Ellie narrows her eyes at him. “Shut up.”
August chuckles and shakes his head. “It’s good to have you back, Ellie.”
“Ro.” Ellie turns to me. “Thank you for everything.” She grabs my hand and squeezes it.
I shrug. “It’s no problem. I actually need to head out and see my mom and Aunt Rosey.”
Ellie and I start to walk toward the front door. I don’t have a reason to see my family, but I can feel myself starting to get attached to Ellie, and I can’t let myself do that. I need to keep reminding myself that she’s only here for the summer and that we’ve both moved on.
Or at least convince myself thatI’vemoved on.
“Can I see you tonight? At the brewery?” she asks.
“Always, El.” The corner of my mouth tips up.
“August.” I turn to him. “I’ll see you around.”
Her brother walks toward me and holds out his hand to pull me in, slapping his other hand on my back. “Always a pleasure. I’ll probably see you tonight too. Enjoy a couple of beers.”
Ellie points to August. “Oh, I’ll just ride with you then.”
August rolls his eyes dramatically before saying, “Iguessyou can come with me.”
Ellie gives August a playful shove, and he staggers back, though he’s a foot taller than her. She’s stronger than she looks. “Shut up, you love me.”
August grins and pulls her into a messy headlock, ruffling her hair. Ellie squirms, shouting at him to stop, her voice a mix of annoyance and affection. “You smell terrible, August! God, how long did you run for?” She wiggles in his grip, trying to break free, then turns toward their parents. “Mom! Make him stop!”
Her dad chuckles from the kitchen and gives her an amused look before focusing on his laptop on the kitchen counter.
“Alright, that’s enough. August, let go of your sister,” Helen says from the kitchen sink.
I watch the scene unfold, a warm feeling settling in my chest. It’s chaotic, it’s loud, but it’s perfect.
And it’s so good to have her home.
eleven
ROWAN
As I walkto Mom and Aunt Rosey’s house, I think about how it’s only been two days since Ellie has come back to town, and I’ve continuously had to stop myself from doing more than just hugging her. Last night, when we went back to sleep, she grabbed my hand and held itall night.
Laying in the same position the entire night was not ideal, and my shoulder is killing me, but I refused to let go of her hand. Not even an earthquake would tear me from her. I’m supposed to see her later tonight at the brewery to meet up with everyone and I have no idea how I’m going to control myself.
I run my hand through my hair and whip it forward. My brain is going into hyper-drive just thinking about how her hand would feel on my chest, on my stomach, and...
My hands brush through my hair again, and I stop walking, tilting my head up toward the sky. I haven’t allowed myself to indulge in a woman in a long time. Exactly 243 days. 8 months. 5,840 hours.
Every relationship I’ve had has ended badly. Me, pushing them away. Making sure that they don’t leave me before I can leave them. Blaming something that I know wasn’t there. Deep down, I knew it was because they were never going to live up to the girl I once had and lost.
I never pushed Ellie away. Not intentionally. When we were nineteen, she was moving to New York. We tried staying together long distance, but when you live on opposite sides of the country, it gets tough. Especially since we were teenagers who can’t afford to see each other anytime you want.
When she came back two years later—we’d successfully stayed together the entire time—she dropped the biggest bomb on me. She was going to stay in the city foranothertwo years and take advantage of an opportunity that doesn’t present itself that often.
At the time, all I thought about was the ring that suddenly felt like a heavyweight pulling me down. My mind shut down, and I lost my voice. I couldn’t think. All I could do was nod and tell her I understood.
After that happened, I was in a dark place for a long time. Not just because of Ellie, but it also took me back to my dad. Being left,again. I didn’t do anything that made me happy for a long time. Not until a year later when I woke up one morning and finally felt like everything was going to be okay.
As I approach my mom and Aunt’s house, I look up to see my Aunt Rosey and a smirk looking right at me. She and my mom in their wicker chairs on the porch.
