Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
She couldn’t hold back after I was out of the car. I braced for impact, thinking it would help. You know, holding your breath while pain is radiating from the inside out with only a hug. A hug you should be able to enjoy, yet I couldn’t, and I couldn’t tell her the truth either. Not in that moment, maybe not ever.
When she asked about my best friend, Tully, and my dog, Rocky, a mini Australian shepherd, I had to think quick on my feet. Tallulah changed her entire game plan. No, I take that back. We changed our plans entirely. Tully was going to head back to her family’s place to work in the family business at the veterinarian’s office her parents and brother owned. I was supposed to stay in Colorado in the small condo I was going to rent on my own. You know, trying to make things work with someone who isn’t Lane Johnson and go on with life.
What a big fat waste of time and energy.
Luckily for me and Tully, her family was okay with her coming to Wyoming with me, probably because she focused her studies on livestock and large animals in the veterinary field, whereas her family is more in the companion specialty. They have a great family circle, a lot like Mom and I do. Especially since it’s been the two of us for over fifteen years now.
Dad took off one day and never came back. We stayed in the same house for a year while Mom busted her ass to maintain a too-big house until she finally said enough was enough. We moved into a smaller house with less to maintain and stayed there until high school. All the scrimping and saving paid off. Mom made her dream come true and has absolutely done amazing. Her flower fields are used for arrangements all around the state, and once the wedding and holiday seasons calm down, she even opens the fields to the public.
You’re such an idiot, Birdie. This is where you belonged all along. To be fair, the only good things that came from going away to college were my degree, my best friend, and my dog. Tully was the first person I called. She came to my rescue and has continued on her mission all along. Operation Get Birdie out of Colorado as fast as possible was in full effect.
Tully is also the only one who knows my truth. Okay, fine, it’s a secret. A big fat embarrassing secret, one I made her pinkie swear not to tell a soul until I was ready. She’s now bringing her things, my things, and Rocky. I’d have taken him with me, except he was at doggy day care, and it was an extra stop. Tallulah promised she’d pick him up the second I left town, and she did, too. Even went as far as FaceTiming me the second he was back with her. When I say Tully is a godsend, she truly is.
She loaded my car and stayed on the phone with me for the majority of the six hours it took me to drive home, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to repay her. The drive went by fast. People have no idea how we can talk as much as we do, but we are the type of best friends who never run out of things to say.
Mom helped off-load the couple of bags I did pack. A miracle when she grabbed the one off the floorboard because carrying anything right about now would have hurt even worse. All that was left was the rolling suitcase. I took it by the handle, being sure not to tug it too hard. The last thing I wanted to do was jar myself and let out a loud cry.
I’ve made so many mistakes, and my heart drops to my feet every time I think about the pain I’ve caused along the way. They’re tremendous, like leaving Arrowleaf, leaving Mom, and, of course, leaving Lane. I almost begged him to make it work long distance, then thought better of it. How wrong it would’ve been for me to ask him to wait.
That’s why when Mom suggested I go to Lane’s birthday party tonight, I balked. She let it slide. Whether she knew the reasoning or not, Mom didn’t say. If I saw Lane right now, I’d break down, and my carefully built wall would crumble. I stayed back, took a hot shower, a short nap, and hid in my room until I heard the back screen door close.
This is why when I hear the same door Mom used nearly twenty minutes ago open, I spin around. My body protests the entire time, but it’s also when my world spins on its axis. Standing in the doorway is Lane Johnson and his eyes are locked on me.