Autumn’s pushing her way through the crowd, a grin on her face that I can’t help but return. The sight of her is like an anchor in a sea of uncertainty. When she reaches me, she pulls me into a hug that’s so tight a sound I’ve never heard myself make before flies from my lips. She still smells like chocolate chip cookies and coffee; it’s a comforting scent and one I allow to calm me.
She pulls back, holding me at arm’s length. “Oh my God, you made it. Come, everyone wants to say hi and hear what you’ve been up to.”
I’m hit again with the guilt of my departure and the fact that I haven’t stayed in touch, but Autumn doesn’t notice. She’s too busy pulling me across the room toward her cousins. Some of the patrons turn to stare when we pass, and I nod to them, ignoring the nerves swelling inside of me.
Apprehension fills me as we close the distance between my way out and the people I’ve always considered family. People I thought would be my real family when Grayson and I married, because that’s how far in we were. And then I went and ruined it all. I’m not ready for this, and I don’t think I ever will be, so I guess there’s no time like the present to rip the Band-Aid off.
Autumn thrusts me forward, and I stumble to stand in front of Grayson, Wyatt, Kade, and Gracie. A nervous smile pulls at my mouth as I awkwardly wave my fingers. “Hey.”
It feels like an eternity before anyone speaks, but in truth, it’s a matter of seconds before Gracie pulls me into a hug that could rival Autumn’s for its intensity. “Ave, I have missed you so much.” She leans back, her eyes flitting around my face as she fluffs up my hair. “You look so stinking good. I’d hate you if I didn’t love you so much.”
I swallow, blinking back the tears of relief that flood my eyes. “I missed you too, Gracie.”
She swats at my arm playfully. “Then keep in touch.”
“Don’t scare her off before the rest of us have had a chance to say hi, Gracie,” Wyatt cuts in, slinging his arm around my shoulder and tugging me into his side. He smells like whiskey and too much aftershave. Smirking down at me, he winks before looking over at Grayson, who’s leaning against the bar with his back to us.
Wyatt looks so much like Grayson, they could be twins, but their personalities are what set them apart. Where Grayson was always serious and reserved, Wyatt was flirty and boisterous.
I playfully shove Wyatt away, shaking my head. “If anyone is likely to scare me off, it’s you, Wyatt,” I tease.
He places a hand on his chest, stumbling back and into the man behind him as if I’ve hurt him. “I’m wounded, Ave. Deeply. I might need a little something.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “You know, to heal me.”
Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I look down my nose at him and reply, “I’d rather lick the floor. Lord knows it’ll be easier to keep track of what’s been on it.”
Laughter erupts around us, and for a moment, it feels like old times. Like I never left. Until I lock eyes with Grayson and memories of that last night come flooding back. My smile dies, and I look down at the floor.
Kade hugs me into his side, the faint scent of hay clinging to his clothes as he murmurs against the top of my head, “Missed you, Ave.” He pulls away, tipping the bill of his Carhartt hat.
I squeeze his forearm, a lopsided smile on my lips. “Missed you too, kiddo.”
Looking around at the people who have welcomed me home with open arms, I realize I made a mistake in thinking that cutting myself out of their lives was the right thing to do. I should have stayed in touch because I know that when I left, it wasn’t just mine and Grayson’s hearts that broke.
Gracie hands me a bottle of beer, knocking her own against it before she brings it to her lips. I’m still aware of Grayson, leaning against the bar. Even as I catch up with his family, I can’t help but sneak furtive glances at him, wanting more from him but knowing I don’t deserve it.
Wyatt’s low voice cuts through my thoughts when he says, “You should come over for dinner on Sunday, Ave. Mom would love to see you.”
I’m caught off guard by the invitation, and my eyes widen in surprise before darting over to Grayson, who’s now scowling at Wyatt.
“Yes,” Autumn squeals, practically vibrating with excitement. “I’ll pick you up at three. You, me, and Gracie can help Georgia get everything ready before the boys get back from work.”
I open my mouth to speak—to thank him, but ultimately decline the invitation—however, Wyatt cuts me off. “Then it’s settled. You’ll come over for family dinner on Sunday.”
A glass is slammed onto the bar, drawing our attention to Grayson as he shakes his head, disappointment, anger, and something else unfurling in his gaze before he storms away.
He wasn’t ready to see me.
Hell, I should have thought about that. I should have considered how he would feel seeing me again, especially after how we left things. I didn’t come back to Coldwater with the intention of hurting him. But maybe me being here is enough to open old wounds.
I dismiss the thought almost as soon as it appears. We’re both adults. I know that I’m not the only one who had a hand in the ending of our relationship. Surely he can’t blame me for leaving to fulfill my dreams, especially when he stayed to follow his.
6
GRAYSON
Sweat trickles down the center of my back as I lift the post driver and slam it back down onto the wooden fence post. The sun is high in the sky, relentlessly beating down and making the already laborious work feel tedious. But it needs to be done. This seems to always be my motto during the summer months, especially when I’d rather be cooling down in a stream.
All morning I’ve been thinking about Avery and what she’s doing back in town. I thought I’d never see her again, not in person anyway. And then there she was, looking exactly the same as she did twelve years ago, if not even more beautiful, and it devastated me. All the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens came back to haunt me, and they’ve been stuck in my mind ever since.
