.

The day is warm, almost humid. Summer is here. Town is becoming busier; the seasonal crowd has begun bringing their new boats and getting them docked at their summer cabins. Bees buzz around the bright yellow tulips that surround around our porch. Windows remain open, allowing the scent of the new season, the fragrance of the fresh flowers and the lake water to enter our home. It's refreshing and it's my favorite part of my year.

My entire morning was spent preparing for graduation with my mom. Cap and gown fittings, senior pictures, party invitations, returning text books, and a late lunch were nice distractions from my house arrest. The Brooks have spent a bit too much time together in our home, everyone is snappy with each other. Today Felix was working his part-time summer job one town over and Sydney was at softball practice. There is one week left of my senior year and I couldn't be more ready for it to be over.

"Do we have to go home? Can't we just tell dad that we had to go grocery shopping or something?"

I roll down the window of my mom's Ford Escape to allow some of the fresh summer air in. No way was I ready to go back home after experiencing a taste of freedom today.

"No we are going home. Your dad needs your help with something and I have cookies to make for Sydney's bake sale." Her voice is firm and unapologetic, telling me I have no choice in the matter.

My skin tingles as I begin snapping a rubber band on my wrist. "So not only am I grounded for the summer, but now I'm dad's slave labor too? What's he going to make me do? Felix and Syd haven't had to do anything?"

She smacks my hand with annoyance to stop my snapping. "Gabby you don't even know what he's going to have you do yet and you're already complaining. You can help around the house. Drop the attitude."

"Whatever." I mutter beneath my breath and continue snapping. All of my focus returns to looking out the car window.

Our drive back to Luxberg from lunch takes roughly a half hour; which, in my opinion, was not nearly long enough. I'm not ready to be back in my prison shaped like an old Victorian. As we pull up to the house I notice that the garage door is open. Dad is in his usual position, hovered over the front of his Buick with the hood up. His sleeves are rolled up with grease up his arms as he wrenches on some part that he is likely replacing.

"Talk to dad before you start reading, got it? Like I said, he needs your help today."

My eyes roll, I don't even acknowledge her demand as I open the car door and walk directly to my dad.

"Mom says you need my help. What chore will I be completing for you?"

He peers up from his task, stopping his wrenching and grabbing a rag to wipe his hands of the grease covering them.

"I need two more hands with this. Go change into something you can get dirty and wear closed toe shoes."

The corners of my lips tug upwards a bit, this was a task I honestly wasn't going to mind one bit. I enjoyed time in the garage with my dad and it had been a really long time since I had done it.

"I'll be right back." I give him a nod and walk passed him towards the house. I couldn't help but to notice a smile on his own face as I did so.

The moment I enter the house I pull off my green Old Navy flip-flops and run the stairs to my room to change. My entire body jumps when I open the door and see someone at my desk. Not just any someone either.

"Jesus Jax!" I scream holding my hand to my chest.

A chuckle erupts from the chest of the tattooed man sitting in my room. His smile is beaming at me, making my heart do a little flutter.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" I shut the door quickly so that no one hears him. "My dad is going to kill you if he finds you in here!"

Instantly I begin running my eyes around the room, trying to find a place to hide him if I hear someone on the stairs. Our house was old and had original floors; no matter where you were walking, everyone in the house could hear it as they would creak. I decide the closet would be the best place to shove him, followed by making him jump out the window to the porch roof below as a second option.

He stands from my desk chair and walks over to my bed, picking up a paper wrapped package of yellow and pink daylilies. He holds them in his hand as he wraps one arm around my waist. "This is where your dad told me to wait for you."

My eyes go wide as I peer up to him. "Seriously?!"

He gives a nod as his smile grows even wider. I've never seen him look so happy. He sets his forehead against my own, my blue eyes peer into his green as he gives me a soft kiss on my lips. He pulls away slightly, keeping our faces close. "Gabby Brooks will you go on a date with me today?"

I'm positive the smile on my face is mirroring his after I hear these words, but it quickly diminishes when I remember my cage.

"I'm grounded. I have to help my dad today..."

His smile remains as he shakes his head no. "Tonight is date night. You are not grounded tonight. I have your dad's permission to take you on one date, and I intend to make it the best one you will ever have."

I return to my tip toes, leaning up to him to press my lips back to his, opening my mouth slightly to allow him in. He tastes minty, as he always does when he knows he's going to kiss me. He is my favorite flavor.

His hand moves to my back as our kiss continues, pressing me closer to him. I quickly take notice of his growing erection pressing into me. He pulls away with a small laugh. "Books get ready. I can't stand being in your room alone with you right now, it's been weeks since I've had you and I want you, bad."

I let out a groan, knowing how much I want him too. "What type of date is this?" I walk to my closet and begin sifting through hangers of clothing options.

"Wear comfortable shoes. It's a bit of a walk. You'll probably get dirty so something comfortable."

"Can I just wear this?" I motion down to my short gray cotton shorts and a white shirt that says Luxberg Lions in dark green letters.

He smirks at me, filling my stomach with butterflies. "You could but I was sort of hoping to see you undress..."

I grab a pillow from my bed and chuck it at him as he holds his hands up to dodge it. His laughter fills my bedroom.

"I'll wear this" I giggle and grab a pair of old yellow chucks from the bottom of my closet. As I turn and stand, I see Jax with his head clocked slightly to the right, watching my ass no doubt. "How did you manage this?"

His eyes lift to mine. He lets out a sigh and rubs his hand over his short hair. "A really long talk with your dad. It's one date Gabby, so don't get used to it. He understands you're having a rough year. He wants you to have a fun night, and that's what I intend to do for you."

I decide I shouldn't press him on this any further. He almost looks uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot. It must have been quite the talk because I never thought in a million years my dad would let me go on a date with Jackson Parker.

I walk towards him, taking the flowers from his hand and holding them up to my nose. They smell amazing, they smell like summer. I've never been given flowers before other than my dad buys Syd and I a pink rose every year on Valentines Day. "Thank you. I love them." I kiss him on the cheek and take his hand, leading him out of my room and back down the stairs.

We stop in the kitchen first so I can put my flowers into a vase. As we leave, I make a point to leave through the garage, keeping Jax's hand firmly in mine. He gives me a reassuring squeeze as we walk towards my dad, who is lying beneath his car.

"Dad?"

He rolls out from beneath his first love, peering up to me and the owner of the hand I'm holding. There is no enthusiasm for me, just a heavy sigh knowing that he isn't a fan of my choice of boyfriends. He stands from the dirty garage floor, still not saying a word. I let go of Jax's hand and throw my arms around my dad's neck.

"Gabs I'm dirty..."

"I don't care." I squeeze him tighter, knowing that my white shirt will likely be stained once I pull away. "Thank you for letting me go with him tonight. I know this wasn't easy for you and I really appreciate it."

He rubs my back slowly, forcing a smile, and giving a small nod. His eyes shift to Jax. "Home by eight. Keep her safe."

"Always." Jax says this as serious as I have ever heard him. I have no doubt that he would keep me safe from anyone.

I lean up and peck my dad on the cheek. "Love you."

My fingers fall back into their wresting place, between Jax's as we descend the driveway and make our way across the street to his house. He motions to his car and opens the passenger door for me. Once I'm in I notice two backpacks in the back seat, which I'm assuming are for our walk.

"Where are you taking me exactly?" My brow lifts playfully.

"It's a surprise." He takes my hand back in his, forming a fist and bringing it to his mouth to kiss. Once again, my stomach does a little flip. For a guy that wants to be seen as a womanizing criminal, he is anything but. I'm just glad he lets me see this part of him. We could have done nothing other than read beside each other tonight and I would have been happy.

We leave through the back end of town, a road that doesn't get taken often. The road is gravel. It takes you miles out of the way towards nothing but old farms. Honestly I'm surprised he even knows where he is going at this point. I've lived here my entire life and barely know these backroads. Clouds of dirt form behind his vehicle as he drives slowly. I'm assuming he's not used to driving gravel, it definitely takes some getting used to. He takes many turns to more dirt roads before he finally pulls over near an old farm with a large wooded area beside it. The barn beside us is practically falling into itself and the house looks abandoned with broken windows.

"Where the hell are we?" I look around. I wouldn't even know my way home right now if I tried.

A big grin spreads on his face. Instead of answering he just gets out of the car and grabs the two bags from the backseat. I follow him, starting to wonder if maybe he is actually a murderer and he's going to bury my body in the woods out here. He hands me a bag and puts his own over his shoulders. "Ready?"

"I guess?" I shrug. I'm not sure what I should be ready for.

He takes my hand again and begins walking through a large field of tall grass. Shorts were definitely not the correct attire for this excursion. He obviously did not grow up near farms or fields of tall grass because I know tomorrow my legs are going to be covered in mosquito bites. Mosquitos love our area due to the lake. I push it to the back of my mind, knowing Jax will make tonight worth it, I'm sure whatever he has planned will make up for my itching.

He squeezes my hand and I glance to him. "Tell me something about yourself that no one knows Books."

I chuckle at his goofiness. "Such as?"

"Anything." He gives a shrug of his broad shoulders. "We have quite the walk ahead of us. Might as well get to know each other a little better."

I begin racking my brain for some crazy fact about myself that no one would know. "The smell of artificial grape makes me throw up."

He makes a disgusted face as he laughs. "Noted. Good thing I didn't pack anything grape flavored."

So obviously our dinner is packed in our bags. It's quite heavy though, so obviously that's not all that's in them.

"Your turn."

He thinks a moment, now understanding that this game is difficult. "I've never read or seen Harry Potter."

I stop dead in my tracks and yank him backwards towards me. My eyes get huge. "You're a monster Jackson Parker." I can't help but laugh. "What type of criminal bookworm are you?"

He chuckles and gives another shrug. "I tried reading it and got bored after the second chapter."

"We are changing that" I hold up my finger. "Otherwise I'm not sure we can be friends anymore." I begin walking again as if I'm the one who knows where we are going.

"You go again." He changes our direction a bit as we head towards the wooded area, walking along the border of it.

"This is hard Jax."

"Just tell me something honest. It can be about anything. What's your favorite song?"

"Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve. Favorite band?"

"That's a tough question." He pulls me towards the woods. "Probably Smashing Pumpkins."

I give him an approving nod of the head. Definitely one of my favorites too. "You going to tell me where we are going yet? This grass is killing my legs." I look down and notice lines of dirt all my bare skin and a green tint to my shoes.

"Almost there. Promise."

"Favorite author?" I continue our game.

"No way I can answer that. I have favorite books but no favorite authors."

I roll my eyes. For someone who loves to read a favorite author should be easy. "Fine then, tell me something else I don't know about you."

He stops and big goofy grin appears. He pulls me close to him, placing his hand on my cheek and dragging his thumb across my jawline. His eyes rest in mine and I suddenly forget where I am, because it doesn't matter. I just want to be with him. His eyes search my face, making obvious glances towards my lips. "I knew I loved you the night you quoted Douglas Adams on the dock."

I push my lips to his forcefully as my stomach rushes with butterflies. He kisses me back, keeping his hand on my cheek. "I knew too. As soon as I saw you reading in my favorite spot I knew" I whisper as I pull away slowly.

This is my new favorite game with him. That was probably the most wonderful thing he could have told me. I wasn't crazy for liking him as much as I did. There was a reason to continue our game. It meant I wasn't just a game to him.

He gives another small peck on my lips before turning and walking towards the end of the wooded area. "We are here."

As we turn left around the edge of the woods I notice another grassy field of what appears to be the scrap pile of the farm. There are large stacks of twisted metal, abandoned vehicles, old tractors, and piles of old tires. Some of the stacks are so tall I can't even see over them.

I chuckle awkwardly. "Umm, Alfie? Have you lost it? Girls don't typically like tetanus on the first date..."

He laughs and begins pulling my hand through the rows of discarded metal. I begin to realize that it's actually organized by metal type. There is a pile of copper, a pile of brass, tin, etc. I feel him stop again as we emerge from the piles, closer to the line of abandoned vehicles.

"Okay now we are actually here."

I look up at him confused and back towards the field of junky cars. That's when I spot it. A teal tailgate with the word CHEVROLET in white bold letters across the back. My breathing intensifies and I know he takes notice because he gives my hand a little squeeze.

"Alfie..."

"It's yours."

My eyes dart from the truck back to him. "Mine?"

He smiles and looks from the truck back to me. He takes my hair and tucks it gently behind my ear.

"Here's the thing Books. You once told me that you had a thing for 1967 Chevy pickup trucks. Your dad mentioned that you were very specific about this truck, teal and block letters on the tailgate. I really thought nothing of it because your dad was grilling me about being in love with you at the time. But I've been bartending lately at Mickey's. I met your uncle, who drinks entirely too much might I add..."

I laugh, holding back tears that I know are inevitable. "Timmy" I nod.

"Yes, well Timmy was talking to the guys in the bar about vehicles their parents drove. I heard him mention that his dad drove a teal 1967 Chevy pickup, with a white top, and a tailgate that had white letters. I mentioned that I knew a girl who liked those and once we got to talking I realized that Timmy's dad was your grandpa."

I nod again and laugh. "My grandpa had one just like it. He would back it as close to the lake as he could and we would sit on the tailgate and fish. When we were done he would take me for ice cream in it."

"It's not one just like it Gabby... that is it..."

The laughter disappears from my face and I look back to Jax. "What?"

"He left it to Timmy and it died about ten years ago, he didn't have money to fix it. His buddy owns the farm and let him drop it here. I bought it off Timmy. Now it's yours."

My eyes flood with tears as I walk towards the truck. I place my hand on the old rusted hood, with sobs escaping my throat. He bought me my grandpa's truck? He follows me, placing his hand on my lower back. I turn and latch onto him as hard as I possibly can, crying into his chest.

"Gabby..."

"I can't repay you yet but I will Jax, I swear!"

He grabs my shoulders with his hands and moves back a bit to look at me. His finger lifts my chin and I'm back to swimming in his green eyes.

"You aren't going to repay me, that's not what a gift is. Gabby you are a daddy's girl; and please, don't take that as a bad thing. But you and your dad haven't been the same recently, and that is partially my fault. I didn't want to have to tell him about your assault, but I needed to. And I know you explaining that night to him changed your relationship with him. He's going to haul this off the farm and bring it home. The two of you are going to work on this truck together, and you are going to fix your relationship with him. He loves you Gabby, that's why he's hard on you. He believes you and doesn't care what the town thinks."

My entire body is shaking as I look at him. How could anyone think this man has a bad bone in his body? He is completely selfless. He's been working extra hours, saving for his own place and he took from that money to buy my grandpa's truck. The tears will not stop. He's right, my dad and I haven't been the same and I miss being in the garage with him.

"Thank you" I sniffle. "I love you Alfie. Thank you."

He wraps his tattooed arms around me tight, placing a kiss on my hair. "I love you too Books."