seas.”

  I smiled. “Why is this a condition?”

  She shrugged, adjusting herself in my lap. “Because you’re making one of my dreams come true,” she whispered. “I want to make one of yours come true, too.”

  I swore, if any of my brothers could feel the way my heart melted at her words, they’d punch me in the arm and call me the biggest wuss in the world.

  But I didn’t care.

  When it came to Ruby Grace, I was the biggest wuss in the world.

  “You already did,” I whispered back, brushing her hair from her face. “I dreamed of finding a woman like you, of finding a love like this.” I smirked. “And here you are.”

  “Here I am,” she said, giggling. Then, she rolled her hips, eliciting a sharp inhale from me as she painted on a face of innocence. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Oh, I can think of a few things,” I said, devouring her lips and pulling her back down into the bean bag.

  “I thought you needed water. And a protein bar. And at least thirty minutes,” she teased.

  “Shut up and let me make love to you.”

  She giggled louder when I flipped her over, kissing her neck and pinning her arms above her head. And for the rest of the night, and well into the morning, we sealed our promises with every inch of our bodies, with every ounce of our souls, with every beat of our hearts.

  When you hear the word Tennessee, what do you think of?

  Maybe your first thought is country music. Maybe you can even see those bright lights of Nashville, hear the different bands as their sounds pour out of the bars and mingle in a symphony in the streets. Maybe you think of Elvis, of Graceland, of Dollywood and countless other musical landmarks. Maybe you feel the prestige of the Grand Ole Opry, or the wonder of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Maybe you feel the history radiating off Beale Street in Memphis.

  Or maybe you think of the Great Smoky Mountains, of fresh air and hiking, of majestic sights and long weekends in cabins. Maybe you can close your eyes and see the tips of those mountains capped in white, can hear the call of the Tennessee Warbler, can smell the fresh pine and oak.

  Maybe, like I used to, you think of whiskey.

  But after that summer, Tennessee only conjured up one thing in my mind.

  A girl.

  No, a woman.

  One who flipped my entire world upside down in just six weeks’ time. One who gave Stratford the biggest scandal they’d seen since the distillery fire. One who would change the world — because she was destined to do so.

  And one I knew I’d spend my forever with.

  What a lucky sonofabitch.

  Noah - Four Months Later

  “Thank you again for having me over for Thanksgiving,” Ruby Grace said to Mom as she helped clear the table. “And for having it a little earlier in the day on my behalf.”

  “Are you kidding?” Mom asked, stacking plates. “I’ve been the only woman at this table for years. It was a blessing to have someone else to help wrangle these heathens.”

  “Hey,” Logan said with mock offense.

  “Besides, you’re family now,” Mom continued, pausing long enough to smile at
Ruby Grace genuinely. “And we’re all so proud of you for chasing your dream.”

  My heart swelled at that, because it was true. My brothers had adopted Ruby Grace like she was the sister they never had, and Mom was happier than I had seen her in years when Ruby Grace was around — even if it was just for dinner or an after-church lunch. She hadn’t just filled my life with light and love, but my entire family’s. And now, on my favorite holiday, it was almost impossible to fend off emotions watching her clear the table with my mom.

  Today was the day Ruby Grace would start her drive across the country to serve her first full-year term in AmeriCorps.

  It was hard to believe the day had finally come, that in less than an hour, my girl would slide into the driver seat of her loaded-up convertible and head out west to Utah. My chest had been tight all day with the effort it took to fight off tears, but I swore to myself that I wouldn’t cry — no matter how much I would miss her.

  Because this was her dream, and I stood by my word that I’d help her achieve it.

  “Are we excused?” Mikey asked from the end of the table.

  An uncomfortable hush fell over the family, and Mom glanced at me and Jordan before she smiled at her youngest son. “I was going to get the pie.”

  “I don’t want any.”

  Mom nodded, her eyes worried and sad. “Oh. Okay, then. Yes, you’re excused.”

  Mikey didn’t say another word, just shoved back from the table, the legs of his chair scraping against the wood before he stood and pushed it back in. He was down the hall and shutting the door to his bedroom before any of us even looked up again, and he didn’t say a word to any of us — not even Ruby Grace, who he knew was leaving.

  He hadn’t said a word all day.

  I sighed, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “Forgive him. He’s still not okay after the whole Bailey thing…”

  “It’s okay,” she assured me, squeezing my hand back.

  Just like we had all feared, Bailey ended up taking the record label in Nashville up on their offer earlier than she’d promised. And, along with that change, she’d also broken up with Mikey. She’d told them it wasn’t forever, it was just for a while, so she could focus on her music.

  But to Mikey, it was the ultimate betrayal.

  He hadn’t been the same since then, and where he usually showed his emotions willingly, opened up to us and let us help, he had shut down completely at this. Since that cold, rainy day in October when she landed the blow, my little brother had been a zombie version of the kid who existed before.

  I hoped we’d get him back soon.

  Jordan and Logan finished clearing the table as Ruby Grace and I did the dishes, and once the chores were done, we all gathered one last time for pie and wine. The time passed too quickly, and before I was ready, we were all standing on the porch saying our goodbyes to the woman I loved.

  Jordan gave Ruby Grace the first hug — along with a AAA card he’d set up without telling any of us. “For emergencies,” he told her gruffly. She smiled and thanked him, giving him one last hug before he moved out of the way to let Logan in next.

  “Stay safe, and have fun,” he said, wrapping her up in a hug. “And for God’s sake, try to call home at least once a day so I don’t have to watch my brother mope around without you here.”

  I punched his arm.

  Ruby Grace chuckled, giving me a knowing smirk. “I promise, I’ll text him an annoying amount in an effort to avoid that very thing.”

  “Thank you,” Logan said, pressing his hands together in mock prayer as his eyes floated up.

  “And you have fun with your new trainee,” she said, lifting one brow at Logan. “I heard she’s quite the firecracker.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me,” Logan murmured. “The only reason she got the job at all is because of her father.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re responsible for her now,” I pointed out.

  “Who knows, maybe they’ll have you train her just so she can take your place as the lead tour guide,” Jordan chimed in.

  Logan paled at that, mouth gaping like a fish as he looked at Mom first, then at me and Ruby Grace, and finally back at Jordan. “Don’t even joke about that.”

  We all chuckled, but I knew there was a part of Logan that might actually be scared that could happen. After all, Mallory Scooter was the black sheep of the Scooter family. She had tattoos and piercings and purple hair and a bad attitude that had tainted her family’s image for years. It seemed her father had finally put his foot down, forcing her to be the distillery’s latest tour guide addition. It was an extremely valued job, and one that other employees fought hard for. No one was happy she’d been the one to be hired — least of all her.

  Her first day was Monday, and Logan had just found out he would be her trainer.

  “You’ll be alright, little bro,” I assured him, clapping him hard on the shoulder.

  Mom stepped up next, her eyes glossy as she folded her arms around Ruby Grace. She held her tight, swaying a little. “I know I said it before, but we are all so proud of you,” she said, pulling back and holding Ruby Grace’s arms in her hands. “I know you’ll call Noah, but don’t forget to call me from time to time, too. Okay?”

  “Of course. And you promise to check in on Betty from time to time?”

  Mom waved her off with a smile. “Are you kidding? Visiting that wild old woman is the highlight of my week, now.”

  We all laughed at that. Mom had started volunteering at the nursing home with Ruby Grace to get to know her better, and in the process, she’d fallen under the same magical spell Betty weaved on all of us. Now that Ruby Grace was leaving, I had a feeling they’d become even closer.

  “Alright,” Mom said, dabbing at the corner of her eyes. “Come on, boys. Let’s leave these two alone. Drive safe, dear, and let us know when you make it. Okay?”

  “Will do,” Ruby Grace assured her, and with one last wave from each of them, my Mom and brothers went back inside, leaving just the two of us on the porch.

  Ruby Grace turned to me with a sad smile. “I guess this is it, huh?”

  “I guess so.”

  My heart squeezed violently in my chest as I reached for her hand, walking with her in silence off the porch and out to her car. It was loaded up with boxes and piles of clothes still on the hanger. I didn’t think she’d be able to fit everything she wanted in that little convertible, but she’d surprised me.

  We both stopped next to her driver side door, and tears flooded Ruby Grace’s eyes as soon as she faced me.

  “Hey,” I said, pretending like I wasn’t on the verge of crying myself as I pulled her into me. I wrapped my arms around her tight, resting my chin on her head as I felt her tears dampen my long-sleeve shirt. “None of that now. It’s not permanent, okay? Plus, this is your dream, this is what you’ve wanted for so long. You’re doing it, Ruby Grace,” I said, pulling back to look into her shining eyes. “You’re going to AmeriCorps.”

  “I know,” she whispered, sniffing back more tears. “But, I’m leaving you in the process.”

  “Just for a little while,” I reminded her. “I’ll come visit for Christmas, and every other chance I get.”

  “And I’ll be back after the summer.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And then?”

  I smiled. “And then, we find some poor sucker willing to let us on their sailboat for a month.”

  Ruby Grace laughed through her tears, burying her face in my chest again with a little whimper. “I’m going to miss you so much, Noah.” She lifted her head again. “I love you. You know that?”

  I chucked her chin. “I do. And I love you. You know that?”

  “I do.”

  Silence fell over us, and for a while, I just held her there in that quiet space, the sun above breaking through the crisp fall air.

  “So, any other stops on your way out of town?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. My family did our dinner last night, and
I can’t go through Mom holding me in a vise grip and sobbing all over me again,” she joked, but I didn’t miss the underlying stress in her voice.

  She and her parents had been working on their relationship since the not-wedding day, but I knew she was still far from forgiving and forgetting.

  “And I said goodbye to Annie, Travis, and baby Bethany earlier this week.”

  “I bet they’re all going to miss you.”

  “They will,” she agreed. “And I’ll miss all of them. But, I’m ready.” A genuine smile bloomed on my favorite strawberry smoothie lips, then. “This is it, isn’t it? I’m going. I’m really going.”

  I returned her smile. “You’re really going, Legs.” I pulled her closer, sweeping her hair from her face before lowering my voice to a whisper. “I am so proud of you.”

  My fingertips found her chin, and I tilted it up, pressing my lips to hers. It was a kiss I never wanted to end, one that was slow and easy and felt like the most natural thing in the world. That’s how it had been for us since that night in the treehouse — effortless.

  “Don’t find another girl while I’m gone,” she said when we finally broke the kiss.

  “Yeah, right. More like you finding a hot AmeriCorps hippie with long hair and hemp clothes.”

  She snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “And you’re amazing.” I framed her face, kissing her again. “This isn’t goodbye. It’s see you soon. Okay?”

  Her eyes glossed again. “Okay,” she whispered.

  I could have held her forever, kissed her over and over and over until she missed her check-in time for her new job in Utah. But, I forced a heavy sigh, breaking away from her hold and opening the driver side door for her to climb inside. Once she was seated, she rolled the window down, leaning out of it and pulling my mouth to hers once more.

  “Woman,” I chuckled between kisses. “Go. Now. You’ve got a long drive to Kansas City and it’s already noon. I don’t want you driving when you’re tired tonight.”

  She sighed, pulling back and pressing her forehead to mine. “Okay. Okay. I’m going.” She ran her hand over my jaw, like she was memorizing my stubble. “I’ll call you when I stop for gas and food.”