AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And what, I'm failing Naomi?"
"That's for you to decide, babe." She hops off the counter. "Just think about it."
I'm stuck to the spot long after Reka leaves, considering our conversation.
Like . . . who is my guilt really impacting? Am I punishing myself? Or am I punishing Naomi?
As things currently stand, I'm not helping either of us, but I don't know how to fix this.
I know I want to though.
I need to.
Because I can't imagine a future without her.
Chapter 29
Naomi
Almost two weeks have passed since I moved onto the ranch officially. Selene showing up with a U-Haul full of every item I own was a shock, but I understood and quickly forgave her.
When Selene talked with me, in the moment, it hurt. She pulled me out to the porch and sat me down on the swing with a serious look on her face. There was no hesitation in her voice when she dove in. She was on a mission.
You’re not happy, Nay.
Not easy words to hear from your best friend, but true nonetheless. I spent the past few months wallowing, and it was high time for me to start moving forward again. I needed to figure out my shit. Pick a new direction, whatever that may be.
I needed some kind of change to kick me in the ass, and she’s right, much as I loath to admit it, this was just the thing to do it.
The question of what comes next haunted me for the first few days that I settled into the cabin before she showed up with all of our friends.
It was exactly what I needed to jump-start things, get me moving again.
Since my official move, I’ve decided that I don’t want to continue my program up in Dallas, but beyond that I haven’t made any plans. I also need to figure out things with Bex and Alvie and I can’t do that hiding out in Selene and Gunnar’s home.
If I have any hope of finding a path forward, maybe with them, I need to be here.
It helps that I’ve actually enjoyed being out here. My time spent in the sunshine and fresh air, or outdoor enrichment time, as Selene calls it, has been great for keeping my depression at bay.
Every morning, I wake up with Milkshake curled at the end of my bed, and by the time we’re headed out the door for the day, Alvie is waiting outside with a cup of coffee and some baked good that he always says they had extras of because Bex is definitely not stress baking for me.
The gesture is sweeter than I would like to admit.
Then, every morning, he takes Milkshake and me on a walk around the property, showing us different areas and secrets of the land. Where the pecan trees are located, where I can find wild grapes to pick and turn into jelly, and how to tell where the wildlife is moving around.
I know that by the time I’m awake, Alvie has already been up for hours and completed a multitude of chores on the ranch, but it always warms my heart that he takes the time out of his day to help me start my own.
I love our morning walks and the talks that come with it. It’s nice, getting to know him in that way.
Even Bex and I have started to mend fences between our sunset yoga sessions, that have continued no matter the comings and goings of guests on the ranch, and the time we now spend together working on our respective knitting and embroidery projects. Things are improving. Bex and I are able to banter back and forth again without the tension that used to exist between us.
Alvie and Bex have me over for dinner every night now, and with each day that passes, things get a little easier and more comfortable between the three of us.
I knew things would take time to sort themselves out, and they have, for the most part.
We still haven’t had “the talk” yet. It’s just kind of the elephant in the room looming around us.
I’m in the cabin, working on an embroidery project, when I get a knock on my door.
