Prologue
Hadley
That’sright,Ididthe dang thing!
After collapsing on my ruffled bed, out of breath from jumping up and down while squealing like a girl at a bachelorette party, I whip my phone out to text Daniel.
Me:HAPPY 6 MONTHS…AND ONE DAY! *confetti* *kissy face*
I know, most people tend to stop celebrating at the six-month mark, but this is a milestone for me: the longest relationship in my twenty-seven years.Take that, commitment issues.
He doesn’t respond, which I expect because he’s probably fast asleep. He has a big presentation tomorrow for the new marketing campaign he’s trying to land athisfirm.
Oh yes, I’m currently dating a successful businessman who owns his own marketing firm at the mere age of thirty-one. I’m doing everything opposite of my mama—finding a good man, settling down, and tossing my commitment issues to the side. Something she could never accomplish, choosing instead to turn to the bottle, pills, and countless men. I don’t know who my father is, or I’d complain about him too.
I love my mama, don’t get me wrong. But she has poisoned my life one too many times. It’s time for me to put my past to my side and settle down with a good, stable man. My kids will know their father.
I’m too awake with happiness to try and go back to sleep, so I check in with my best friend, Braxton Rawls. He’s currently working offshore and will be coming home in a couple of days.
Me:You awake?
As soon as the message is sent, I see three dots appear.
Brax:Unfortunately.
Me:Guess what???
Brax:Chicken butt.
Me:Will you ever quit with that joke? Seriously, it’s old.
I decide to FaceTime him, my fingers still shaky from sheer excitement.
He picks up on the first ring and his face fills the screen. His forest green eyes are startling, even in the low light of his room. Black hair is pushed back from his face, tousled from laying down on his pillow.
I can never get over how my best friend looks like a green-eyed version of Mutt Schitt fromSchitt’s Creek.
“Hey,” he says in a sleepy voice. His eyes droop halfway shut.
“I thought you said you were up?”
“I am up.”
“It looks like I woke you up.” I narrow my eyes.
“You did, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less up now.”
“My bad, Brax. I didn’t know if you were working the night shift or not.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” he comments, throwing an arm under his head, yawning.
I glance away from the screen for a moment, guilty feelings brewing. I shouldn’t find my best friend attractive when I am in a happy, stable relationship for once. I shouldn’t love him the way I do. Yes, I love him. How do you not love someone you’ve known for twenty years? At times, my love for him feels romantic, but mostly, it’s a deep, affectionate familial love. I know my place in his life, so that brother-sister love has to win out, which is why I’m ecstatic to finally have a good man in my life that’s not Braxton.
He continues speaking after a series of yawns. “I forgot to silence my phone before crashing. What are you doing up?”
“It’s my longest relationship,” I squeal, tossing my head back. My feet kick at the edges of the comforter. “No one can say I’m just like my mama now.”
“You’ve never been like your mama, Dawson,” he growls. Braxton’s obviously not a fan of me comparing myself to Mama, but he knows how the small town of Juniper Grove, Mississippi, talks.
