Tom plopped himself in the metal fold out chair he'd just set up and looked around the yard with satisfaction. They set everything up, just in time to see a fleet of guests parking their cars in the parking lot of the shop across the way.

Jeff mimicked him, setting down his beer bottle on the white plastic table. But rather than take notice of the guests arriving, Tom could feel Jeff's eyes on him. "You sure you wanna do this with Ada? You ain't asked my permission yet. Not too late to turn back."

One hand reached for his sunglasses and placed them over his eyes while the other reached for his own beer bottle. After taking a swig, Tom set the bottle back down and turned it around and around with his pointer finger and thumb. Rather than answer Jeff's question, he just looked at him across the table, hoping he could see his unwavering eyes behind the shades. If not, he would see it in the fine line his lips formed.

"Just had to make sure you were sure."

"I am," Tom confirmed, his voice as firm as his stare. But eventually Tom's gaze faltered, and he looked down at the beer bottle he was turning. "I'll admit that a part of me feels like I should give her up, let her have a normal relationship with a guy her own age so she doesn't have to go through what we're both about to. And if I thought for one second that she'd be able to move on from us and let herself love someone else, I would, even if I had to live the rest of my life alone and miserable.

"But I promised both you and Ada that I would never break her heart again and I meant that. I won't make the decision to let her go just because I think it might make life easier for her in the long run; not again. I know this shit's gonna get hard for the both of us. This town will hate me and judge her, but I know what I signed up for with all this and if I could go back, I wouldn't do a damn thing differently."

"Not even wait until after she graduated?" Jeff asked.

It was a good question and one that Tom thought about a few times over the last week. But the answer became obvious since the last time he'd asked himself the question. "And what if I had waited? What if there'd been no reason I could come up with to have her with me on Friday? What if she had stayed in town that night and was around so Brittney to convince her to go to that party with her?"

Tom could feel himself breaking down as he thought about what could have happened that night had they not left. There was a very real chance that Tom would still be in that hospital, day in and day out, wondering about Ada's fate and fearing he'd never have the chance to tell her he loved her. Never have the chance to feel her naked in his arms. Never have the chance of feeling her kiss.

"Could still happen, you know," Jeff spoke quietly, grabbing Tom's attention. "You might still end up sitting next to a hospital bed, wondering how much time you have left with her. Watching her slip away and not being able to do a thing about it."

It was clear what Jeff was talking about. Even if it wasn't so easy to decipher, the smallness of his voice made it clear.

Tom had to cough to make sure his words came out strong enough for Jeff to hear him. "If that time comes, I'll say the same thing. I wouldn't do a damn thing differently. This relationship... I'm in it for the long haul, Jeff. I know you don't like it and people won't understand it, but I'm all in."

Jeff gave him a single nod, then lifted his beer bottle, looking as if he was going to take a drink, then set it down on the table. "I may not like what's happening, but I can't bring myself to hate it either. If it wasn't for your age difference, you'd be the exact man I'd want for my daughter. I reckon that's why I ain't killed you yet."

"I appreciate that," Tom said. "All of it."

Before they became too sentimental, a man close to Jeff's age and height, who also shared a similar rugged look, came over to their table.

The man slapped Jeff's back before taking the empty seat next to him. "What's the good word, man?"

Jeff pointed across the table. "This is my buddy, Tom. Tom, this is Jason."

The man extended his hand and Tom shook it, though his eyes remained on Jeff. "Buddy?" Not that he meant to push his luck, but he was a bit taken aback by the introduction.

"I think we been through enough to consider this some fucked up variation of friendship, don't you?"

Tom gave a quick nod of agreement. It wasn't long ago that he'd felt like they'd been friends, but figured those days were behind him once Jeff caught light of what was going on between him and his daughter. "Guess so."

"Tom's gonna be working at the shop for me this summer," Jeff continued, turning his attention back to his friend.

Tom assumed the trust Jeff needed in his business wasn't repairable from his relationship with Ada, along with the many other times he'd broken that bond. It didn't occur to him he'd still have a job working for him that summer.

He needed a job. There was no doubt about that. With two part-time jobs, it would hold him over until he was ready to find his way back into a classroom.

The nearest high schools were forty miles to an hour away. That was close enough where he could see Ada. His hope was that she'd eventually move in with him, which was why he knew he couldn't stray too far from town. If it were just him, he'd probably move to another state and start from scratch, but Tom didn't want his life to just be his own. He wanted to share it with her.

"I offered to help you out last year at the shop," Jason pouted.

Tom remembered what Jeff had said about his friends. None of them showed up on time for anything that didn't have free booze, which was why so many of them were showing up on time for this party.

"You can't keep a job to save your life, shithead. Why the hell would I hire you?"

Tom finished the rest of his beer quick before standing up. "On that note, I'm gonna get another beer."

"Got one right here, man," His friend said, holding up the pack.

He shook his head. "I know a certain blonde who would call me a hipster if she caught me drinking an IPA."

Though he hadn't meant it as an insult, Tom heard Jeff snort as he walked away.

He made his way to the other side of the large yard, noticing Ada leaving the confines of her bedroom wearing a yellow sundress that seemed to deepen the green in her eyes. She looked like an angel and a thought popped in his head that being with her would be the closest he'd ever get to heaven.

She smiled at him. It was one of those smiles that made him nostalgic, reminding him of all the smiles she gave him to light up his dark days. It wasn't the nervous sort of smile he'd received from her when things changed, or the sensual smile she'd been throwing his way since things changed yet again. She showed nothing short of her heart in the curves of her red lips.

"You look perfect," he told her when she closed the distance between them.

"So do you. Even my sister couldn't help but stare."

"Didn't notice," Tom admitted before he placed his hand on the small of her back. "I was too busy looking at you." He looked around them, noticing that the guests who had arrived so far had formed small social groups. None of them appeared to be looking their way.

Feeling confident no one was paying close enough attention to raise an eye at the gesture, Tom leaned in to her ear. "Turn around."

Ada gave him a quizzical look but did as he asked, her eyes brightening, as well as her smile. "How did-"

"I only chipped in," Tom told her. Though this was the present she deserved from him, it disappointed him he couldn't afford something like this for her. But he knew that Ada lost something important to her the night of the storm and wanted to replace it with something special. Everyone was on board. "It's from me, your sister, your parents, Brittney and Crystal. Your grandma too, but your dad didn't tell her it was my idea."

Ada grabbed his arm like it was a lifeline and jumped up and down a few times before running over to her beloved willow tree. Though the branch that had once held her childhood swing was gone, the other branches held strong enough to replace it with something more adult. Something she could nap in or read a book in or watch the sunset with him in.

The swing that once hung from the tree represented her childhood. This was for the woman she'd become.

Tom took his time joining her, enjoying the excitement and pure happiness she showed. After the last month she'd had, Ada deserved a little happiness.

"Sit next to me," she ordered, though her tone was anything but dominating.

Never one to turn down a ladi's request, Tom took the seat beside her, the cushions of the day bed engulfing his frame. "Goddamn this thing's comfortable."

He was hoping it would be, considering it was two grand. There was a cheaper kind picked out if he couldn't collect the funds for this one, but everyone gave a little extra.

Ada placed one of the outdoor throw pillows on his lap and laid her head on it, curling up the rest of her body to fit. The day bed faced the river, providing a sense of peace and shielding them from the eyes of the crowd.

"This is perfect," she whispered, placing her hand on his knee. "You're perfect."

Tom couldn't help but think of Good Will Hunting when she said that. While he was not a perfect man and she was not a perfect woman, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they were perfect for one another. Still, he would strive to get as close to perfection as he could, at least as a boyfriend, because Ada deserved nothing less.

She deserved the world.

"Do you know what today is?" She asked.

The softness of her tone had the opposite effect his groin, but Tom did his best to ignore that. "It's Sunday, and I know I have that shit right this time," he spoke in a chuckle

"Today is the day that you were going to be so charming that I would give in to kissing you."

Tom ran his fingers through his hair, forgetting he'd styled it that morning and messed it up with the gesture.

She'd called off having him as her number three, no doubt trying to keep their friendship and her heart intact. He remembered how it gutted him a bit, but he didn't dare show it. Tom intended for her to complete the list that summer, and there wasn't a chance in hell he was going to allow anyone else to give her the kiss he knew only he could give her.

"And instead I had my way with you against the wall of your bedroom," Tom quipped, earning his knee a smack.

"Wanna hear something weird?" Tom asked after a good full minute of comfortable silence.

"Hmmm?"

He could tell by her melodic soft tone and steady breaths that Ada was drifting into a comfortable fatigued state and if they stayed where they were much longer, she'd be falling asleep at her own graduation party.

"Your dad still plans on giving me a job."

"Is that why he ordered a bunch of security cameras?" Ada's voice delicate, seeming unfazed by the news or too relaxed to register the own surprise he felt. "I wondered what those were for since we don't have much of a shoplifting problem."

"Apparently he doesn't trust me to keep my hands to myself."

"I mean would you if you didn't think anyone was watching?"

Tom knew the answer to that without having to take a single moment to think it through. "Oh, his lack of trust is completely valid."

"I wonder if he'll put you on a shift with Nonnie, you know, just to see what happens."

That was a damn terrifying thought, and he hoped to God Jeff wasn't that cruel. Unfortunately for Tom, that sounded like something he'd do just to screw with him.

"Speaking of jobs," Ada continued, "about the coffee shop."

"What? Are you thinking about quitting?"

"Hell no. I love that job. I was just wondering if sex on the couch there was off limits, or just wasn't allowed that night."

Tom attempted a laugh, but the sound came out as a less than attractive snort. "If you want to screw on that couch, we'll make that shit happen."

It was a bit arousing just knowing that Ada had a feisty side, a rebel ready to be unleashed. And if he was being honest with himself, he'd imagined that exact scenario countless times.

Ada's hand flew up to hit him, landing a smack on the shoulder. She seemed to be waking up a bit. "Where's the weirdest place you've ever had sex?"

That one he had to think about. He'd had sex with Liz in a lot of unusual places. Their friends hall closet during a Christmas party, the bathroom of a bar, on a playground while walking home from that same bar on that same night, in the car at a parking lot, while the business was open, in a canoe which went horribly wrong, at a movie theater, at a bowling alley she worked at during college.

They'd been an adventurous couple in their younger years. The adventure died down over time, as it did in long-term relationships, but the sex had remained great until the last year.

"Either at a playground or the library. I'm not sure which is weirder. Probably the library, since it was open and pretty busy. Took forever to find a quiet spot."

Ada sat up to look at him, a grimace haven taken over her face. "A playground? Where children go to have fun?" She shook her head, her eyes narrowing in on him. "You sick bastard."

"Oh, come on," Tom spoke as he laughed. "It's not that bad. It's not like kids were running around or anything."

She shook her head at him. "And you call yourself an educator."

"This was my senior year of college and I was shit-faced," he defended. "Why, where's the weirdest place you've had sex?"

Her stern look faded. "Against the wall of my childhood bedroom with my parents right outside setting up my party."

While they were equal in the amount of sexual partners they'd had, based on the years they'd been sexually active for Tom figured her list of places would be much more subdued than hers. "You never had sex in some weird place with what's his name?"

Tom knew the guys name, just as he knew that Ada had known who Jake was when Britt had brought up him wanting to date her. He just didn't like using his name.

Ada's head dropped, and she tucked a strand of her curled hair behind her ear. With the curl having shortened the length, it fell right back into place. "We had sex once and I'm pretty sure he didn't even get off. Later, when I told him I wanted to try again, he told me he was gay. We still pretended to date for a while after that, but that was the extent of my sexual experience."

Hearing her words caused Tom's heart to sink right out of his chest, and as much as he wanted to hate the guy for not making Ada feel loved or even desired her first time, he couldn't help but feel sorry for both of them.

Scott had been a star swimmer and had also been on the hockey team with Jake. He was popular and a jock. It couldn't have been easy for him to follow the expectations of his friends and family without feeling comfortable or safe enough to show them who he was inside.

When Scott had asked Ada out their sophomore year, he was worried a prank was being pulled on her. When she told Tom about it, he even went to the movie theater that night, sitting across from it in his car just in case the fucker didn't show. She was still fragile then and still self-conscious about her weight and he worried what it would do to her if she'd found out she was just made a victim of an elaborate scheme.

Once Scott did show, Tom went home and to his surprise, they became an item for almost two years, until he transferred to a private catholic school upstate.

"Did his parents switch schools because they found out he was gay?"

Ada nodded, the memory of it all taking the sparkle out of her eyes. "His parents were religious, but he thought they were more progressive. When he talked to them about it, they flipped out and became determined to save his soul."

"Hey!" A familiar voice called out, sounding more chipper than usual. Tom turned to see Crystal approaching them, wearing a red sundress and looking more dressed up than he'd ever seen her. "What the hell is the guest of honor hiding out here for?"

Ada curled up against him. He hadn't realized that Crystal knew about the two of them, but he wasn't all that surprised since Crystal was like a second mom to her. "Just enjoying this bed swing thingie. It's so freakin comfortable. Thank you for chipping in to get it."

Crystal's bright smile disappeared in an instant when her eyes shifted to him and any joy in her voice vanished. "Tom."

Well, now he knew how she felt about their relationship. He'd never heard her talk so curtly before, but he had to admit, she did so like a pro.

He understood why her demeanor toward him changed, so rather than match her gruff tone with his own, he kept his tone casual. There was no reason to make unnecessary waves. "Crystal."

Her tongue slipped out to lick her lips and her gaze darkened. She clearly wanted to ream into him, which she had a right to, but they both knew this was not the time nor the place to do so. Still, she seemed to felt the need to sneak in a jab. "Mind if I borrow your student?"

Tom wiped his face and when his hand fell to his side, a forced polite smile had taken over his face. "She stopped being my student a couple hours ago, but you can borrow my girlfriend, sure."

He'd be facing this for a very long time, Tom reminded himself. Keeping a level head about it was the only way to avoid losing his shit; something that wouldn't do anyone any good.

A palm landed gently on his cheek and Ada turned his head to face her, her mouth instantly colliding with his own.

"Jesus Christ," Crystal mumbled.

But his attention was only on one place- one person; the woman who trailed her tongue against his lips until he opened them without hesitation. His hand moved to her waist to pull her small body closer, and he felt her leg rest atop his own. She was giving him a hard-on to end all hard-ons he hoped would subside before he had to join the others. Her mouth claimed his, leaving him in a horny haze once it disconnected.

It was a few good seconds before he mustered up the energy to open his eyes, but once he did, her sultry gaze was already burning into him.

"Just felt the need to make a point is all," she whispered, tickling his still tender lips.

"No need to explain yourself to me."

Ada removed her leg from his lap and the pad of her thumb wiped against his mouth, no doubt removing the lipstick she'd left behind. "You joining us?"

Tom looked down at his obvious erection straining to break free from the fabric of his jeans. "I'm gonna need a minute. Or five."

The smile that took over her face was devilish, causing his erection to twitch in his pants. And as he watched her prance away with an annoyed Crystal by her side, that's what he realized she was.

His devilish angel.

His innocent seductress.

His everything.