“Yes, I do.” His chiseled jaw danced under his skin, uncomfortable with the personal question.
He didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so of course, I couldn’t stop there.
“Are they okay?”
After a second of hesitation, he spoke, “Just missed them. Wife was a little shaken up.”
“Them?”
“New little girl at home.”
“How new?”
“Three weeks.”
“I bet you were worried.”
“Terrified,” he said, staring forward. “I checked on them. A little roof damage. Hail damage on the new minivan.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t new. Just new to us. But nothing important.”
“Good,” I said. “I’m glad.” I looked at the radio clock, feeling my eyebrows pulling in. “It’s been two hours.” I closed my eyes. “This trip was supposed to be the trip. I’ve been dropping hints left and right.”
“For what?”
“For him to ask me … to propose.”
“Oh.” He frowned. “How long have you been together?”
“Almost three years.”
He puffed. “I asked Alexandra after three months.”
“Did she say yes?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t,” I said, picking dried mud off my hands. “He’s asked me before.”
“Ouch.”
“Twice.”
Reyes’s entire face compressed. “Brutal.”
“His cousin and my best friend are married. They eloped after a horrible accident at the college, and I—”
“The fire?”
“Yeah … you’ve heard about it?”
“My brother’s alma mater, remember?”
“Right.”
“So, they got married? And it turned out bad?”
“No.”
“But it was a deterrent to marry the guy you love?”
“Well, when you put it that way …”
“How would you put it?”
“His roommate, Travis, got married. So, at first, he sort of proposed as an afterthought, hoping our parents would let us move in together. My parents weren’t going for it … at all. But I didn’t want to get married just to manipulate a situation, like Travis and Abby. Travis is also his cousin, and Abby is my best friend.” I glanced over at Reyes to see his expression. “I know. It’s convoluted.”
“Just a little.”
“Then he asked me three months later, and I felt like he was just asking because Travis and Abby were married. Shep looks up to Travis. I just wasn’t ready.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now,” I let out a long sigh, “I’m ready, but he won’t ask. He’s talking about being a football scout.”
“So?”
“So, he’ll be gone for a good chunk of the year.” I shook my head, picking at my dirty nails. “I’m afraid we’ll grow apart.”
“Scout, huh? Interesting.” He shifted in his seat, preparing for what he would say next. “What’s in the bag?”
I shrugged, looking down at the backpack in my lap. “His stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“I don’t know. A toothbrush and a weekend’s worth of clothes. We were going to visit my parents.”
“You wanted him to propose at your parents’ house?” Once again, his eyebrow arched.
I shot him a look. “So? This is starting to feel like less of a conversation and more of an interrogation.”
“I’m curious why that bag is so important. It was the only thing besides you two to leave the car. He handed it to you before he was blown from the overpass. That’s one important bag.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I just want to make sure I’m not transporting drugs in my cruiser.”
My mouth fell open and then snapped shut.
“Have I offended you?” Reyes asked although he was clearly unaffected by my reaction.
“Shepley doesn’t do drugs. He barely drinks. He buys one beer and babysits it all night.”
“What about you?”
“No!”
He wasn’t convinced. “You don’t have to do drugs to sell them. The best dealers don’t.”
“We’re not drug dealers or smugglers or whatever the current term is.”