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Chapter Three

"Here's gum for the plane. You know how bad your ears pop," Mom said. She handed me a pack of Wrigley's.

"And here's some spending money," Dad said. He wrapped an indeterminate amount of money into my hand.

I was standing at the terminal gate, my carry-on slung over my shoulder.

"Bring us back some dried horse poop!" Tristan said excitedly.

"And a bebe gun!" Brayden squealed.

I squatted down and held out my arms. They ran up and I wrapped them into what I called a 'hammer' hug. Their heads bumped together and they laughed.

"Bring Joe back some soap," Ally said with a smile. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.

"I'll miss you Al. Call me if you need anything," I said. She nodded and stepped back.

Joe was standing there with his hands in his pockets. He nodded cooly.

"See ya."

"Joe."

He sighed like I was torturing him. He wrapped his arms around me. He tried to look embarassed, but I noticed that he squeezed me extra hard.

At that moment they made the last call announcement for boarding. I hugged mom and planted a kiss on dad's cheek.

"BYE!"

"Be good!"

"Have fun!"

I knew it was immature, but I practically skipped down the tunnel. A stewardess ushered me down the aisle. I sank down into my seat and sighed happily. I was stuck next to an eighty year old guy that smelled like prunes and keep smacking his lips together, but I was able to ignore him pretty well by losing myself in my sketch book.

My sketch book was a collection of just random doodles and images that came to my mind. I had been working on the book for more than five years. It was a better way to pass long periods of time than surfing the web or reading a book. It was me, on paper, for only my eyes to see.

After two hours of watching big fluffy clouds float by the tiny plane windows, the plane landed at the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. It wasn't a huge airport like LAX or JFK. In fact, I was lucky to get a direct flight out of Miami. Dad wouldn't have let me come if I had to have a layover.

He was just protective like that.

I took my carry on and joined the people spilling out into the aisles. It seemed to take forever until I passed the smiling stewardess and headed down the tunnel.

I spotted Mason's dad, Kevin, right away. His black hair was streaked with little hints of gray, but other than that he looked the same as he always did. I grinned and began to wave my hand in the air. He spotted me and lifted his hand.

As I wove around all of the slowpokes, I wondered where Mason was. He had promised me he'd come with his dad and pick me u---

"SHEL!"

One moment my feet were on the ground and the next moment I was airborne. My hands reached out and all I found was solid rock to hold onto. At least I thought it was rock. I looked down. My eyes widened in surprise.

Mason's sparklng eyes were staring up at me, but it was like they had been implanted into a different person. Sure the blonde hair was the same color, but it was longer; the style that all the seniors had sported last year. A light smattering of facial hair played along a strong jawline. And then there were his shoulders that I had mistaken for rocks...

He set me down, still smiling.

"What happened?" I blurted. He looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

I made a pointing motion from the top of his head to his feet. The last time I had seen him he had been tall and pretty scrawny. Now he was tall and muscular. For the first time I actually felt like I was a girly girl standing next to a very manly man.

His smile turned into a grin.

"I needed to bulk up to make varsity this year," he said. "I spent like three hours every afternoon after school in the weight room with my football coach."

Mason rolled up his shirt sleeve and flexed.

"Okay, Hercules, that's enough. How was your flight?"

I glanced up at Mason's dad.

"It was fine. Thanks, Mr. Richardson."

"Call me Kevin, okay?"

"Okay."

All three of us walked over to baggage claim. Mason kept glancing down at me, flashing an excited smile. It was incredibly stupid, but I felt myself blushing.

"I have a lot of luggage," I said apologetically. "Anything with the pink unicorn tag."

When dad had been on tour, I had always insisted on marking my suitcases with pink unicorn tags. This morning, dad had pulled them out of God knows where and put them on all my bags. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was past the unicorn stage.

Mason began to yank the suitcases off the belt like they were nothing but feathers. I picked upf the bags I knew contained my makeup and hair stuff. Kevin grabbed the last few.

"Well, it looks like you're ready to rough it," Kevin teased. I laughed.

"I just wanted to come prepared."

"Is that the Girl Scout motto?" Mason teased. I jabbed him in the side with my elbow. I doubt that he even felt it.

"I was kicked out of Girl Scouts, thank you," I said. He laughed.

We piled all the luggage into the back of a huge truck. Mason opened the door and motioned inside.

"Hop on up. We're squeezing in."

He wasn't kidding. Between his dad on my left and Mason on my right, I felt like a sardine.

We weren't far from the airport when Mason squeezed his arm out from between our bodies. He threw it casually across the back of the seat and looked down at me.

"Mom's making chicken and dumplings tonight. I reminded her that it was your favorite."

My mouth began to water. The only time I ever got chicken and dumplings was when Addy made them. My mom couldn't boil water without burning it. If there was one thing that I idolized about Mason's stepmom, it was her mad skills in the kitchen. Had she been my mom, I would weigh three hundred pounds by now. Everything she made was just that good.

"Oh my God, that sounds amazing right now," I said. I glanced back up. He smelled good. Like aftershave of some sort.

"Have you started your job yet?"

"Naw, I start next week. I'm only gonna work eleven to four."

I glanced over at Kevin.

"What hours will I be working?"

He smiled. "I don't know. You're going to have to ask your boss."

The paved roads slowly turned to gravel as we entered Sadieville. It was the type of place where you missed the entire downtown if you blinked. We passed the cafe where Mason would work and the small doctor's office. Mason let out a soft sigh.

"Have they...got anyone yet?" I asked quietly.

"Actually, a young guy right out of med school decided to set up shop. His name's Aiden Jackson. He just graduated from the University of Kentucky," Kevin said.

About a year ago, Addy's father, the town doctor, had died of a sudden heart attack. It was actually the last time I had seen Mason in person. Even though he hadn't been his blood grandfather, Mason had worshipped him. Mason's mom and dad used to tease Mason about calling him 'Santa' when he was really little.

The silence that hung in the truck cab didn't last long. Just a few minutes later, Kevin pulled up to the house.

It was an old two story farmhouse with blue siding and white shutters. A large porch stretched across the front. Three picnic tables were scattered out front and a large tree stood stately to the right of the house. A treehouse had been built in its strong branches. It was from there that a dark head poked out of a hole in the side.

"HEY!"

Mason hopped out of the truck and offered his hand. I took it, surprised at how rough and big it had gotten and hopped out. I looked up and smiled.

"Hi Dan!"

Daniel's head disappeared and a second later his whole body was scrambling down the ladder. He jumped from three rungs up and ran over. I stumbled back as he hugged me tightly.

"Mason's been waiting for you to get here for weeks and weeks!" he said happily. I glanced at Mason. He turned his head and seemed to study one of the windows on the second floor.

"Well what about you?" I asked. Dan pulled back.

He looked exactly like Kevin...dark spiky hair, big bushy eyebrows, and green eyes. He smiled.

"Yeah, I was excited too," he admitted.

"Dan, help Mason and me with these bags."

The guys loaded up on my luggage and we all stomped up the porch stairs into the house. The smell of food, amazing delicious food, assailed my senses. I close my eyes and smiled.

I had just found Heaven.