Page 1 of The Road Back to Us

One

Lyric

“The master bedroom is down the hall, and the three guest bedrooms are—”

“Thank you,” I said, interrupting the woman who was attempting to give me a guided tour I hadn’t asked for. “I’m well aware of the layout of the house.”

I hated that I was acting like a bitch, but being back in Willow Falls, in my childhood house, sent an overwhelming rush of emotions that I wasn’t ready to deal with yet. The last time I had been in this house was right before my parents died, and I had unknowingly said goodbye to them for the last time before I left and moved to New York City.

“I forgot that you grew up here,” she said quietly, tucking her chin as her bangs fell over her eyes.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a really long day. I didn’t mean to be short with you.” I attempted to smile, but it fell flat.

“I can’t imagine,” she replied softly as tears filled her eyes. I looked away, not able to bear seeing them.

She was young, maybe my age or younger. I had no idea who she was, but then again, I hadn’t spent much time in Willow Falls in six years, so it was unlikely I would know many of its residents at this point. It was a small town, but one that seemed to have grown a lot while I was gone. I had noticed an increase in shops on Main Street, as well as some chain restaurants that had opened. The population sign when you first entered the town had also grown over the years, making it almost feel foreign because it didn’t feel like the small town I had left behind.

“I’m going to leave the keys here,” she said, continuing the conversation when I failed to add anything to it. “If you need anything, Cole said to have you call him. He will be by soon to bring over some stuff from... Well, from what they were able to save.”

I heard the break in her voice and looked away because I was not about to break down and cry in front of this random stranger. I nodded and let out a sigh of relief a few minutes later when I heard her leave and close the door behind her. I looked around the living room that once had beautiful art hung on the walls and comfortable furniture where we would lounge during family movie nights. My childhood flooded my mind so quickly that I hadn’t realized I was crying until everything was blurry with tears.

While I didn’t know the residents of Willow Falls anymore, I was currently the talk of the town. Returning to raise my nieces and nephew was hard enough, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt with losing my brother in a house fire two weeks ago. I regretted not checking in on him as often as I should have and for not being there when he died.

Clay had been in the process of restoring our childhood house, but hadn’t finished it before he died. They lost almost everything in the fire, which meant our childhood house would now be our new home as we all started over. The few things that had been saved were currently in the possession of the one man I wasn’t ready to see.

My husband.

The one I had walked away from six years ago when I decided I needed a life that didn’t include living in Willow Falls.

Two

Cole

I was more anxious about seeing Lyric than I was on our wedding day.

But to be fair, she was actually excited to see me back then. We were young and in love, and the whole town knew it. Until one day, when Lyric decided she wanted more than I could give her and left to chase her dreams of becoming a fashion designer in New York City.

“You look fine,” my mom said, interrupting my thoughts as I stared in the mirror and pulled at the button-down shirt I had put on. “A little fancy for delivering furniture, but it’s fine.”

“I don’t look fancy,” I grumbled, frowning when I knew she was right.

I wanted Lyric to see me and realize that I hadn’t let myself go after she left, but then again, that was more for me than it was for her. I had no clue if she even thought about me once she was out of Willow Falls. I hadn’t heard from her in a few years after she grew tired of trying to get me to sign the divorce papers. I knew deep down she hated and resented me for not giving her a divorce, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t ready to give up on us—even if it meant she lived on the other side of the country from me and we never spoke. We had been married ten years before she left, and as far as I was concerned, we would stay that way until she told me to my face that she didn’t love me anymore.

“Why don’t you wear that t-shirt Dad got you for your birthday?” Kara offered.

I smiled at her, loving how helpful she was.

Hearing her talk about her dad ripped my heart out because knowing the pain she, Chloe, and Ben were going through was unimaginable. Clay had been my best friend since we were kids, which was how I had gotten to know Lyric and fallen in love with her, despite his requests to stay away from his sister.

Losing him had shattered me in a way I had never felt before, but I knew that I had to step in and help however I could. Part of that meant putting myself aside while I helped the kids get situated, now that Lyric had moved back and would be their legal guardian. Clay and I had started remodeling his childhood home when his wife was pregnant with their third child, Chloe. They needed a bigger house with more space, and Clay was thrilled to see his kids grow up in the same house he had grown up in.

The house had been abandoned after his parents died in a car accident, right after Lyric moved to New York City. It had taken him a few months before he was ready to go inside and clean things out, but once he started, I saw the fire in his eyes, knowing this was the house he wanted to raise his family in.

I knew it would be hard for Lyric to go back to that house, especially now that her parents and brother were gone. I had no idea how she would handle being the guardian of three kids, but thankfully, that was where I would step in to make sure everyone was okay. Not just the kids, but Lyric as well. She might have moved across the country to live a life without me, but that didn’t mean that I had ever stopped loving her or that I wouldn’t want to take care of her.

I went to my bedroom and changed into the t-shirt Kara had suggested, instantly feeling calmer. It was like there was magic in the shirt, knowing Clay was with me as I embarked on one of the hardest journeys I would ever go on without him.

Three