She’d spent the entire day in her studio teaching, working out, and deep cleaning the place…basically, doing anything and everything to keep busy after yesterday’s talk with Lock.
But had it distracted her? That was a big freaking no.
She looked up at her house. It was her first night back here. She’d stayed one more night in her father’s unit, telling herself she wasn’t hiding, which she knew was a damn lie. But there was something about being close to her father when everything felt wrong that just made her feel safe.
But she couldn’t hide out in his backyard forever. Besides, she missed Aspen. If there was anyone who could make her smile when smiling was the last thing she should be doing, it was her best friend, and man, did she want to smile.
As she was climbing out, a car down the street caught her eye. It was parked in front of the home of Mrs. Midson, an eighty-year-old recluse known for never having visitors.
Was there a personinthe car? The windows were tinted, but…
Suddenly, the car lights turned on and it drove away.
Strange. A light chill skittered over her skin, and she walked quickly to her front door. Inside, she dropped her bag on the side table and stepped into the living room—only to stop.
“Aspen?”
Her friend sat on the couch wearing bright pink pajamas, with two tubs of ice cream on the coffee table and two spoons dug inside them. There were also containers of Chinese food and a neatly folded set of what looked to be more pajamas.
Aspen smiled. “Biscoff ice cream for you and chocolate brownie for me. Pajamas because comfort is a must. Chinese in case you feel like any sugar-free food, but that’s not mandatory. AndTerminator 2ready to go.”
Callie’s lips twitched. “That sounds awfully close to our breakup girls’ night.”
In fact, they’d had this exact evening eighteen months ago, when Aspen had broken up with her previous boyfriend, only it had been Callie on the couch ready and waiting for her friend.
“It’s our whenever either of us has experienced a colossal kick in the gut.”
“I kind of feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest too.”
“Well, get your butt over here, woman.”
Despite everything, Callie laughed as she crossed the room and lifted the pajamas. They were also bright pink, but with the wordQueenunderlined on the front. She dropped beside her friend. “Thank you.”
Aspen lifted the Biscoff ice cream and handed it to her. “How are you doing?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure.” She swirled the ice cream around. It was the perfect in-between state of frozen and melted.“Remember when I told you I saw a therapist after I left Misty Peak?”
“Yeah, you said she helped.”
“She did…most of the time. But there was something she said that always stuck with me. She told me that instead of seeing our relationship as over, I should see it as complete.” Callie shook her head. “But that never made sense to me, because the end of our relationship didn’tfeelcomplete. It felt messy and painful and…wrong.”
Aspen tilted her head. “Maybe you always knew you’d find your way back to each other.”
“I don’t know. It hurt so much when he left.”
“And now you’re scared that if you take him back, you’re vulnerable to him hurting you like that again.”
“Yes.” A thousand yeses.
“Youwillbe vulnerable.” Aspen gave a small smile. “But…you might also get everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Her heart gave one of those giant kick-in-her-ribs thumps.
Could she? Could she and Lock finally have the future they’d once planned? “I don’t know how to let go of the past.”
Aspen leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You don’t have to forget what happened. That will always be a part of you. You just have to decide whether or not to let it control your future.”
“It’s a risk.”
