AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That would be great. Today, I want to spend more time blowing glass, then go home to paint.”
“Why don’t you bring your work here? Then you won’t have to go back and forth.” My heart beat quicker in my chest while I waited for her response.
“Are you sure?”
“I want you here.” I didn’t like talking on the phone last night. I wanted to see her. After years of trying not to think about her, it was like the floodgates had opened, and I wanted to immerse myself in everything Holly. I finally had her back, and I didn’t want to miss a single second.
Holly smiled. “Marley told me about her and Heath. How they’d dated in high school.”
“I didn’t know about it at the time. They didn’t tell anyone.”
“She said that, too. I asked her how they moved past their painful history, and she said it was spending more time together and being willing to forgive.”
“We’re spending time together.”
“I’m just worried that I haven’t been giving you a fair chance. I’ve been holding myself back.” Her tone was hesitant.
I sensed that, too. “I know that you need time.”
“I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m ready to be all in with you. I want to see where this goes. I don’t want to dwell in the past or feel bad about how I ended things.”
“Then let it go. I have.” I had pangs of regret when I thought about it but nothing like the crushing weight of pain when she first pushed me away. “We were kids. We didn’t know what we were doing.”
Holly nodded. “I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get things right.”
“Because you’re a good person. You feel things deeply. You’ve held this guilt inside for a long time, and it takes a while to come to terms with it.”
I placed a hand on her lower back and guided her inside the shed, where it was warmer. “Are you ready to get to work?”
“I’ve been thinking about where I went wrong, and I know what I need to do.” Holly moved around the space, getting her supplies ready. She was quick and efficient, focused like me.
I loved seeing her in my space.
She glanced up at me and stilled. “How’d things go with Emmett last night?”
I sighed, hoping she wouldn’t be upset. “I told him about us.”
“You told him about—”
“The baby.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes glistening.
“I know you didn’t want me to, but I felt like I owed him an explanation. He was worried about us getting back together because he didn’t know the full story. It would have been the same with the rest of my family.”
“How did he take it?” Her voice was hesitant.
“He was sympathetic. I think it helped him understand what happened back then.”
Holly swallowed. “That’s good.”
My heart beat faster. “Then when I went to family dinner, I told everyone.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
“You know how my family is. Everyone is going to know eventually. It seemed like it would be better if it came from me. Everyone was sympathetic.”
I felt Holly’s mind drift away from me as she took a few steps back.
