But I wasn’t that person anymore. I’d grown, I’d healed—mostly—and I was in a good place. So when my realtor sent me a farm that was everything I wanted for Aria’s future, the fact that it was in Wilde Bay didn’t bother me.
All I could think of was long days on the beach, lazy afternoons on a boat, and quiet drives through the backroads. I wanted her to have the camaraderie and support of a town full of people who cared.
I wanted a place that felt like home.
And the idea of that place being Wilde Bay didn’t scare me. I wasn’t running from a place that hurt anymore. I was headed home.
CHAPTER 75
harley
The morning got away from us, but it was okay. We weren’t on a strict schedule, which helped. Aria had spent the better part of two weeks making goodbye gifts for every person in our building. She had a way of charming people and making even the grumpiest of people smile. We spent more than an hour going from door to door so that she could give everyone their gifts and say goodbye. But Aria did everything on her own time whenever she could, so each visit included lengthy conversations about hernew dress, what she’d miss, and what she was looking forward to.I had never been so social in my life.
Afterward, we made our way toBeans Bistroand enjoyed a long breakfast, complete with more conversations and more charm. By the time we actually got on the road to head to Wilde Bay, we were three hours past my anticipated leave time. That was entirely my fault for not allotting enough time for conversation.
Aria sat in the back, her gaze plastered on the world outside her window with Sir Bites-a-lot in her lap, as I drove. The city gave way to suburbs and eventually stretched into rolling hills and distant coastlines. I kept her favorite playlist playing and just let her do her thing. Sometimes she talked as if her life depended on it; other times, she quietly disappeared into her introspective place. I respected both.
“Can you tell me about the farm again?” she asked.
“Well,” I began as I turned down the music, “it’s four acres.”
“Is that big enough for a pony?” she cut in.
“It’s big enough for a full-size horse if you wanted one,” I said and saw her face light up in the rearview. Realizing my mistake, I quickly added, “We’d have to have some serious conversations about getting a horse. They’re a lot of work.”
“What about a cow?”
“That too.”
“And chickens?”
“I don’t know anything about chickens, but we could talk about it.” I had no idea where the sudden request for animals was coming from.
“I want a chicken named Starla,” Aria told me. My gaze flicked to the rearview, catching sight of her briefly. She was so pensive, bringing out the little wrinkle between her brows. “But Starla needs friends. She can’t be the only chicken. That’s just mean, and we’re not mean to animals.”
“No, we’re not,” I agreed.
“I think she needs five chicken friends, and maybe a boy chicken friend,” she continued. “But then we have to put their chicken apartments on the other side of the farm, so that he doesn’t wake me up when I’m sleeping.”
“No, we wouldn’t want that.” There was no way in hell I was getting a rooster. “Maybe we don’t need a rooster.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “Maybe. I’ll let you know.”
“That’s very nice of you, thank you.” I chuckled. “Should I keep going?”
“Yes, please.”
“Our house is a big, white house with a full wraparound porch. I’m thinking of getting us a pair of rocking chairs. It might be nice to have them when we’re outside.”
“Can mine be purple?”
“Like I’d get you any other color,” I said. Her room was already done and decorated in all the shades of purple, stars, and tulle that she loved. And that didn’t include the purple in her bathroom, or all the purple scattered throughout the rest of the house. “It’s two floors. The first floor is a big, open-plan space that gives us lots of room, and there are three bedrooms upstairs. You have your own bathroom.”
“I don’t know how to clean a bathroom,” Aria quipped.
“That’s okay. We can work on it together,” I replied. “There’s a barn, too, but I need you to stay out of it for the time being.”
“Is it haunted?”
