As I close the text chain, it feels like more than an end to a chat.
I’m done overcompensating.
I’m done trying so hard to help someone who isn’t willing to change.
My phone pings with a new text.
Emerson.
I smile.
Emerson is more of a sister to me than the one I grew up with.
And that’s okay.
* * *
Later that evening, I’m at the Lucky Cowboy with Ashley, Winter, their friend, Peyton Black from New Orleans, and Emerson, who returned to my apartment out of concern an hour after she’d dropped me off. When she saw my red, swollen eyes, she dragged me out for a drink. One drink in and we called Ashley to join us. She brought her friends, and here we are.
“I’m just going to say it—you are the only woman I’ve seen Liam look at the way he does you,” Winter states with an air of certainty.
“I would absolutely trust Winter’s word on any of the four Storm brothers,” Peyton says, her dark hair and confident nature belying her tiny stature. She can’t be more than five feet tall, but she’s rocking a pair of high heels that easily give her a few more inches. “She knows them even better than I do. And we all grew up together.”
Ashley’s hazel eyes sparkle as she sips her wine. “You and Liam make a good pair.”
I laugh. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but he lives across the country from me.”
All four women momentarily frown at this reality.
Then, because we’re all tipsy from the alcohol, they start shouting why distance doesn’t matter.
I don’t know how it would work between Liam and me.
It feels impossible. And when I get home that night for the second time, even the alcohol can’t stop my tears from flowing again.
Desperate for distraction, I sit up and pull out my notebook, the one I write all my big ideas in.
CEO of own company was my last entry.
I stare at the sentence.
I could do this.
It will take a while to get it off the ground, but Iwantthis.
I have the marketing and PR experience to do a start-up dedicated to rescuing exotic animals. I just need the capital to start, but my savings account has been growing. And I could talk to the bank about a loan.
I stay up for another hour, jotting down ideas and formulating an actual plan.
When I go to sleep, I’m no longer crying.
Even if Liam isn’t going to be a part of my future, I still have my dreams.
* * *
Liam
What a clusterfuck of emotions landing in Montana has been.
