AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You got your eye on someone?”
“Goodness no.” I gazed out over the lake. The gentle ripples had a soothing effect. “It wouldn’t be fair to anyone I dated or myself.”
“You still love him.” He wasn’t asking.
I let out a long, slow breath. “I should get back home.” I ran my hands through my damp hair. “I’m sure I look a fright.”
Bobby Jay put his arms around me. “That’s not possible.”
I sank against his chest even though he didn’t smell all that pleasant. The comfort he offered was worth the offense to my olfactory system.
“Thank you for being my family, Bobby Jay.” My eyes filled with tears.
He kissed the top of my head. “Don’t forget, families fight for each other.”
I leaned back to catch a glimpse of his sneaky eyes. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll see.”Chapter ElevenI sat in the middle of my bed, showered, dressed in a night shirt, with a towel on my head, holding my phone as if it carried the weight of the world, yet I couldn’t let it go. I knew I had to bear it. I needed to call Momma Jo to try to make amends if I could, but it was too late to call since they were two hours ahead of us.
Another task called me tonight. It was time to delete Ryder’s emails once and for all. To carry the evidence of his love was torturing me. Why hadn’t I believed in his words? In him? Us? Why didn’t he share with me what he was doing? Didn’t he trust me enough to know that whether it succeeded or not, I was proud of him? Did he believe I was that shallow and snobbish? Did he not believe in me enough?
He was mistaken if he thought I wanted who he was becoming. Bobby Jay had invited me back to their cabin for a drink. I declined even though he assured me Ryder was still at the office. That bit of information broke my heart. My Ryder didn’t work late.
I clicked the file folder on my phone. Rows and rows of emails appeared. For the first two years we were together, he sent me one every day. They became less frequent and almost non-existent toward the end. I missed them. They were treasures to me. I imagined one day telling my children’s children about how romantic their grandfather was, sending me all sorts of love letters, making me fall deeper and deeper in love with him. I was going to tell them why he called me Chief instead of by my name. I was going to tell them how, under a blanket of stars, he slipped a ring on my finger while I lay in his arms and said, “All I’m asking you for is forever, but I’ll take more if you’ll give it to me.”
I promised him all that I had. Not once did I think about what I was giving up. He was worth more than any inheritance. I wanted to tell our babies and grandbabies that if they found our kind of love, to never let it go no matter the cost. Tears dripped down my nose and splashed on my phone’s screen. I had let go.
I wiped the moisture off my screen, making it accidentally open an email. The words, Dear Chief, After you left last night I started writing my vows, hit me like a hurricane. I hope it’s not bad luck to share them with you, but I can’t wait any longer. My head said to stop reading right there, but my heart had already memorized each word.
Shelby Katherine Duchane, I haven’t been the same since the day our worlds collided. You brought out the man in me. You made me think more of someone else than I did about myself. Your happiness became my own. I live to see you smile. When you take my hand, I never want to let go. Today you take my name. There is no greater honor I could receive. Today our two worlds more than collide, they become one, as it was always meant to be.
I was crying so hard I could no longer see the screen. The weight of what I had done crushed me. I fell onto the bed and curled up into a ball. “I’m so sorry, Ryder,” I whispered to no one but myself. I hoped someday I would be brave enough to tell him in person. He deserved that. For now, though, he deserved for me to let him go. I pulled my phone up and, through bleary eyes, I made out the trashcan icon. My thumb hovered over it. Let him go. It’s the least you can do.
I love you, Ryder. Thank you for showing me a different kind of world, the one where I really belonged. With all my might, I made my thumb drop. To add insult to injury, a warning popped up. Are you sure? No, I wasn’t, but I had made my choice. I clicked yes and the world Ryder and I had created disappeared.
