"You guys are so fun. I'm having a great time," I nudge him. "I like hearing stories about you when you are younger." He shrugs. "What can I say? I've always been a cute kid." We finish the dishes and go into the living room with the others. Ethan is giggling and Derrick is holding his nose. "Ethan! What have I told you about farting with girls around? We don't do it!" Dean covers his nose, but laughs as he says it. Dylan and I start to laugh at Ethan who can't break out of his fit of giggles. "Get out of here, you stink bug!" Dean pokes Ethan in his stomach, which only makes him laugh harder. Ethan escapes into his room and the laughter dies down. Derrick also disappears, leaving me with Dean and Dylan. "Lacey, can you follow me?" Dean says, standing up from the couch. I looks at Dylan before nodding. "Yeah, sure." Dean takes me into the hallway and gestures for me to wait. He emerges from his bedroom with a photo in his hands. "I don't know if Dylan has said anything about his mom, but this is her," he hands me the photo. "Her name is Evelyn." The photo showed a younger Dean and a woman about the same age with her arms wrapped around his neck. Now I know where Ethan got his 'E' name from. "She's beautiful," I say. "The first time I saw her I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. She told me right away that she never wanted to commit to anything, but I guess I sort of changed her mind," he says. "We got married, had Derrick, then Dylan. Ethan came soon after, but I knew something was wrong. The boys made her happy, of course, but I think she wanted a different life." I stare at her in the picture. They are standing in front of a beach. "She left when Ethan is about five. I knew she was leaving and I didn't give her a hard time for it. She comes around every now and then. If she's gone for a longer period, she'll send a postcard from wherever she's at. The last one came about a month ago. She was in Boston." "Is she coming back soon?" I ask. "I think so," he nods. "The boys have a rough time understanding why she left. She's missed a lot of milestones." I hand the photo back to him and he stares at it. "I take this picture with me everywhere I go." "It's a nice one," I say. "I know Dylan isn't really forthcoming with a lot, but he's a good kid. He takes a while to crack, but he will eventually." "I've seen his good side," I say to him. "I think I've broken down the front he puts on." He nods slowly. "Good. Now, how do you think I tell him he's adopted?" My jaw almost drops as I try to make sense of what he says. Then he starts laughing. "I'm kidding," he says, through his laughter. "You'll fit just fine here." We walk back into the living room and Dylan eyes us suspiciously. "I don't know what you two are plotting, but I'm onto you." "Should we tell him?" Dean asks me. "No," I shake my head. "He doesn't need to know." Dean laughs and leaves the living room again. I hear his voice boom as he yells after Ethan to stop farting again. Dylan only laughs and shakes his head. "Welcome to the Parker house. Want to go for a drive?" "Sure." Dylan tells his dad we'll be right back and we jump into his car. Dylan drives through town and I face him. "I like your dad," I tell him. "He's really nice." "Yeah, he's a pretty good guy." His eyes stay on the road. I decide to ask him about the future. "What do you want to study in college?" "College?" he asks, looking at me for a split second. "I don't know yet. I know I want to get out of this place. There's nothing here for me, besides you I mean." "Where do you want to go?" I ask him. "Everywhere. With my parents always gone, I was always stuck at home. We never really went on vacations or anything. I just want to see what's out there." He stays quiet. "I'm guessing my dad told you about my mom." "A little, yeah." He's opening up more and I'm excited to see it happen. "My dad thinks one of us will end up like her. Running off while chasing...whatever she's chasing. I think it'll be Derrick. He's already making plans to move if him and Jared get signed by that record company." The way Dylan talks about leaving and seeing everything makes me suspect that he's the one who will end up like his mom. But I keep that thought to myself. "What if Derrick and Jared end up becoming big stars?" I ask him. He smirks. "The press will realize Derrick has a much cooler younger brother." He stops at a red light. "What if you become some renowned journalist and earn a Nobel Peace Prize?" "Can you get one in journalism?" I ask, half-teasing. That would be a high accomplishment. "I'll make it happen, just for you," he says, leaning towards me. I meet his lips and suddenly talking to Dylan about the future feels so right, like we're on the right paths. In my heart I wish our paths will merge together. There's a honk behind us and the light is green. Dylan laughs and starts to drive again. "Where are we going?" I ask him. "Wherever you want, babe." I bite my lip. "Let's go to my apartment." He gives me a look. "Isn't your aunt home?" "She's staying with her boyfriend tonight." "If you want," he smirks. "If you're trying to seduce me again, it's not working." I let out a laugh. "Damn," I say teasingly. We get to the apartment and I realize I forgot my keys at Dylan's house. We run up the stairs and I pick up the door mat, revealing a silver key. I take it, unlock the door, then put it back under the door mat. "Don't come breaking in anytime you want," I tell him, smiling. "It would be more romantic if I snuck through your window, wouldn't it?" he teases as he rests his hands on my waist after I shut the front door and lock it. My heart is beating quickly in my chest and I realize I know why I told him to bring us here. It's dark in the apartment and the small sliver of light coming from outside casts on his face and I pull him in for another kiss. We're needy, as he pulls my body closer to his. I push him towards my room and he swiftly pushes me onto the bed. He trails wet kisses on my neck and his hands roam all over me as if he's memorizing everything. I grab the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head, feeling the curves of the muscles on his back and an evergreen scent hits my nose. I breathe it in as his hands play with the hem of my own shirt. I go to pull my shirt off, but he stops my hands. I give him a quizzical look and he's breathing heavily as he stares at me. "What's wrong?" I ask him. "Not now," he says. "I don't want to rush it." He's right. I got caught up and if we're going to sleep together, I want it to be perfect. We sit up and he picks up his shirt from the ground. I smirk. "Do you have to put your shirt on?" He walks up to me before putting it on and gets close enough to my face that we're almost kissing. "You better behave, Lace." Then he pulls back and pulls his shirt back on. We walk back out of the apartment and Dylan holds my hand until we get to his car, where he opens the door for me. On the way back to his house, I can't help but think that a future with Dylan is something I want.