AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I arch a brow. “You, Easton Gentry, are telling me to talk to the one guy you’ve made it your mission to insult every time you see him in public?”
Easton scoffs. “Not every time.” When I smirk at him, he sighs. “Fine, yes, I’m telling you to talk to him. I’ve only ever seen you really happy when you were with him.”
“I’ve been happy since I left,” I mumble.
“Okay, when?”
I wrack my brain, trying to come up with a time when I was truly happy, but my mind is completely blank. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every minute I’ve gotten to spend with everyone — Bethany, my dad, Mom, and Easton — but it’s not quite the same as having a partner along your side.
“Okay, fine, I haven’t been happy. I’ve been miserable and wishing that I could convince myself that falling in love again is okay.”
Easton gives me a small smile. “Are you wishing that you could fall in love again, or have you never really fallen out of love in the first place?” When I don’t answer, he lifts from his spot on the couch and pats my shoulder. “Just give him a chance to talk, okay? It doesn’t hurt to actually hear him out this time instead of running in the opposite direction.”
As if Easton has a leg to stand on to talk about the whole love thing. It’s been years and he still hasn’t put himself out there tofind someone else. All I know is that I’ve had to hear him bitch and complain about not being able to find a nanny to sit here with Bethany while he works out of town. An idea pops into the back of my mind, but before I act on it I dial the number I’ve never been able to forget and listen to the line ring a few times before going to voicemail.
I’m not sure what I expected after the way I rushed out of his house last night. I’m sure he’s finally realized I’m a lost cause just as he did in high school. What the hell would I even say to him anyway? Even if everything he told me is true, will it ever be the same between us?
Talk. That’s the first step, and let's hope all the others fall into place.
Chapter Ten
Dawson
The sun is shining brightly on my face and a few people passing by give me a small wave. My uniform is tight against my body and I’m itching to take it off, but I have to wait a few more hours until my shift ends. I was surprised when Savanna asked me to meet her at the park today, wanting to talk with me about things, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see her again.
I’ve been trying to imagine what she could need to say, especially after how quickly she left my house the other night. I cursed at myself most of the night and had trouble sleeping because I was worried I’d gone too fast with her once we left the bar. When it comes to Savanna Gentry though, I’m always out of control.
The wind picks up around me, the warm breeze skating across my bare skin, and I breathe it in with a smile. Most people want nothing more than to get out of their small towns, but I wouldn’ttrade Maple Creek for anything. I only wish I had gone away to college with Savanna when I had the chance and then come back to start our life together. The way we had always planned.
There’s no sense in bringing up the past though. I run a hand through my hair and glance at the time, frowning when I see that Savanna’s ten minutes late. Sweat starts forming along my brow. Maybe she decided that having a conversation with me wasn’t for the best after all and she changed her mind.
Would have been nice to get a text though. I could’ve spent my lunch eating instead of waiting here for her.
Just as I stand and get ready to head back toward my car in the parking lot, I catch sight of Savanna walking over the grass with her head down. Her hair blows wildly behind her, the strands catching the rays of sunlight shining down on her, and I smile at the sight. I’ll never be able to get over how beautiful she is.
She stops in the middle of the field and lifts her face toward the sky, her jaw moving as she says something to herself, then her gaze collides with mine. The jeans she’s wearing are hugging her hips perfectly, showing off every delicious curve along her body, but she hides her other assets with an oversized sweatshirt. I’m not sure what she would need one of those on for as it’s not exactly cold this time of year.
My body doesn’t seem to care much about that though as my dick jumps excitedly the moment she starts toward me with a frown. I give her my biggest smile when she reaches me, and I wave a hand toward the bench I was occupying moments ago,waiting until she sits onto it before I follow. “Savanna, it’s good to see you.”
She nods, brushing her hair behind her ear to keep it from falling in her eyes. “I think it’s best if we talk, and I wanted to do it in a more relaxed setting.”
“Is everything okay?”
Savanna pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and my eyes stay focused on the movement as she lets it go, then runs her tongue over the spot. This should be the last thing on my mind right now, but the only thing I can think about is how much I want to replace her tongue with mine. “Uh, yeah, but I thought we could talk more about what you told me.”
I cock my head to the side, then remember how I told her about why I ended things back then. “Sure, Sav. What do you want to know?”
She chuckles nervously, wringing her hands together on her lap. “Guess that would’ve been a good thing to rehearse before getting here because my mind is blank right now.”
There’s something I’ve been wanting to make sure she understands since I made that hard decision seven years ago, so I give her a small smile and place my hand on her thigh. Luckily I don’t have as deep of a reaction as I would’ve if it was bare, but it’s still enough to have me ripping it away from her body. “First, I want to apologize for all the hurt I put you through and I wish that things could have happened differently.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me?” She asks with a frown. “We were together for years, Dawson, and you didn’t think you could tell me that life at home was bad?”
I sigh. “That was a mistake. I didn’t want you to think poorly of me, but I realize now that it only showed you that I didn’t trust you which was never the case. It was embarrassing for me, especially at such a young age.”
“I can understand that. It just hurts to find out seven years later that you were going through hard times and I was left in the dark with it all.”
The idea of hurting her makes my chest physically ache and my stomach roll with regret. “That’s never what I had meant to do, Sav. It was the only way.”
