Postcards

Chapter 23

A/N:Well, folks. This is the last regular chapter of the story. I'll see you all next week with the epilogue. Thanks so much for reading/reviewing, and a huge thanks to my beta, Heather, for her help in fixing this chapter.

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"Two more days!" Eric yelled loudly as we crossed the parking lot, and I let out a laugh at his exuberance, but I was just as excited as he was.

I was more than ready for summer vacation, and I couldn't wait to spend as much time as I could with Edward. Plus, I was ready to spend some camping time with Dad, and I was planning to visit Mom for a week or two in West Virginia.

"Any plans for the summer?" I asked him as we climbed into my jeep. I was giving him a ride home since his car was out of commission.

"Working and maybe visiting some relatives out east," he told me before asking me what I was up to.

I shrugged before replying.

"Spending time with Edward, going camping, and visiting my mom."

After dropping, Eric off, I made a quick stop at the grocery store to gather the ingredients for the brownies I was making for Emmett and Rose's graduation party.

I was secretly glad that they weren't going far for college, only a few hours away in Seattle, because I'd become really good friends with both of them, and I was going to miss hanging out with them on the weekends.

I was just grabbing the last of my ingredients when I almost crashed into Jessica. She was about five months along, and we hadn't spoken much lately. Come to think of it, she didn't speak much to anyone anymore except Mike, and occasionally, Lauren.

"Oh, sorry, Jessica," I said quietly, and she gave me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked tired and sad, and I felt quite bad for her.

"How are you?" I asked, trying to break up the awkward silence that had fallen between us.

"I'm okay," she said. "You?"

"Ready for the school year to be over," I told her, and she nodded her head in agreement, and I was sure she was ready for it to be done. Most of the gossip had died down regarding her situation, but she still got looks in the hallway.

I wasn't sure what her plans for next year were, but considering she was due sometime around October, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come back to school.

We talked for a few more minutes, and I smiled when Mike came over and wrapped an arm around Jessica. I was glad to see that he hadn't ditched her when he'd found out she was pregnant. Now, I wasn't Mike's biggest fan, but the fact that he was sticking around made me like him just a tad bit more.

I said goodbye to them before checking out and going out to my car for the short drive home.

I grinned when I pulled into my driveway and saw Edward's Volvo parked alongside my dad's police cruiser.

"What in the world are you doing here?" I asked Edward as I carried the bags into the kitchen.

"They let us out early, so I thought I'd stop by," he said with a smile, and I certainly wasn't going to complain.

"What's all this?" Dad asked, poking through the bags I'd set on the counter.

"Stuff for Emmett and Rose's graduation party this weekend," I told him. "Don't worry. I'll make enough for us as well."

Dad grilled burgers for dinner, and the three of us sat around eating and watching some sports game that was on TV. I didn't really pay too much attention to it, but it was fun spending time with my two guys.