BooksBarbecue
Back Before Anyone Else Save as PDF
Chapters (66)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Chapter Forty-Three
  47. Chapter Forty-Four
  48. Chapter Forty-Five
  49. Chapter Forty-Six
  50. Chapter Forty-Seven
  51. Chapter Forty-Eight
  52. Chapter Forty-Nine
  53. Chapter Fifty
  54. Chapter Fifty-One
  55. Chapter Fifty-Two
  56. Chapter Fifty-Three
  57. Chapter Fifty-Four
  58. Chapter Fifty-Five
  59. Chapter Fifty-Six
  60. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  61. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  62. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  63. Chapter Sixty
  64. Chapter Sixty-One
  65. Chapter Sixty-Two
  66. Acknowledgments

While he washed the glasses, I went upstairs. I sat on the edge of my bed looking at it. It had taunted and teased me these last two weeks. I had not given in to it. I kept telling myself, “You are with Elliott now. This part of your life is over. Like the house.” I blamed it on the house. But leaving this messy and easy, so very easy, thing I had with Griffin brought a sadness I had not expected. It brought with it a longing not so far removed from an ache. It was like a period at the end of a sentence. Or a paragraph. Or a chapter titled: Bailey, The Early Years. It was as simple as a recognition that my childhood was over. Maybe I needed one last grand gesture so the chapter would have a fitting ending. Proper punctuation. And then I could cleanly and clearly move on with giving my heart to Elliott.

I was completely settled in my feelings for Elliott. The emptiness of Daddy’s bustling house, the end of my childhood, and my new nightgown all seemed to turn on me, wagging a wicked finger and teasing, “Why did you pack me in the first place?” I heard the carefree busyness of Griffin washing glasses and uncorking champagne. Maybe I was being presumptuous. Maybe he didn’t even think about being with me like that anymore. He had certainly never expressed his feelings like Elliott. Or just maybe I wanted to put Elle’s theory to the test and nothing more. I removed the nightgown from my suitcase. The price tags were still attached, reminding me of what some of our favorite things cost us.

“Hey, Bae, are you all right up there? You didn’t get swallowed up by an empty box, did you?” Griffin’s voice echoed in the now cavernous house.

“Be down in a minute. I’m just washing my face.” And any sin I may or may not commit tonight, I thought. Part of the answer was that my heart wanted both things. I wanted to be faithful to Elliott. I needed to be with Griffin one last time. I’m sure no one else thinks about punctuation marks at times like this. No, a real girl would be putting on lipstick. A real girl would be shaving her legs. A real girl would be brushing her teeth. A real girl would be putting perfume in naughty places. Real girls would not be thinking about punctuation marks. They would be thinking about birthmarks or cellulite or loose skin.