Angie
Thetrailerwasquietinside for so long that I worried Evan wasn’t home. Rhett said these pipeline guys worked up to sixteen hours in a day. I didn’t have time to figure out his work schedule and catch him on his day off.
Four more days in Fairbanks before my return flight. I was worried I hadn’t given myself enough time to settle this.
Anxiety gnawed a hole in my stomach, and I was about to turn around when the door swung open. Evan stood in the doorway, wearing dirty jeans and a dirtier hoodie. His face was shaved clean, hair cropped shorter than I’d ever seen it. His eyes were sunken and tired, and they narrowed to slits when he recognized me.
“What the hell are you doing here, Angela?”
Angela.I hated when he called me that, like I was fifteen, in trouble with my dad again.
I waggled the ring box in front of me. “You said you wanted this back.”
He ran a rough hand over the top of his head. “I didn’t ask you to drop it off!”
I straightened my shoulders, steeling myself. “You owe me an explanation.”
“You flew all the way here…for an explanation?”
“Yes! You asked me to marry you and then just left without telling me. That’s insane!”
He stepped onto the wide first step, closing the door behind him as heatwaves escaped into the cool air. “Do you know what’s insane?Following me to Alaskato ask that stupid question. You know why I left.”
I swallowed. I had some ideas, but I needed to know if they were true. “I don’t.”
He waved a hand around me. “Thisis why. You’ll come here at the drop of a hat. Move apartments. Change jobs. You can’t just stick to something.”
“There was mold in my old apartment,” I said defensively. “Why did you ask me to marry you then?”
“Because you wouldn’t stop pushing for more. The ring bought me some time—and some quiet.”
I flinched, losing some of my false bravado as I asked, “You asked me to marry you so I would shut up?”
“Yes!” There was a rumble from behind us, and Evan noticed Rhett for the first time. He was leaning against the hood of the SUV, arms crossed over his chest. To Evan, Rhett probably looked calm. I'd spent enough time with him over the last two days to recognize the tension in his stony features.
Would Rhettactuallykill someone?
Ialmostwanted to find out.
Evan scowled, returning his focus to me and saying, “We aren’t a good fit. I didn’t think I had to tell you that.”
“The whole engagement ring thing was giving mixed signals.”
“Then let me be clear. I left because I wanted someone who has it together. You’re all over the place, Angie. You think the wholespontaneous thing is cute, but really it’s just a sign that you have no self-control. How many times did you change jobs in a year?”
“I—"
“I saw my future with you, and it was me cleaning up your messes. Holding everything together while you chased the next shiny thing. It was too much for me. You’re just…too much.”
The velvet corners of the ring box dug into my palm. My molars ground together, and I forced myself to soften my jaw so I could speak. “I get it, I do, Evan. I really hope you find what you’re looking for out here.”
I opened the box, staring at the plain silver band and the single, tiny diamond. It wasn’t even a nice ring. The metal was cold as I lifted it between my index finger and thumb, letting it catch the reflection of the gray clouds that were blocking out the light.
I glanced down at the snow. It was deep. Forgiving—more forgiving than me.
“I hope you can find your ring, too.” I tossed it hard into the mountain of snow between trailers, feeling satisfied when it sank out of sight.
“What the fuck, Angie?” Evan rushed to the snow, scooping it away with his hands.
