“I’m so fucking scared, Aubrey. What if we wreck each other?”
“What if you don’t?” she says gently. “What if you make each other better? Garrett’s not perfect, but he’s honest. And he’s all in. Trust me, that’s rare as hell.”
I’m breathing hard, feeling the truth in Aubrey’s words, letting all the fear and hope mix together inside me. My phone shakes in my hand. “I think I love him. No, I know I love him.”
“Then what the hell are you still doing in Charlotte?” Aubrey bluntly replies. “Go get your man.”
Before I can answer, the bathroom door bangs open. Elliot storms in, ignoring the “women” sign like it’s beneath him. “Annie! What the fuck do you think you’redoing? You can’t just disappear in the middle of an event! Who’s running the guest list?”
I step out of the stall, face streaked, eyes wild, and I’ve had enough. “You know what, Elliot? Fuck you. I quit. I’m done being your punching bag. Find someone else to fetch your coffee and wipe your ass. I’m out.”
His mouth drops open, but I don’t wait for his response. I shoulder past him and walk out, with Aubrey still on the line.
“You still there?” I ask, my voice shaking with adrenaline.
She laughs. “Hell yeah! Go get him, Annie. Don’t let fear keep you from the best damn thing that’s ever happened to you.”
For the first time in forever, I know exactly what I want.
Chapter 10
Garrett
The driveback to Crystal Falls is the longest fucking ride of my life. I keep replaying that moment in my head…her face, those tears, the way she told me she needed time. I told her I’d give it, even though it felt like I was ripping my own heart out and handing it over for safekeeping.
But fuck, I really thought this was going to turn out completely different from what it did. I thought she’d drop her world like I’d drop mine for her. She didn’t. I get it, but it still feels like shit.
My cabin looks like a bomb went off. Broken mug pieces everywhere, dented cabinets, blood stains on the wood—all reminders of how hard I lost it when I woke up and realized she was gone. I spend the next day cleaning up, putting everything back, but the place still smells like her shampoo and the ghost of her laughter. Every time I pick up her hair tie, I have to grit my teeth not to fall apart.
The ache in my chest never lets up. I try to distract myself, busying myself chopping wood until my hands blister, hiking to the ridge and back, anything to avoid thinking about her. But she’s everywhere.
My girl.
My Annie.
The one who turned my boring, silent world upside down and then left me. I’m desperate to hear her voice just one more time.
She wants time. Fine. I’ll give her time. But I don’t know how fucking long I can last. I count the hours, the minutes, every damn second. My phone never leaves my hand. Every time it buzzes, my heart leaps, and then plummets when it’s just a spam call or Aubrey sending some meme she thinks will cheer me up.
Two days go by. Nothing.
Maybe she’s scared. Maybe she’s waiting for me to come back, to fight for her. Hell, I’ll drive to Charlotte every day if that’s what it takes. I’ll camp outside at her job, show up with flowers, whatever the hell I have to do to make her see we’re meant to be together.
But for now, I bury myself in work. I spend hours in my workshop, sanding, hammering, building a new table from scratch, like it’s going to fix the hole in my chest.
It doesn’t.
My hands move, but my head is a mess. Sometimes I catch myself talking to her, muttering shit I wish I’d said when she was actually here with me.
Thunder begins to roll in as dusk settles. The wind picks up, and raindrops start to hit against the tin roof ofthe shop. I should pack it up for the day, but I don’t want to be alone in that house with my thoughts. I’m wiping down the workbench, lost in my thoughts, when I hear gravel crunching outside.
I freeze.
Nobody comes up here in the middle of a storm, not unless something’s wrong.
I step to the door, heart thudding. The headlights cut through the rain, and I notice a truck pulling up quickly. At first, I think it’s Aubrey…only her and Warren bother with me on a night like this.
The door flies open, and there she is. Aubrey, soaked to the bone, hair plastered to her forehead, grinning like an idiot.
