How had it been so easy for him? To fuck Rachel. To lie. To look her in the eyes like nothing happened. And meanwhile, shehad been surrounded by temptation all weekend, a rock star flirtation, the heat, the music, the buzz in her veins and she still couldn’t do it. Not fully.
Even though Jake didn’t deserve her loyalty, she hadn’t been able to cross that line.
“Why?” she whispered to herself.
She missed her kids. She was excited to get back to Idaho, to their messy hugs and sticky hands and loud breakfast chaos. But Jake? She didn’t feel anything when she thought about seeing him. No warmth. No butterflies. Not even anger anymore. Just… emptiness. Maybe that said everything.
Kylee rolled to her side, pulling the covers tighter around her. Her heart was heavy, but there was also something else, a strange sense of power. She hadn’t broken. Even with everything.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t tempted to. If Rio asked again… would she keep saying no?
The morning sun crept through the sliver in the hotel curtains, casting golden lines across Kylee’s face. Her eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the light and the weight of reality settling back into her chest. It was over. New Orleans was over.
She sat up in bed, glancing across the room where Kelly was still asleep, tangled in the sheets with one arm flung dramatically over her eyes. A soft smile tugged at Kylee’s lips.
It had been a whirlwind wild, unexpected, intoxicating. Now, it was time to go back to Idaho. Back to being a Mom. Back to Jake.
She exhaled heavily and stood, padding toward her suitcase and quietly beginning to gather her things. The concert outfit she’d worn was tossed over the chair. The heels that made her feel sexy and dangerous were kicked by the door. She folded everything neatly, like packing away a version of herself she didn’t want to let go of just yet.
She jumped up and went to the bathroom, washed her face and tied her hair into a loose bun. No makeup this time. Just her. Kylee. Thirty-five. Mother of three. Wife to a man who had betrayed her trust. And a woman who had, somehow, resisted the one thing she’d wanted most all weekend.
Just as she zipped up her suitcase, there was a knock on the hotel door. She opened it, puzzled, and was greeted by a hotel staff member holding a stunning bouquet of white lilies and soft peach roses.
“For you,” he said with a polite nod, handing her the arrangement.
Heart pounding, Kylee brought the flowers inside. Tucked within the petals was a small cream-colored card. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.
“I didn’t say goodbye last night, I didn't want to. I’ll never forget you, Idaho.”
There was no name, but she didn’t need one. Her chest ached with a strange cocktail of longing and heartbreak. She stood there a moment, the flowers pressed to her chest, eyes closed, breathing in their soft scent.
Kelly stirred behind her. “Are those from who I think they’re from?” she asked sleepily.
The rest of the morning moved too quickly, checking out, climbing into the uber waiting downstairs, watching the city blur past the window. Each street held a memory. A piece of her. She watched it all disappear as they pulled into the airport.
At her gate, Kylee waited in silence, the hum of travelers around her sounding distant and hollow. When she boarded the plane and took her seat by the window first class again, a last-minute gesture from Jake she leaned her head back, heart heavy.
New Orleans was behind her….
Chapter 5
The Fire That Followed Me Home.
The wheels hadn’t even stopped turning on the tarmac before Kylee felt the weight of her life in Idaho pressing against her chest. The buzz of the weekend clung to her like humidity thick, electric, and impossible to shake. But here, back home, it was all fluorescent lights and polite smiles.
Jake was waiting outside the terminal with the kids. Balloons bobbed in little Jake Jr.’s hands, and Macy was jumping up and down, waving a homemade sign that said Welcome Home, Mommy!The sight made Kylee's throat tighten, not with joy but guilt.
“Surprise!” Jake said as she stepped through the sliding glass doors. He leaned in for a kiss, brushing her cheek instead when she subtly turned her head. “We’ve got a party waiting at home. Just us, pizza, cupcakes, and your favorite wine.”
Kylee smiled softly, touched by the kids' excitement, if not entirely by her husband’s attempt at domestic charm. “You guys didn’t have to do all that.”
“We wanted to!” Macy shouted. “Daddy even let us eat icing straight from the spoon!”
Jake chuckled. “I figured we’d bend the rules a little. You’ve been gone, three whole days!”
Three days. It felt like a lifetime.
The drive home was filled with chatter and Taylor Swift blasting through the speakers. Jake kept glancing at her like he was searching for something forgiveness maybe, or a read on where they stood now. Kylee just watched the trees blur past her window, trying to suppress the fire still smoldering in her chest.
