Loving Charley (23 page)

“I’m glad you’re home, too.
My workload is going to decrease a lot!”

“Yup, nothing’s changed,” I
say to her with a laugh.

We all take turns unpacking
the truck and Honda. When we unload the last box from the Honda, I
make my way to my room. Taking a minute to collect my thoughts, I
think about my freshman year. It’s hard to believe it’s over. As
quickly as I made the decision to attend Southern, my first year
has come to an end. I reflect on the people, memories, and
experiences I had this past year, and then I think about this
summer. I’m so happy to be home, but without the Kluft girls, it’s
gonna be rough.

I shake my head as I stare
at the stack of boxes in my room. How in the hell did all this shit
fit in that tiny room? I start to unpack when Tessa enters the
room.

“Are you gonna help me or
go missin’?” I ask her.

“What do you say we both go
missin’?” she answers.

“Whatcha
thinkin’?”

“I was thinkin’ a little ride around
the farm might be fun or going swimming at the pond.”

I scan all the boxes in
sight. I’m definitely not looking forward to unpacking, but
procrastination isn’t in my nature. Tessa gives me a look, and how
am I to tell her no?

“So, which one is it…
ridin’ or swimmin’?” I ask her.

“Both.”

“Aight.” We grab a swimsuit
and stop and talk to Mama for just a minute before heading to the
barn to grab our four-wheelers. We spend the next hour ridin’,
racin’, muddin’, and just livin’ life in the moment.

As we slow down on the
lower end of the field, I glance at my watch, and Tessa knows
exactly what I’m thinking. “When are they supposed to be back?” she
asks.

“Around supper, I think.”
Cash went with his dad to a cattle sale a county over. I can’t
believe he didn’t help me move home, but I think he just wanted me
to spend the last moment with my friends and not focus on
us.

“That’s not too bad. Are
you ready to go for a swim? You look a hot mess.”

“Always keepin’ it real. I
might just start callin’ you HJ,” I joke.

“Huh?” she asks,
confused.

“Hayden Junior,” I
reply.

“I like her, so I’ll take
it.” She guns it toward the pond, and I follow right behind. As we
approach the pond, I’m caught off guard when I see Cash’s
four-wheeler, and I give Tessa a puzzled look. She smirks and picks
up speed.
He’s back and didn’t call?
Something’s not right
. The closer we get
to the club, I notice Tessa trying not to laugh.

“You knew, didn’t you?!” I
ask as I slide off my four-wheeler and turn to look at her while
wiping the mud off my legs and pulling my hair back through my ball
cap.

“Who knows?” she questions
with a shrug.

Not sure of what to make of
the situation and wondering why Cash would have lied, I turn to
face the club, only to be met by the most handsome man I’ve ever
seen. Cash is propped against the club’s ladder in a pair of Rock
& Roll Cowboy jeans and a Memphis Snap shirt. His hair has been
freshly cut, and his face is clean-shaven. In his hands, he’s
holding a bouquet of fresh daisies from his mama’s flowerbed, and
when he sees my mud-covered self, he grins and pushes off the
ladder and begins to walk toward me.

I look back at Tessa, and
she winks before taking off toward the house. It’s obvious that
I’ve been set up, but I have a feeling as long as it has something
to do with Cash Money, I’ll love it.

“Fancy seein’ you here,” I
say as I get within speaking distance.

“Well, let’s just say that I wanted to
surprise ya.”

“That you did, but look at
me,” I say as I point at the mud.

“Personally, there’s
nothing hotter than a girl that’s not afraid to get a little
dirty,” he says as he hands me the flowers and kisses me
gently.

“Thank you.”

“Are you hungry?” he asks.
“I made us supper.”

“As long as it’s
PB&J’s.” I wink as we lace our fingers together.

“How’d you know?” He takes
my hand and guides me to the ladder.

Taking the final rung, I am
in awe when we enter the club. Cash has made our own private supper
with candles, Choice Cherry Gold, and PB&J’s on my mama’s fine
china. “Ohmygosh, Cash! You did all of this?” I inquire.

“Guilty.”

“Don’t say that again,” I
joke. “It’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,
Char-coal,” he says as he takes a step closer, placing his hand on
my cheek and pulling me in for a slow, heart-warming kiss. “I’m so
glad you’re home.”

“Me, too.” I eagerly try to
meet his lips once again. He fulfills my request and holds me
tightly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was a goodbye hug,
but I know we won’t have any more of those.

“You wanna eat?” he asks
nervously.

“Sure, but I need to clean
up a little or at least wash my hands.” He tosses me a wet rag and
then I sit across from him at our private supper. He begins by
pouring Choice Cherry Gold into wine glasses, and we fix our
plates. During supper, we enjoy each other’s company without
interruption. We laugh, talk about what happened when I left the
Kluft girls, what I want to do this summer at home, and I bring up
the idea of transferring to be closer to him even though I told
Georgia I’d be back. Of course, Cash loves that idea, but as
always, he wants me to enjoy college.

As the sun begins to set,
Cash plugs in his iPod and begins to play our song. Taking my hand,
he helps me stand and pulls me into him, and we dance to our song
in our club without a care in the world.

When it ends, he pulls me
in for a kiss and then slowly pulls away. “I wanna show you
somethin’,” he says and points toward the ladder. Making our way
down, he guides me to the pond. Taking in all the elements and
checking every nook and cranny, I don’t notice anything out of the
ordinary.

“Everything’s the same,” I
say.

Clearing his throat, he
turns to me and takes my hands in his. “Char-coal, everything’s the
same. Since the first day we met until right now, everything has
been the same. You and me. You have always been my forever
regardless of the trials we have faced. This pond is ours, along
with the club, and these memories that will never be tarnished or
forgotten. I want to start our forever,” he says as he pulls a
little black box from his jeans and takes a knee. Opening the box,
he asks the question I’ve been waiting my entire life to hear,
“Charley Anne Rice, I’ve loved you as long as I’ve understood what
it means to love someone. You are my one and only, the one that
gives me reason to breath, and I want to make you my
wife.”

Grinning from ear to ear, I
can’t help but answer him with one question, “Cash Money, what you
wanna marry me for, anyways?”

Shaking his head as he
stands, he replies, “So, I can kiss my Char-coal anytime I wanna.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer; he kisses me with desire, hunger,
and as if his life depends on it. Wrapping my arms around him, I
fall deeper and deeper into his kiss, and then he pulls away
abruptly. “I take that’s a yes?”

“Yes, Cash Money!” I
exclaim and then pull him back to meet my lips.

He pulls away one more
time. “Don’t you wanna see the ring?”

“Cash, I wouldn’t care if
it came outta bubble gum machine as long as you’re the one that
gave it to me.”

Taking the ring from the
box, he slides the carat and a half princess-cut diamond onto my
finger. It’s perfect. Once the ring is on my finger, I waste no
time expressing my feelings to him. He lifts me off the ground and
carries me back to the club. When we are inside, we focus on each
other and enjoy being alone together.

“Tessa knew the whole time,
huh?” I ask him.

“Yup, everyone knew, but
you.”

“Everyone?” I look at him
with a wrinkle in my brow.

“Yeah, our parents, Tessa, Piper, Joe,
and the Kluft girls all knew. I had to have all their
permission.”

“No wonder they were
shooing me out of the parking lot! Those little huzzies! And Tessa
let me look like this. I should have at least taken a shower
before.”

“Char-coal, I wouldn’t have
you any other way. Just think. It’s a story to tell our grandkids
one day, but if you wanna get rid of the mud, I know of a way,” he
says with a sly grin.

“Cash Porter Montgomery,
are you suggesting we go skinny dippin’?”

“Maybe.”

“Does this mean you’re
gonna break your promise?”

“Hell no, if I’ve made it
this far, why stop now?” he asks with a laugh.

“Well, let’s just see about
that,” I say with a wink as I shimmy outta my cutoffs and tank
before jumping from the window. If I can’t have Cash all the way
yet, I guess skinny dippin’ will have to do for now.

About the Author

Casey Peeler grew up and still lives in North
Carolina with her husband and daughter. Her first passion is
teaching students with special needs. Over the years, she found her
way to relax was in a good book.

After reading
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora
Neal Hurston her senior year of high school and multiple Nicholas
Sparks’ novels, she found a hidden love and appreciation for
reading.

Casey is an avid reader, blogger (Hardcover
Therapy,) and now author.  Her goal is to one day be an author
who is recognized nationwide like Jamie McGuire, Colleen Hoover,
Tiffany King, and Amanda Bennett.

When Casey isn’t reading, you can find her
listening to country music, spending the day at the lake, being a
wife and dance mom, and spending time with friends and
family.

Her perfect day consists of water, sand
between her toes, a cold beverage, and a great book!

Connect with
Casey:

Facebook:
caseypeelerauthor

Twitter:
@AuthorCasey

Instagram:
caseypeeler

Books by Casey
Peeler

Full Circle
Series

Loving Charley

Finding Charley

Loving Charley

Southern
Perfection

Crashing Tides

Our Song (A Country Music
Novella)