AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He hovered in the doorway, shuffling his feet. “I, uh, I can still give you a ride home if you need.”
“No thanks.” Sit a foot away, knowing it was the last time she’d be that close to him? No way.
“Right. Well...take care of yourself,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Tenaya. For everything.”
With that, he turned and walked away, shoulders slumped in defeat.
Tenaya watched him go, blinking back tears. So much for the promising new life she’d envisioned here with him.
How could someone so brave be so afraid of his own feelings?
Hands shaking, she pulled out her phone to call someone else for a ride. Megan would get her. Before she could dial, a text popped up from her dad.
See U at the house. I’m bringing pizza. I feel like I should know this, but…anchovies or no?
A watery laugh escaped her. At least through everything, she’d regained her lost father.
Biting her trembling lip, she texted back.
Looks like I need a ride home. Is that doable?
The reply came instantly.
On my way, butter bean.
Tenaya pressed the phone to her heart, tears sliding down her cheeks. Despite the hollow ache of losing a chance with Tai, she’d been gifted something precious—a relationship with her father.
She bent her head and prayed through her tears. “Thank You for helping me open my heart to my dad. But Lord, if you could heal this new wound quickly, I’d be so grateful.”
Wiping her eyes, Tenaya limped toward the exit. Her future might look different than she’d hoped, but it wasn’t bleak. She would take it one day at a time, trusting God to guide her path.
47
Three weeks later
Tenaya stared blankly at the financials on her computer screen, unable to focus. Had it really been almost a month since she left the hospital? Since Tai walked away?
Bridger and Jane’s wedding was in two days. The wedding she’d hoped to attend as Tai’s plus one.
If her battered heart was any guide, it felt more like a year than three weeks.
Her gaze drifted across the office and landed on the framed 8x10 photo of her and Tai in wedding attire. In it, she was dressed in a simple lace gown, flowers woven through her dark hair, as she smiled up at Tai. He looked dashing in a tuxedo with a boutonniere, his arm around her waist. It was a candid shot, both of them gazing at each other with joy and love. A digital fake Paige had whipped up in an instant. But looking at it still made Tenaya’s heart ache, reminding her of glimmers of a real future that would now never come to pass. She couldn’t bear to take the photo down, to put the final nail in the coffin. Soon, she told herself again. She had to move on.
It wasn’t only Tai she grieved for, but the life they might have built together. The chance to start over in his charming small town. To find new purpose.
She blinked back tears. She’d been so excited to attend the wedding, to see familiar faces and explore new possibilities. Instead, she would be here, alone.
The hollow ache of loss swelled inside her once more. Not just for Tai, but for the hopeful future she had envisioned. She’d been so looking forward to the warmth and community of Redemption Creek. To feeling like she was part of something meaningful.
With a deep breath, she turned back to the computer. She had to keep moving forward, focusing on what she still had: her career, and her new relationship with her father.
But letting go of dreams was easier said than done.
She’d barely made it through another paragraph when her dad popped his head in. “Hi, sweetheart, I’m heading out.”
She shoved her keyboard away, giving him her full attention. “Sure. Thanks for stopping by.” She eyed the clock on her desk. “Are you staying in Redemption Creek long after the wedding?”
He tugged at his beard, his gaze sliding away from her face. “Uh, not long. No. I need to get back to the cabin. Lots to do. It could snow big any time now.”
