“Do you think you can get it done?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I might need some help, but I’m sure Nash and Magnolia would help.”
“Thank you. I owe you big time,” I say.
I’m so glad Charlie moved to town. She’s become a good, reliable friend.
“Don’t worry, I’ll write you a bill.”
I chuckle as I hang up the phone. She’s a friend I have to pay.
I sleep all night on the Jeffersons’ porch. My back hurts in places I didn’t even know I had. The wooden bench on the deck isn’t exactly spacious. I should have slept in my truck, or gone home for that matter, but I’m here to prove a point. I want to see my wife. I want to tell her how much I love her.
Just as the first rays of sunlight are beaming into the yard, Betsy walks out onto the porch. The screen door rattles closed behind her. “You’re still here.”
“I’m worried about Bliss,” I tell her quietly.
“Only just worried about her?” she asks sternly, planting her hands on her hips.
I stand up, my knees and back cracking as I do. I face her fully as I reply, “I love Bliss. And I’m worried that I’ve hurt her. So, yes, I’m worried about her. I want to talk to her.”
“You love her?” Betsy folds her arms across her chest.
“Yes, I love her.”
“Because you haven’t told her that.”
“I know. I need to. That’s going to be the first thing I tell her when I see her,” I admit.
“Maybe the first words should be an apology, and then those can be your second words,” Betsy suggests.
“Fair enough. Is she upstairs?”
“No.” Betsy sinks down onto the bench I just vacated. “You’ll have to go find her in Boise before she gets on a plane. She’s taking some time to think. But if I were you, I’d hurry and tell her you love her before she has enough time to realize she could do far better than you.” There’s a twinkle in her eye as she says it.
“Thank you.” I hurry down the steps toward my truck. “Where’s she staying?”
“I’ll send you a text with the information,” she calls as she waves me off.
Now I just have to hope that my mother-in-law is actually being helpful and not sending me off on a wild goose chase.
I’ve got a long drive ahead of me.
CHAPTER 27
Bliss
There’sa knock on my hotel door, and I hurry to peek through the peephole. If it’s housekeeping, I’ll tell them everything’s fine. If it’s a robber, well, I’m angry enough to throw a solid punch.
I sigh. That’s not even true. I’m not angry—I’m broken. I put myself out there with Zane. I told him I loved him. I laid it all on the line. For nothing.
I stand up on my tiptoes so I can get a better view through the peephole.
It’s Zane.My husband. He’s probably here to hand me divorce papers.
With unsteady hands, I unlock the chain and pull the door open. He barrels inside, scooping me into his arms and enveloping me in a warm, strong hug.
I do the only reasonable thing I can in the situation.
