Page 14

The Road Trip Plan

Song : She Had Me At Heads Carolina - Cole Swindell

T he morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the room.

It was still early, but I was awake, lying there beside Jon, watching the rise and fall of his chest once again.

For a moment, I let myself drift in the peace of the morning, not wanting to disturb the quiet intimacy between us.

The past few days had felt like a blur— so much had changed, but it felt right.

HE TOLD ME HE LOVED ME… I’d never expected to find myself here, in this beautiful house in Idaho Falls, wrapped up in someone like Jon.

But as the days passed, the connection between us only grew stronger, and more undeniable.

It wasn’t just the moments we shared or the sparks that flew when we were close; it was something deeper, something that was beginning to settle in my heart.

Jon shifted beside me, his eyes fluttering open as he stretched, his arm wrapping around me instinctively.

“Morning,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

“Morning,” I replied, my voice soft.

I turned to face him, meeting his gaze with a quiet smile. He smiled back, that same easy grin that never failed to make my heart skip a beat.

“How did you sleep?”

“Better than I have in a while,” I admitted, snuggling closer to him.

“I think it’s the bed. Or maybe it’s just being here with you.” His fingers gently brushed through my hair, and I felt a wave of comfort wash over me.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Jon said quietly, his voice laced with sincerity.

“I know we’ve only just started figuring things out, but... it feels right, you know?” I nodded, my fingers tracing the outline of his hand.

“Yeah, it does. It feels like we’ve known each other longer than just a few weeks.” Jon let out a small laugh, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

“I guess time doesn’t always matter when the connection is this strong.”

As I looked at him, I realized how much truth there was in that. Sometimes, relationships don't need to be dragged out for years before something real is developed. Sometimes, the right person just clicked, and everything else fell into place.

“We’ll take it slow,” I said after a moment, my voice steady but warm.

“We’ll figure this out as we go.” Jon nodded, his hand resting on my back as he held me close.

“I’m good with that. No rush.” It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, knowing that we were on the same page. That we didn’t need to have all the answers right now. We could just be in the moment, letting things unfold naturally, and see where it took us.

As the morning continued, we spent the rest of the day doing what felt like a simple routine, but it was so much more than that.

We went for a walk with Nacho in the snow, taking in the quiet beauty of the town.

It was everything I had imagined Idaho Falls to be—peaceful, serene, and full of charm.

The falling snow only added to the magic of the place, making it feel like we were on a winter postcard.

We wandered around downtown, stopping at a few small shops, and picking out little trinkets and souvenirs.

Jon seemed to know everyone we passed, exchanging friendly waves and greetings with nearly every person we saw.

It was clear that he was well-loved in this small town, and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud to be with him.

He had a way of making everyone around him feel comfortable like they were a part of his world.

As we walked back to the car, I found myself feeling at ease with the pace of everything.

It didn’t have to be a whirlwind romance or some grand gesture—it could just be us, figuring things out as we went. And that felt like enough.

Later that evening, we returned to Jon’s house, and after a quiet dinner with Blake and Patricia once again and the more I got to know them, the more they seemed to be the most vanilla, boring couple in Idaho Falls, we ended up in front of the brick fireplace yet again - a routine that we all seem to love including Nacho since he always curled up beside us.

The flickering flames cast a warm glow across the basement livingroom, and the atmosphere felt relaxed like we had all the time in the world.

“I’ve been thinking,” Jon said as we sat there, his voice breaking the comfortable silence.

“My son Joseph, his graduation is coming up and I need to get my truck from North Carolina, maybe we should plan a trip, and I can introduce you to my crazy hick redneck family”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“Oh? Family?” Jon grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“How about it? We will make it an adventure across the United States ”

North Carolina, where I met this amazing man. The thought of it brought a smile to my face. It was a place I had visited a few times before, but every trip felt different —it was always an adventure.

“That sounds amazing,” I said, leaning against him as I imagined it.

“I’d love to show you around.” Jon’s fingers traced the edge of my hand, his touch gentle.

“Then it’s a date. We’ll figure out the details, but I think it’d be a great way to keep things moving forward, you know?”

It was funny how, just a few days ago, I had been unsure of everything—unsure of Jon, of what we were, of where we were headed.

But now, I could see it all unfolding before me.

The adventure, the connection, the promise of something new.

As we sat there, lost in our thoughts and the warmth of the fire, I realized how much I had changed since arriving here.

I had come looking for something, but what I found was something entirely unexpected—peace, connection, and the possibility of something more.

And it wasn’t just with Idaho Falls or the beauty of the town.

It was with Jon. He was the one who had shown me how easy it could be to be myself, to let go of the past and just be in the moment.

And for that, I will always be grateful.

“We’ll go to North Carolina, to meet YOUR family,” I said softly, my voice carrying the promise of something deeper. “But for now... I’m happy here.” Jon’s smile was soft, sincere, and a little bit playful.

“Me too.”

The night stretched on, the warmth of the fire and the quiet of the house wrapping around us, and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly at peace.

We didn’t know where this was headed, but for once, that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that we were on this journey together—and for now, that was enough.

The next morning, we hashed out our cross-country survival plan—Jon would cover gas and foodand I’d take care of the hotels.

Not a bad deal, considering I had enough travel discounts racked up to make even a Marriott rewards rep weep with envy.

Blake was set to drive us from Idaho Falls to Wyoming, where we’d crash at Trevor’s trailer palace for the night—yes, trailer, as in, metal box with aspirations and possibly a raccoon tenant.

Then it was eastward ho! to North Carolina.

Jon had already told me who Trevor was—his ex-brother-in-law.

As in, his first ex-wife’s brother. Because apparently, one ex-wife just wasn’t enough.

How do I manage to land in these situations?

Seriously, is there a cosmic sign on my forehead that says “Drama, please”?

Meanwhile, Jon kept rambling in the background, completely unaware that I was mentally rewriting my dating résumé under “red flags I chose to ignore.” I packed a suitcase for what we estimated would be a week-long trek: some presentable clothes to survive the eventual Aunt Becky interrogation (she of the overbearing Southern matriarch variety), and a handful of not-too-flashy outfits to avoid sticking out in the charmingly microscopic town of Angier, North Carolina.

“Jesus, Delilah, how the hell do you end up in these situations?” I muttered to myself again as I folded a sundress next to Jon’s Carhartt hoodie. But I already knew the answer to that: questionable choices, a soft spot for emotionally available men, and a GPS set permanently to “chaotic good.”

Jon and I decided to share one suitcase like a cozy, committed couple, and Nacho—obviously—got his travel bag because he’s a spoiled little boujee gremlin with custom blankets, organic jerky treats, and two outfits that say I bark at emotional instability.

Jon, naturally, had been slipping him bacon under the table and whispering sweet nothings to him like they were war buddies.

I’d stopped being jealous around Day 3. I called my mom to give her the rundown of our last-minute plan, and she responded exactly how you’d expect: half laughing, half deeply entertained, and wholly unfazed.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said.

“But at least it sounds like a good kind of ridiculous.” Thanks, Mom. Super reassuring.

Once we were all packed, I dragged Jon into the shower for some very necessary “cleaning”—and yes, that’s a euphemism.

That man’s body was a religious experience I planned to revisit like a sinner with no shame.

Let’s just say he didn’t need a loofah when I was around.

I devoured him like a starving woman at a steakhouse—medium rare, zero regrets.

Afterward, when we were scrubbed clean and thoroughly satisfied, we all climbed into bed—me, Jon, and Nacho, who claimed the space between us like he was paying rent.

We queued up Moonshiners, because nothing sets the tone for a long redneck road trip quite like amateur liquor distillers with questionable dental plans, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of thick southern drawls and explosive still failures.

Tomorrow, the chaos would begin. And I, for one, couldn ’ t wait.