Twenty
“I knew I should’ve gone with you.” Emily hugged me tightly as I sobbed my way through the story of what had transpired back in Jonesborough.
“It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
She held me at arm’s length. “The hell it wouldn’t have. One, Libby’s ass would’ve been taken down a couple notches. Two, Samantha would’ve gotten a major ass kickin’, and three, I wouldn’t have let you run from Colin like you did.”
My bottom lip quivered as silent tears streaked my face. She was right; things would’ve been different if I’d allowed her to go with me. But I didn’t want to pull Emily into any more than she had already been pulled into. She would’ve ended up in jail if she’d gone, and most likely, my heart would still have felt like it was used for target practice.
“That would’ve been a lawsuit in the making.”
“One that was worth it, though.”
We both had a good laugh at the thought.
“I’m surprised you stayed for Libby’s wedding.”
“It was the right thing to do. I showed up last minute to get my hair and makeup done, then changed and headed straight down the aisle with the groomsman I was paired with. Little time was left for questions and accusations. Mainly because no one wanted to ruin Libby’s big day, I’m sure. Once the ceremony was over, I hopped in the car and headed here, my real home.”
“I’m surprised he wasn’t there, at the wedding, I mean.”
“He’s probably tired of chasing after me.”
“I would be, too.” She huffed. “It’s not like you’re Cinderella with a missing shoe and all that shit.”
“I seriously love you.”
She squeezed me tightly and kissed my temple. “I love you, too, Arbor, which is why you need to get your ass up. Take a few lung-burning deep breaths and figure out what you want next out of life. You can’t lay here wondering what the hell went wrong, or why you were dealt some shitty hands. You have to take charge and make yourself happy, because no one else can do that but you.”
She was right. I had to take control of my emotions and seriously figure out what I wanted out of life. Arbor Kenton wasn’t going to be defined by the bumps in the road, or the cracks in her heart. She was going to stand up and move forward, so I did just that. I jumped from Emily’s bed.
“I hope I didn’t make you mad,” she called after me as I crossed the hallway to my room.
I stopped in the doorway and spun around to face her, a bright smile stretched across my lips. “You didn’t make me mad. You just gave me the push I need to get my shit together.”
“I did?” She glanced from side-to-side as if she was making sure there wasn’t another person in her room.
I laughed.
“Yes, you did.” I wiped my face with my hands. “I have a lot to figure out, but I’m going to figure it out. Plenty of days have been spent shedding tears; I can’t do that any longer.”
“Whatever lies ahead, you got this.”
Emily was right. I could handle whatever lied ahead of me. I was just nervous as to what that actually was.
A nap wasn’t the first thing I thought I’d do to figure out where my life was going next, but it sure as hell helped a girl feel a bit more like herself.
My body cracked and popped as I stretched my arms high above my head and retrieved my phone from the nightstand. Two missed calls showed on the screen. My heart leaped as I stared at that red number two. Seconds passed before I finally pressed the icon to see who had called. The first listed was my boss, most likely wanting to see when the heck I was going to return to work. The second name had my chest aching and my throat tightening.
Everett Green.
His name was like a red beacon, I couldn’t look away. My phone dropped to the bed as I cradled my head in my hands. Breaking the news to Everett about what I’d done was going to be hard. I had major feelings for him, but nothing compared to Colin. It wouldn’t be fair to be with someone if my entire heart wasn’t in it. I needed to take some time to actually heal from the trauma over the years, and I couldn’t do that while wondering if I was doing right by Everett.
The lump in my throat grew as I tapped his name on the screen and nervously let out a slow breath as the line rang. A part of me hoped he wouldn’t answer, but the other part of me knew I needed him to answer so we could have a bit of closure on our situation.
“Hello?” The gruffness of his voice made me wonder if I’d woke him.
I glanced at the time on my screen and realized it was late in the night, but not so late he’d usually be sleeping. Everett was a night owl. He burned the candle at both ends, because his career required it of him.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“Arbor?” He piped up a bit.
“Yeah, I saw where you called.”
“I’m sorry. I hadn’t even looked at who was calling when I answered.” He yawned.
“You sound exhausted.”
A clipped laugh echoed through the line. “That’s an understatement. I wish I was just exhausted.”
“Everything okay with you?”
“It’s been—it’s been a crazy couple of weeks.”
“I know what you mean.”
“How was your trip?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “About that.” I took a deep, silent breath and let it out slowly. “I need to tell you—”
“You ran into him again, didn’t you?”
Everett’s tone wasn’t angry or accusing, it was calm and collective. As if he knew exactly what I was going to tell him before it came out of my mouth. But I was at a loss for words as his question hung in the air across the telephone line.
“It’s okay, Arbor. I understand completely how someone from your past can come back into your life like a tornado. I’ve been dealing with some stuff myself.”
“I’m sorry, Everett, I really am. I never meant for any of this to happen, you’ve got to know that.”
“Don’t be sorry if he makes you happy. Everyone deserves to find the person that they’re meant to be with. We have a deep connection. I know you felt it as well, but maybe we’re meant to be nothing more than close friends.”
A wave of relief washed over me.
Close friends. I’d never imagined I’d be pleased to hear those two words spoken by a man like Everett.
“My relationship with Colin is difficult at best. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to explain it. Emily gave me a little insight into your history, enough to know that I don’t want to mess with fate.”
Emily and her big mouth.
An abrupt laugh escaped me. “Fate…I’m not sure I believe in it anymore.”
“You should. I’ve learned all too quickly how things can change in the blink of an eye. How what’s meant to be, will be. Don’t run away from your feelings, Arbor. You’re a smart and beautiful woman who has the world at her fingertips. Make whatever you want to happen, happen. No regrets. Say it.”
“No regrets.”
“Doesn’t that feel good?”
My laughter filled the line.
“It does, actually.”
“Even though I’m hundreds of miles away in Colorado, know that I’m here if you need a shoulder, or just a phone call away to lend an ear.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure what’s going on with you, Everett, but I wish you nothing but the best. And I’m also here if you need someone. That works both ways.”
Some rustling in the background caught my attention, but I couldn’t make out exactly what it was.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to cut this short. But I appreciate you calling me back, and know that I have no ill feelings toward you. We both deserve to be happy, so find your happiness, Arbor. I hope to hear from you soon.”
“You, too.”
The call ended, and I sat with my legs crossed in bed wondering why I couldn’t have fallen heavily for Everett. He seemed to be the type of man who lived life to the fullest. Who understood what he wanted from life and grabbed it when he had the chance. He was simple, yet not. Whoever was lucky enough to be his one and only would have a love like no other. I was sure of that.
My heart, on the other hand, was tied to a man who I honestly didn’t know. A handful of hours spent together in all, and the death of a child tied us together. Nothing more. Yet I found myself wondering what he was doing in that exact moment, wondering if he thought about me as much as I had thought about him since I left Jonesborough. They say your heart wants what it wants; even if your mind knows it might not be right. Loving Colin wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t sure that it was right either.