Success. I stood with her. “Jo, thank you very much for your hospitality. I’m really happyto be here.”
She threw her arms around me, enveloping my entire body in a hug. “Allegra, when you’re in my house, you’re family.”
I squeezed her back, taking a deep breath and swallowing the warm smell of her.
“Which means you’ve got chores, young lady!” She pulled back and wiped a tear away. “Sleep well, honey.” She left surprisingly quickly, shutting the door behind her.
Chapter Eighteen
I wasn’t going to go for a run today, but after everything that happened yesterday, I had to get some nervous energy out. I woke before the sun, dressed in tight black clothes, and slid on my sneakers.
I assumed, and hoped, the rest of the house was asleep, and slipped out of the bedroom.
The door to Colton and Dean’s room was cracked open.
I couldn’t resist peeking in.
He wasn’t kidding about the bunk beds.
Dean was on the bottom, the blankets pulled to his chin, and snoring softly.
Colton was on top, his long legs hanging over the bedframe. His arm hung over the edge, dangling in Dean’s face. He looked too big for such a small bed. His mouth was wide open, but he wasn’t snoring.
He was, however, shirtless…in boxers.
I swallowed dryly, my eyes beginning to wander down the length of his body before I caught myself and turned on my heel.
I shoved my headphones in my ears and turned the volume up as loud as it would go. The house was dark and still, giving me the relief that I was the only one awake.
I shut the squeaky door as quietly as I could and, withoutbothering to look back, I took off.
The ringing in my ears had finally subsided, now replaced with thumping music and my rhythmic breathing.
The stunning pastures, brushed by the morning sun, created a perfect ambiance to clear my head. I took long, deep breaths, the freshness of the Oklahoma air clearing the fog out of my brain. Horses stood at the edge of the fences, watching me as I ran.
The gravel crunched under my heels. It reminded me of home.
My thoughts were racing as fast as I was.
I thought about my mom, about our once-a-month phone calls that would inevitably turn into a fight every single time.
I thought about Jo, about how she already claimed me as her family.
I thought about my dad, about how badly I needed him, and wondered how differently my life would’ve been if he hadn’t died that day.
But mostly, I thought about Colton. I thought about his electric touch. I thought about his gentle eyes and crooked smile. I thought about the way he called me, “Ally.” I thought about his fingers under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.
Before I knew it, I was sprinting,hard and fast, down unmarked gravel roads. I pumped my arms, kicking rocks behind my tennis shoes.
I was breathing hard, but I couldn’t slow down.
The image of the height marks on the pantry door made me want to scream. Jo kissing her kids every chance she got, Dennis wrapping his arm around his sons and daughters-in-lawevery time they entered a room, it was all slowly crushing me.
I forced myself to turn back to the house and ran just as fast down the path.
I came to a halting stop a few feet in front of the porch, panting so hard I thought my lungs were going to burst. My heart was pounding. Usually, I did a leisurely jog around the park. Today, I had sprintedas if my life depended on it.
After I finally caught my breath and my heart rate dropped to a regular beat, I climbed the porch and wandered inside.
