Just when I thought I had it together, I didn’t. Evan pulled me into his arms for a hug, and I lost the battle with the tears again.
“I know, buddy,” he said, hugging me tightly. “That’s how I felt every time I took Hudson and the kids to the airport. I knew in my head it was unavoidable, but my heart didn’t agree. Eventhough he wasn’t going ten thousand miles away, it might as well have been.”
I wiped at my eyes and pulled back to lean against my car. “How did I let this happen?”
Evan laughed. “You had no choice in the matter. Just like I didn’t.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess.”
I looked around and took a shuddering breath. “It wasn’t supposed to go this way, Ev. He followed the rules and did all the things the attorney told him to do. I just don’t fucking understand. Maybe if I did, it wouldn’t hurt so much.”
I pinched the bone between my eyes and took a deep breath. A headache was forming.
“When does it stop hurting, Evan?”
I looked up into his understanding eyes. “It doesn’t. That’s how you know it’s the real thing.”
I covered my mouth with the palm of my hand, then removed it. “I’m not a crier, Ev. And no matter what I do, I can’t seem to stop.”
He shook his head. “I’ve been there. The hardest part is knowing he’s hurting, too.”
I chuckled. “Colin doesn’t let his pain show.”
Evan pulled out his phone and found what he was looking for. He smiled and handed me his phone.
“No, but he had no problem telling me.”
I took his phone and saw a text from my boyfriend.
Colin: Hey, mate. Can you do me a favor and check on Carson? He’s hurting and I can’t stand it. Just make sure he’s okay until I can get back, ya?
I dropped my chin to my chest and covered my face with my hand. “How the fuck did I fall for a man who lives ten thousand fucking miles away?”
Evan chuckled. “He’s the best thing that's ever happened to you, Carson. You smile more and you’re fucking happier than I’ve ever seen you. But here’s the thing. The difference between your story and mine is that me and Hud had no choice but to be apart. You do. Do whatever you have to do, get on a flight, and go to him. There’s nothing standing in your way except the hours it takes to get there.”
I nodded, trying to think with my sleep-deprived brain. “Yeah. You’re right. But I’d have to get a visa. And then there’s the animals. I have both of them.”
Evan smiled. “Charter a plane. Take the dog and cat. You’re loaded, man. Make it happen.”
With a renewed sense of hope, I grabbed him up into my arms and hugged him. “Thanks, Evan.”
He patted me on the back. “Any time, buddy. That’s what friends do.”
Chapter 32
Colin
After eighteen hours, I walked out of the airport in Sydney to find my best friend waiting for me. “You look like shit, mate.”
Owen’s familiar smirk as he waited by the car was a welcome sight.
“Yeah, well,” I said, walking into his open arms. “You’d look like this too if you hadn’t really slept in forty-eight hours.”
He slapped me on the back and held me out by my shoulders to assess me. I was tired as fuck, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone.
“Where’s Allister?”
I smiled. “Carson kept him. No need to drag him back and forth across the Pacific.”
