Jo chews on her lip anxiously as she pulls up to her childhood home. "Hey baby." Lucy says as she watches her second born make her way up the porch steps. "What brings you home?"

"Just missed y'all." She answers, sitting next to her on the porch swing. "Haven't been home in a while."

"I'm sorry we didn't make it to your graduation. We couldn't get the time off."

"It's no worries, Mama." She sighs heavily. "Where's Lip and Daddy?"

"Lip is workin' out on Stemaly's farm and your daddy is at the shop."

"You ever hear from Sean?" Jo asks as she stands.

"Through Lip." She shrugs back. "Why?"

"I just need to, uh, talk to him."

"He's probably down on the farm."

Jo nods and heads into the house to clean herself up before going to see her ex boyfriend.

+++

Her red dress swishes around her thighs as she makes her way through the fields to the skid loader. She fixes her white, wide brimmed hat as she steps through piles of dirt.

Josephine appears next to the latched door of the machine and waves at her ex.

Sean gets out of the skid loader and gives her a look. "What're you doin' here?"

"Is it a crime to stop by and say hey?"

"After your boyfriend beat the shit outta me, yeah, it is."

"Sean..." Jo says, her hands resting on his dirty, sweaty cut off t-shirt. "I'm sorry that happened to you." Her hands slide to the sides of his face. Sean's dirty ones rest on her hips, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth as he looks her over.

She hums. "What time're you done workin'?"

"Prolly six." He shrugs. "Why?"

"We should do a bonfire."

"Sure. I'll stop by later." He nods, using his arm to wipe off his forehead. "You look good, Jo."

She looks him over, her eyes on his dirty, tattooed biceps. "You do too."

+++

Sean decided to swing by Jo's for the bonfire. She's invited a few friends they grew up with to help keep her mind off Riley but his incessant phone calls and texts keep him front and center.

"Hey!" Jo says, hopping out of her lawn chair when she sees Sean in his blue jeans and a t-shirt that's tight across his chest and arms, a thirty rack in his hand.

"Hey." He nods back, dropping the beer on the picnic table.

He sits in the chair next to her and pops the tab on a Busch Light. "You gotta catch up to me, Sean Deere. I've got three in me already."

He laughs as he takes a few gulps from the can in his hand.

At this moment in time, it's just Sean and Jo. She's left her phone inside on her bed to take a break from Riley reaching out to her.

She laughs at something he says, her head starting to feel heavy from the alcohol in her belly.

Jo shutters as the temperature drops, pulling her hands into her sweatshirt sleeves. Sean holds an arm out as an invitation for her to sit on his lap and she does.

She curls up in his embrace, her head on his shoulder as he rests a hand on her hip, his other arm around her tightly.

"Why're you home?"

"I missed everyone." She mumbles, her eyes getting heavy from the body heat that soaks through her clothes. "And figured it was time to come home for a while."

"Everythin' okay?"

"I-uh, I graduated."

"Wow. Congrats." He says, taking another drink from his can. "That's impressive."

"Uh, thanks." She sits up and looks down at his lips. Sean subconsciously licks them as he grasps her jaw, leaning in to kiss her.

Jo moans softly while she runs her fingers through his curls, readjusting herself to straddle his lap as he grabs her ass, deepening the kiss.

She pulls back and looks around, biting her lip when she sees that they're the only ones at the bonfire, everyone else left.

Sean lifts her up and carries her into the house, right up to her bedroom.

As soon as Jo gets settled on top of him, cock deep inside, her phone starts going off again. "Just ignore it." She breathes, her hands heavy on Sean's chest.

"Who'd be callin' you this late at night?" He asks, biting his lip when she starts rocking her hips.

She says nothing but groans when her cell starts ringing again. "Son of a bitch."

Sean reaches for her phone, Jo tries to stop him but he's already accepted the call. "What." He deadpans, leaning up on an elbow.

"Is Jo there?"

"Yeah."

"Can- can I talk to her?"

"No."

"Sean, just hang up."

Riley huffs on the other end. "Please."

"Why?"

"Sean, just hang up." Jo repeats a little harsher than before, unhooking her bra before letting the straps slip off her tan shoulders. He does as he's told, dropping her cell to the bed at the sight of her breasts.

He's too fucking easy.

Riley is still on the other end, bearing witness to everything happening in her bedroom at this moment.

His heart drops at the sounds coming from Jo and her ex boyfriend. He can't believe she went back to Sean- after everything he's put her through, she went back to him.

Instead of talking through their problems like a healthy couple does, she left.

She thinks she's a piece of shit who doesn't deserve to have a healthy relationship. She thinks she only deserves Sean even after what he's done.

Riley still can't believe that he let some girl blow him. He's not that kind of man. That's not how he was raised.

He feels terrible.

He feels so slimy.

He doesn't even recognize himself in the mirror.

Jo is the only girl he's ever been in love with and he had to fuck it up.

He's got to get her back.

Grovel.

He's got to fucking grovel, bust his ass to get her back.

This girl is who he's supposed to grow old with. He needs her back.

He's fully prepared to drop everything to make his way up to Newburgh to win her heart back.

+++

Riley pants as he leaps out of his truck. He runs up to the front door and knocks on it.

Lip's the one who answers.

"The fuck do you want?"

Riley rolls his lips into his mouth and hangs his head. "Guess she told you."

"Yep."

"Is- is she here?"

"You should go, Riley."

"No, I gotta- I gotta talk to her."

"Leave."

Tears swell in his eyes. "Please."

Lip sighs heavily. "She's 'round back."

Riley breathes out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Lip scowls at him as he takes off around the house to the backyard, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Jo." He pants, his hands on his knees as he tries to catch a proper breath.

"What're you doin' here, Riley?" She asks, sounding totally deflated, keeping her attention on the corn she's shucking. "I didn't call you back for a reason."

He exhales heavily, his hands on his hips as he stands straight, trying to get a full breath from his labored lungs.

"I'm so sorry." He manages. "I'm so fuckin' sorry."

"For what? Missin' my graduation after promisin' you'd be there or fuckin' 'round with another girl or gettin' caught?"

He's quiet for a second as tears form in his pretty blue eyes. "For lettin' you down." She slows her hands as she takes in his response. She can hear the sadness in his voice. "I should've been there, Jo."

"Yeah, you should've."

Riley chokes back a sob that threatens to tear from his throat. "If I could take it all back, I would."

Jo finally looks up at him.

Riley tears dissipate at the sight of a reddish purple splotch on her cheekbone. Sean hit her again.

He sits next to her at the picnic table and starts helping her shuck the corn. Jo can't meet his eye line, Riley's eyes are on that mark on her skin.

They sit in a silence that goes from awkward to comfortable.

If she's being honest, she missed him.

Sure Sean was a good filler- a good distraction- but when he smacked her, it really made her realize that Riley actually loves her.

But if he truly loves her, why would he let what happened happen?