Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Idon’t know what to do,” I admitted as George and I slowed our horses to a stop. He slid out of his saddle and I followed suit.
“What do you want to do?” he asked. “Take all the bullshit away, all the what ifs, the how comes, the why me’s, and just get to the point. Do you want to go to Nashville to see Stetson perform or would you rather not?”
I met my eyebrows together in the center of my face.
“I’m serious. Instead of getting caught up in everything else, you should figure out what you really want and then you can figure everything else out after that.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his Levi’s as we perched on top of the best hill in all of Rolling Meadows.
The hill was cushioned with tall grass that rolled over the clearing like a wave in the ocean. The springtime air had arrived in Quincey Falls, bringing with it the scent of sweet blooms, signaling nature’s reawakening. The peacefulness of it all, including George, was like a warm hug that felt like returning home after being gone for a long time.
“When you put it like that…” I said, lingering on my own thoughts. It had been a few weeks since Stetson found me at Haddie Jo’s, and every second since had been spent trying to decide what I wanted to do next. I had decided to finish the article, more for Donna than anyone else, but that was about the only thing I’d landed on. “I’d like to go to Nashville. At least just to support him like he asked me to.”
George cocked his head toward me. “Okay, so what’s the problem then, darlin’?”
“Ugh. It just doesn’t feel that easy.”
“It’s as easy as you let it be,” he argued. “Which I know for you is a challenge. You’re always trying to make your life more difficult by not allowing yourself a chance to be happy and enjoy it. Instead, you focus all your energy on trying to prove to someone or something that you shouldn’t get to be happy because of one decision, one that you made to the best of your ability. So, if you’re not happy, it’s not because you don’t deserve it, it’s because you’re not allowing yourself to be. That’s not up to anyone else. At some point you gotta let that shit go or accept it, Scarlett.”
His honesty was a little more harsh than normal, but in the most tender way.
And for the first time maybe ever, I thought his words might’ve actually cracked the shell that so heavily guarded my heart. As I gazed out into a field I’d stared at so many times before, everything felt different, lighter, like maybe the chains that had held me in place for so long were getting old and rusty, making it easier for them to break apart.
“I need to tell Stetson about the adoption. I mean, Iwantto tell him,” I blurted.
“I think that’s a great place to start,” he confirmed. “Well, maybe see if he still wants you to come to the concert first,and then you can plan on when to tell him while you’re there.” George peered over at me with a big ol’ goofy smile.
“Ha. Fair enough.” I nodded.
He’d still want me to come, right? It had only been a few weeks since I saw him last, and after everything he said to me, he wouldn’t just change his mind, would he?
“See how easy that was?” he asked.
I sarcastically grinned. “Uh-huh.”
“Well, now that I’ve solved all of your problems, I better get to solving mine, starting with the pesky little calves that keep escaping,” he said, motioning in the distance.
I didn’t see calves, but I saw little black specks resembling pepper at least a mile away.
“Thanks, George. I love you.”
“Love you too, darlin’.”
George sprung onto the back of his horse, and I yanked my phone out of my back pocket.
Me:
Is the invitation still on the table?
Three little dots appeared almost immediately, making my heart dance in my chest, mimicking the dots.
Stetson:
To Nashville? Of course it is.
A breath released from my mouth, deflating my entire body.
Me:
