I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
“I’ve been using my anger as a shield,” I say. “I told myself I hated you. I told myself you were the villain. Because if I hated you, I didn’t have to face the truth.”
“What truth?” Seth asks.
I look at him. “That I never stopped loving her.”
The words hang in the air. Sedona’s breath hitches.
“I don’t get to be possessive over you,” I say, turning back to Sedona. “I don’t get to act like I own you. I threw that away when I let you leave. And I threw it away again yesterday when I didn’t fight for you.”
I look at my hands.
“I’m tired of fighting what I feel,” I tell her. “It feels like a punishment. Punishing you for wanting a life. Punishing myself for not being enough to make you stay.”
I look up at her.
“If you decide you want one of them,” I add, gesturing to Seth and Tex, “you deserve it. You deserve to be happy. Even if it’s not with me.”
The silence stretches.
Tex clears his throat. “Billy…”
“I mean it,” I say. “I’m done standing in the way. If Seth makes you happy, or Tex… I won’t stand in the way.”
Sedona looks at me. Her eyes are wet.
“I don’t know what I want,” she whispers. “Everything is so messy right now.”
“I know,” I say. “And I’m not asking for anything. I just wanted you to know that I’m done being the angry ex. It’s exhausting.”
I take a sip of my coffee.
“So,” I say. “Friends?”
She smiles. It’s a small, trembling smile.
“Friends,” she says.
We sit there for a moment. The air feels lighter. The tension isn’t gone, but it has shifted. It feels like a truce.
“So, what now?” Tex asks. “We just go back to work?”
“We have the fair,” Seth says. “Grant called. It’s back on. We have a lot of prep to do.”
Sedona stiffens next to him. “Right. The fair.”
She pulls her flannel tighter around herself and looks away.
“Actually,” she says, “I need to tell you guys something.”
I frown. “What is it?”
She looks up. She meets my eyes.
“I met with the executor of the will,” she says. “The day before I got sick. We finalized the paperwork.”
“Okay,” I say.
