“Don’t say that.” I interrupted him.“I’m not happy that he didn’t choose us, but I'd choose you over and over again,” I said with all the conviction I could muster.
Sam blushed, smiling softly. “Monroe offered me a coaching position.”
“Oh my god, they did?” I threw myself at Sam. “Congrats!”
He laughed as he caught me. “I was going to say no to Toronto, but when the school called, I took it as a sign.”
“So, you're staying?” I asked, still not believing it.
“I’m staying, Baby. Another hockey season away from you isn’t an option,” he said. “I know it's stupid, but I also thought maybe Forest might stay too.”
My heart hurt because I didn't think it was enough to make Forest stay.
“I guess there is only one way to find out,” I said, trying to stay positive.
“I was at the ranch earlier to try and talk to him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” he said, looking down. “I chickened out and felt pathetic.”
“You’re not pathetic, but if you want one last try with Forest, I say let's do it together and then we could say we did everything we could,” I said, even though I had a bad feeling.
“Ok.” He nodded as I pulled him in for a hug.
Sam relaxed in my embrace and we held each other, content to hold one another for a moment. Sam paid for my bill as I said bye to my ladies. I thanked them for everything, and they assured me they were here for anything. They gave Sam and me big hugs, congratulating him before he took me to his car since I had had too much to drink.
It was late afternoon when we made it to the old barn, noticing that Triton was back in his stable already. We drove to Forest's cabin, his truck was nowhere in sight. Sam and I stared at the cabin that had held so many memories for us, like that first night where we ate together after we kissed each other. Forest initiated that night like so many other nights. I wanted to be so angry at him, but all I felt was a deep sadness for Forest.
Sam unbuckled his seatbelt, getting out of the warmth and I did the same, but something told me that we were too late. He usually left a light on, but the house felt empty. Don’t tell me how I knew, but Forest had left and he didn’t even say goodbye.
32
forest
Iwas in such a hurry to leave Sterling Ridge that I hadn’t planned my road trip like I usually did. The urgency I had to leave hit me full-force when I saw Sam by the barn yesterday afternoon. He looked so sad and lost, guilt hit me like never before. I panicked and waited for him to leave before I said my goodbye to Triton—that ended way too quickly and gutted me more than I thought possible.
Now I was stuck in a motel in the panhandle of Texas in a snowstorm that didn’t seem like it was going to let up any time soon. If I had planned like I normally did, I would have gone around the storm making it to my destination without stopping for too long.
The motel was older, the room smelled like stale cigarettes and the TV was going in and out from the storm. I turned off the TV, giving up on watching a rerun of SVU, in favor of my phone. Once I opened it, I threw it on the bed because all I wanted to do was call them, even if it was just to hear them say hello or to listen to the voicemail Sam had left me. I should have deleted it as soon as I saw it, but I didn’t have the guts to do it.
I went to my bag to grab a book and one of the crossword puzzle books I liked to do. It was late afternoon, and I was stuckhere till at least early morning. Reports said the storm wasn’t letting up tonight and since I was in the middle of nowhere, the roads would be awful for a little going south since that's where the storm was heading.
The crossword puzzles kept me occupied for a while as I snacked on sunflower seeds, but my gaze kept going towards my phone, willing it to ring. The silence was getting to me and at this point, I would even have talked to my mother to have something to do. My phone lit up and for a split second I thought I had summoned my mother. My body went into fight or flight mode until I saw my sister's phone number. I relaxed immediately, but dreaded answering her since I had been dodging her calls for a while. I guess now was the best time to do it.
“Hey,” I said, answering while laying on my back.
“Forest Antonio Porter Campo, why the hell have you been dodging my calls?” my sister snapped.
I flinched when she used my full name, even adding our mother’s maiden name, which was customary in Mexico.
“I’ve been busy, Melanie,” I said, knowing it was a lousy excuse.
“Even heifers need to sleep so I know that's a bullshit excuse,” she huffed. “You work at a ranch; your coworkers aren’t going to tell your boss that you're on the phone.”
I chuckled. “I know, things have just been…”
“What’s going on, Tony?” she sighed.
“I’m on my way back to Texas,” I said, hoping to distract her.
“Tony,” she chided. “What happened? You have dodged my calls before, but not for this long. What happened?”
