She scoffs. "You wouldn't have the career you've built."
"Says who?" I question.
"There's no other program in the country that fast-tracks agents. It would have taken you fifteen years to be where you are right now," she points out.
I don't say anything.
Was Wyatt right not to let me go with him?
"So you really loved him?" Paisley asks.
I suck in a shaky breath. "Yes. I loved him. More than I should have."
Georgia's gentle voice pierces the air. "And do you still?"
I don't know how to answer that without detangling all the ropes tied up in my chest. I finally croak, "I think so."
"Think so or know so?" Evelyn asks, arching her eyebrows.
"I…" I take a deep breath and slowly exhale, blinking hard.
Phoebe's hand wraps around mine, warm and grounding. She soothingly says, "You don't have to figure it all out right now."
Evelyn snorts. "Yes, she does. Wyatt's not just here for a quick visit. He's staying, and she now represents him. And from the scene in the living room, I'm pretty sure he's head over heels for her."
Butterflies have a party in my stomach while anxiety swirls around it.
She adds, "You can't lead him on when he's been in love with you since he was eighteen."
I whip my gaze at her. "I'm not leading him on. I'm trying to figure it out, okay? I haven't seen him in years, and it's all… It's all just…"
"A mess?" Ava supplies, her teasing tone edged with concern.
"Exactly," I sigh, deflated.
Mom's eyes narrow, sharp and unyielding. "What happened when he left, Willow? Why didn't you tell us then?"
"Because it was humiliating. Jax insisted that he move to the Tennessee team. And Wyatt needed to chase his career. So we got into a huge fight, and when I woke up the next day, he was gone."
A hush settles over us, thick and heavy.
Phoebe's thumb strokes over my hand. "Oh, Willow."
Tears well in my eyes. I choke out, "I thought I'd die from the pain. But I survived. I moved on. I built something for myself. And now he's back, and I don't know how I'm supposed to handle it."
Evelyn leans forward, her gaze unwavering. "So what do you want?"
I blink at her. "What do you mean?"
"What do you want, Willow?" she repeats, tone softening just a hair. "Do you want him gone? Do you want to give him a chance? Do you want us to run him off the ranch with pitchforks?"
A startled laugh escapes me, but it turns into a sob halfway through. "I-I don't know wh-what I want," I stutter.
Ava rests her chin on her fist. "Well, you better figure it out, because that man looks at you like you hung the moon."
"Don't remind me." I groan, slumping over the counter and pushing my face into my forearms.
Mom's voice cuts through the thick air, calm but lethal. "You do realize you pushed for him to stay here, right? And you're going to see him every day?"
