Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
I nod at her, grim-faced and perturbed.
“What did you say?” she asks hesitantly.
“I discouraged him,” I admit. “Told him it was a bad idea, that you were like a little sister and that you would probably only ever look at him like a brother.”
“That’s accurate,” she says, but I can see her bracing for bad news. Holland has been transported back in time, same as me, and she’s expecting me to drop the other shoe.
“I dissuaded him because I’m not about to move aside,” I say sternly, my hand gripping her ankle and squeezing for reassurance. “You’re mine and he’s not getting in the way of that.”
Holland exhales in relief and I hate that she even doubted me. “But I need to tell him the truth about us. The only reason I didn’t do it just now is he’s on his way to West Virginia and it’s not the time to get into it. I’ll sit down with him tomorrow and tell him everything.”
Holland nods, her expression serious. “I agree. We need to be honest with him.”
I take a deep breath, feeling the gravity of her agreement. That means she thinks there’s something that needs to be divulged. It’s not only being truthful about the past, it’s being honest about what we potentially have right now. “Do you want to be there when I talk to him?”
She hesitates, then nods. “I think I should, but what exactly are we going to say?”
“I’m going to tell him I was in love with you eleven years ago and I made a stupid decision to let you go because I couldn’t hurt him. But that I can’t do it again.”
“And where do I stand in all of this?” she asks, and I tilt my head at her because I’m not quite sure how to answer that. “I mean… all of this is moot if I’m going back to Zurich.”
“That’s true, but you said you felt you should be there to tell him. If you were going back to Zurich, you’d be advocating keeping this secret from him until you leave.”
My heart slams against my breastbone because I dare hope that she’s subtly making some sort of commitment, but her smile is freely given. “There’s no secret. We need to tell him.”
Air rushes from my lungs and I glance over my shoulder at students exiting the barn. “If there weren’t people around, I’d drag you off that horse and kiss the daylights out of you.”
Holland laughs. “I’d let you do it too.”
I squeeze her ankle again before releasing it. I take several steps back, moving to the center of the arena. “Go ahead and trot,” I say, slipping into instructor mode.
Holland’s expression goes serious as she gathers her reins, lifts Sampson’s head and gives him a soft command. “Trot.”
She expertly goes up into the correct lead, hands up, heels down, ass in the back of the saddle. It’s like she never left.
After she goes by on the second turn, a thought strikes me. “Hey,” I call out.
Her head turns my way.
“Want to stay the night at my house? We can grill out some steaks.”
“Okay,” she says, a grin splitting her face. Then she goes back into work mode, putting all of her attention on the horse.
We spend the next hour working together in the arena, but my mind is on tomorrow. On the conversation we’ll have with Wade. On the future I hope to build with Holland.
CHAPTER 14
Holland
It feels so comfortable being here in Trey’s house with him. All my doubts and insecurities have vanished. After my lesson, I helped him in the barn, ensuring the horses were all properly put up and cared for. After that, we went to the grocery store to grab steaks. We held hands as we walked the aisles, not caring if anyone in Shelbyville saw us. Trey’s declaration to choose me and not allow Wade to step between us again made everything feel more secure, more real. Still, I haven’t told him how I truly feel yet, and it’s causing me anxiety.
We move around the kitchen, cleaning up. Trey washes while I dry and put things away. The conversation flows naturally, like no time has passed at all.
Like no pain was ever inflicted and I realize, I truly have forgiven him. I want to make this second chance work—I’m just not sure exactly what that means.
“So,” Trey says, rinsing a plate and handing it to me, “what was your favorite part of the zoo yesterday?”
I smile, drying the plate. “Definitely the giraffes. I love how elegant and awkward they are at the same time.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “They’re something, all right. Personally, I think the gorillas had you enamored. You were practically having a conversation with that big one.”
“Hey, he was very interested in what I had to say,” I retort. “We had an interlude.”