Page 108 of I’m Already Gone

My eyelids flutter open, and I stare right into Ollie’s silver eyes, wide with a mischievous glint.

“Hey, baby boy.” My voice is still thick with sleep. I glance around the living room, already dim, the sun having dipped below the horizon. I must’ve fallen asleep in the recliner.

“What time is it?” I mutter, pushing a hand over the silk scarf on my head.

“Time to get up, Mama!” Ollie yelps, clapping his hands together.

Ollie sets something on my lap with a surprising thud, making me oomph.

“Oh. What is—” I glance down, my eyes focusing on a small, red toy truck, one of his favorites. Taped to the back is a sticky note, a purple crayon secured to it with tape. I peel it off, the paper crinkling softly.

The words make me feel light, almost ridiculously hopeful, like a lovesick teenager.

Your VIP pass for a night under the stars. Circle ACCEPT NOW or LATER

I giggle.

Reaching for the crayon, I circle ACCEPT.

Ollie beams, and he snatches the note from me. He hollers, his voice echoing out of the room as he bolts away, “She said yes! She said yes! Mama circled the first word!”

A few seconds later, Ethan rounds the corner of the hall with Ollie in his arms. Ethan grins, and he leans against the doorframe, his gaze lingering on me.

“Yeah?” he asks.

I tuck my lower lip between my teeth. “Yeah,” I concede, a warm flush rising to my cheeks. “What did you have in mind?”

His smile broadens, a slow, deliberate unfolding that makes my stomach do a little flip. “It feels like a drive-in kind of night,” he murmurs, his eyes holding mine, promising something more than just a movie.

And for a moment, the betrayal, the divorce, the cancer... they all… fade. Today, it is just us, and a promise of a memorable night.

And I am all in.

We pull up to the Float-In Movie outdoor theater, the line of cars snaking around the gravel lot.

“God, it’s been years since I’ve been out here,” I murmur, scanning the packed lot.

Ethan’s low chuckle rumbles beside me. “It’s been ten years exactly since you and I were here, Lily.”

I steal a quick look at him, my heart skipping a beat when I notice he’s staring at me. He looks so damn good tonight in his navy shorts and the white short-sleeved polo that highlights the ink on his arms. His eyes reflect a deep affection, crinkling at the corners as a slow smile spreads across his face, a silent acknowledgment of our cherished past.

I grin. “That’s right. We watched the double feature of⁠—”

“Jaws part one and two,” he finishes.

We both laugh, a shared, joyful sound that feels like coming home.

The cars in front inch forward until we finally reach the ticket booth. Ethan hands the clerk our pre-purchased tickets and takes the small slip with directions on which radio station to tune into.

He navigates the truck through the lot, and the intoxicating smell of popcorn and nachos invades my nose as I roll down the windows. A warm, gentle breeze drifts in.

Ethan finds a prime spot near the back, where it’s not too overcrowded and offers a great view. He backs the truck in, positioning the bed perfectly toward the giant screen. He kills the engine and opens his door. His feet land on the ground, and he looks at me. “Stay put, trouble. Don’t come out yet, okay? Promise me.”

I nod. “I promise.”

His gaze holds mine, an intensity behind it that makes the air feel charged. “I’m serious, Lily.”

“I said okay, I promise!”