I got in my car and drove away without looking back.

There was no way in hell that I was going to settle down, or get married, or have children with anybody.

Even though I was broke and without a job, there was no way there could ever be a future for Hope and me.

I drove to my best friend’s place. He was probably the only person from back home I’d ever communicated with regularly after I left. It wasn’t so much that I planned it that way. There was just so little that I had to say to my family, so I rarely bothered to send as much as a letter or post card, though I did send a few over the years to a select few.

I arrived at Roger’s place not long after and hoped he hadn't moved while I was away. I’d never asked, and I hadn't told him I would be in town for my grandfather’s will reading, either. I parked my car at the curb and made my way to the door, hesitating for a few seconds before knocking.

There was a short silence, then the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door. When the door opened, Roger was there.

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice aggressive, only to freeze when he saw it was me.

He looked shocked to see me standing on his doorstep; though, I couldn’t blame him since it’d been so long.

“What kind of way is that to greet your friends after you don’t see them for years?” I asked, giving him a slight grin.

Roger had, clearly, not changed much. He still looked the same as he always did. His light brown hair was tucked beneath a baseball cap, and his jeans were worn and faded.

“The kind that disappears without a word, only to tell you later on that they joined the fucking Navy,” Roger growled back, tucking his hand in his front pocket as he awaited my response.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I let his words sink in for a moment. I hadn't told too many people that I was or had joined the Navy, but even far away, I still considered Roger my best friend who I told nearly everything. The last time we’d had any form of communication had been quite a while, so I guess I deserved his less than enthusiastic response to see me.

“You don’t have to worry about that; I won’t be going back.”

His eyebrows shot up. “So you really did join the fucking Navy?”

The surprise in his voice made me chuckle. “You already knew that, didn't you, Roger? You knew it for a while.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s still so damn surreal. You of all people becoming an officer. Aren’t you supposed to call me a civilian now, Curt?”

I rolled my eyes at the light tease and stepped forward, releasing a silent sigh of relief as he stepped back to allow me entry.

“I already told you I’m not going back, so we’re all civilians here.”

I waited for him to close the door and lead the way to the living room. I glanced around; everything still looked the same as the last time I’d been in his house.

“Are you seeing someone?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Roger laughed at me and tossed himself into the couch. “If I were seeing someone, I wouldn’t be alone right now. Don’t tell me you have someone.”

I tightened my lips. “Technically, no.”

Roger leaned forward, interested in learning more, and I grimaced.

“Do tell,” he waved a hand at me. “You came here for something, so go ahead and tell me whatever it is.”

I sat down in the single seat to the side of the couch and tossed my head back with a heavy sigh. I let my body slump into the seat and relaxed in a way I hadn't for a while.

“Well, first, I did join the Navy. I can’t give you details about that, but I served, and I left. Some shit happened, and….I don’t have a place to live right now. I’ve been in and out of motels for a while, so I’m completely out of cash. I used everything I had left to make it back here.”

I clenched my fists, frustrated with my whole situation. I thought I’d come back and things would be different. They were different all right, just not like I’d imagined them to be.

“You’re not telling me everything. I know you wouldn’t come all the way here just to whine about being out of money. There’s more going on that you haven’t told me.”

I looked up at Roger’s accusation, wondering if I should be surprised or not.

“I didn't know why you left in the first place; I don't know what left you in the sorry state you’re in right now. And what do you mean, you ‘don’t have a home?’ What about your grandfather’s farm—” He cut himself off, narrowing his eyes at me. “That’s why you came back, isn’t it?”

I sighed. “I got a call from the lawyer, and I came back.”

He was glaring at me again. “And you couldn’t have made it back for the funeral?”

I winced at the direct jab knowing I deserved it, but still. Apparently, he’d gone to the funeral if he was aware that I wasn’t there. I was a bigger ass than I knew, but I realized it a little too late.

“It felt too fucking weird just coming back for the funeral. I didn’t expect to get word the old man was dead.”

“And yet you made it pretty quickly for the reading of the will—”

“I didn’t know gramps had cancer, to begin with,” I said, cutting in. “I could have come back before he died, to see him one last time at least, but I had no clue.”

I let my voice trail off as I looked down at the tattered hems of my jeans. What good would it have done to know my grandfather was dying of cancer? I couldn’t outright say it would have been enough to get me home. I was on my way at the mention of the funeral, only I never made it, and a part of me regretted that more than anything else. I might not have done much had I been there, anyway, but that didn’t matter.

Hope was probably the one to be there for him in the end, and I took solace in that. If anything, she deserved the farm more than I did. I’d just have to do whatever I could to scrape by. I’d been doing it for months, after all. But I would be sticking around because I needed funds before I could leave town again.

“So,” Roger started slowly. “If you’re here and saying you have no home, then what about the farm? It’s not yours?”

I sunk a little deeper in the chair as I crossed my ankles. I’d been hoping he wouldn’t ask that.

“Not so much that as it’s mine….on condition.”

“What condition?” he asked.

I growled under my breath. “I don’t know what the old man was thinking, but he put a condition in the will that Hope and I get married in three months, and have a baby within a year of getting married.”

There was a short silence. Then Roger burst out laughing. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to calm down.

“You are such a great friend; you know that, Roger?” I said with heavy sarcasm.

He even wheezed a little. “I’m sorry, but it’s just the image of you, married and with a brat. You’re right. Your grandfather might not have been thinking when he did that.”

I sighed. “So, as you can see, I’m broke and homeless. I came by to see if you still had your business and if you’re looking for employees. I know I’ve never worked as a mechanic before—”

Roger cut me off with another laugh, and this one lasted about as long as the first fit. I narrowed my eyes at him in indignation, and he waved a hand at me when he caught it.

“No, Curt. Just, no. I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but you tried helping once and put me back days of work. So no fucking way. You’re better off at the farm because you’re way better with animals than you will ever be with a car.”

“Yeah, well,” I muttered, irritated. “The farm is no longer mine, and in a few months, it won’t even be available. I’d rather not sleep in my car and beg for scraps, Roger. Help me out here.”

He shook his head. “No way. I change my mind about your grandfather; he was a damn genius. You never planned on staying, did you?”

I hesitated to answer because I wasn’t sure. Even if I had gotten the farm, I hadn't thought much of what I would do after. I did know staying at home had been the last thing on my mind. It would be all too easy to sell it all and go back to my life as a drifter, only with a bit more financial security. Like he read my hesitation, Roger nodded.

“You and I both know how much your grandfather loved that ranch. If he wanted you and Hope married to inherit, then there’s probably a reason, and I don’t think you should let it go.”

I gasped. “Have you forgotten that I would have to be married to Hope? And we have to have a kid, Roger. What the hell am I going to do with a wife and child?”

He shrugged carelessly. “Stick around? And besides, if you don’t like being married to her, does the will say anything about a divorce? You could go along with it, have the kid, and get divorced after. That would be a shitty thing to do, but then, it’s you.”

“Hey,” I said in protest.

He ignored me. “You could always just try it, couldn’t you? You might find you don’t hate it.”

I sat up in the chair and cupped my hand around my jaw, letting it run over my stubble. “You forgot something in all of this. It’s Hope, Roger. I’m pretty sure she hates my guts.”

He shrugged as though he couldn’t care less. “You might be desperate, but I’m willing to bet she’s in the same boat as you. It’s probably the only way the two of you would even agree to this shit. You might as well get on your knees and propose, Curt. Do what you need to do, and if you need to leave, Hope will probably be keeping the farm and the kid, but if you need a place for now, then half the land is still better than not getting anything, right?”