Page 11 of Falling Back to You

Ten years ago, I’d been startled to hear Macy Davenport spontaneously start praying in the middle of a conversation. But now, that’s what I loved best about her. She prayed like she meant it.

“Thanks, Mace.”

“Call me later?”

“You got it.” After saying our goodbyes, I practically flung myself out of the vehicle.

One bridge at a time.

Chapter three

Noelle

Bracing my hands on the rental car rooftop, I forced myself to inhale slowly, letting my lungs burn while I held my breath. The tension in my chest was suffocating me. I wasn’t the same kid I used to be. I’d messed up then and spent years trying to atone for those mistakes. Grace. I didn’t deserve it, but I was trying to hold on to it.

Grabbing my cane from the back seat, I steadied myself on the packed dirt of the driveway and tested my left leg for weight-bearing. It wasn’t too bad today. Sure, it hurt, but it always did, thanks to the chronic pain that settled in after the car accident.

It hadn’t even been a doozy. I’d broken no bones and walked away stiff but alive. Then the pain came. Pain without a cause and without any real purpose beyond telling me life was over as I knew it.

Then there were all the specialists and the testing. The suspicious looks. The “are you making it up?” accusations. Yeah, as if I’d make up debilitating pain I couldn’t outrun, limbs that randomly swelled and changed colour, digestive upset, and insomnia among a slew of other symptoms for the fun of it. But I’d finally gotten a diagnosis. Fibromyalgia.

A stress-overloaded nervous system and a car accident were the perfect cocktail to put my body into a tailspin. I should have walked away from that accident with nothing more than a headache. Instead, my whole life upended.

I shuddered at the reminder and shifted, stretching my hip and lower back. After a long flight and an hour of driving, the gentle movement eased the sharp tension in my body and helped my circulation. No more blood pooling in my feet thanks to being stuck in one position.

There was a consuming stillness to this place, compared to the noise of New York. The honking cars and constant stream of pedestrians was the soundtrack of life unlike the twitter of birds and low rumble of a distant lawn mower.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply of the crisp air and the faint aroma of burning leaves. The tightness in my shoulders eased. I’d missed this. So much.

Time moved more slowly here. Too bad it didn’t go backwards, too.

A screen door slammed, echoing in the silence, and I jerked my head towards the house. A blonde tornado flew down the driveway towards me.

“Noelle!” Ruby screamed, and flung herself into my arms, sobbing. “You’re here!”

Tears spilled over my own cheeks as I clung to her, cane clattering to the ground. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered over and over, holding her close. The six-year-old sister I’d left behind had grown into a young woman my own height.

She was the only one I’d kept any real semblance of communication with. But a lifetime of sorries wouldn’t be enough to get back the time I’d missed with her because I was nursing my own broken heart and insecurities.

It could have been minutes or even an hour before Ruby pulled back, swiping her eyes—the same chocolate brown as mine—and smiled widely. “You really came.”

“I promised. It’s Dad’s sixtieth after all.” In December, which was six weeks from now. But I didn’t explain the other reasons why I’d decided to come early or that I planned on staying long term.

Another sob choked her, and she hugged me again. Like she was afraid I would vanish. “Gosh, I’ve missed you.” She sniffed. Somehow, she could even make crying adorable. “Home wasn’t the same without you.”

Despite our thirteen-year age gap, Ruby and I had always had the closest bond. Leaving her had been one of my biggest regrets. I’d missed all these years of watching her turn into this beautiful young woman, one with whom I shared a last name but didn’t really know. Social media posts and the occasional FaceTime chat didn’t replace in-person connection. Yet another reason I needed to knock some sense into past Noelle.

Where was a time machine when you needed one?

Ruby smacked my shoulder lightly. “Don’t you dare do that to me again. I’ve got you back, and I intend to keep you!”

I laughed. “Consider me kept.” I took in her windblown curls and freckled nose. She reminded me of . . . me. The resemblance was uncanny. “I’m proud of you, Rubes. I saw that photo contest you won. You’re amazing.” I touched her cheek. “And you’re beautiful.”

Tears shone in Ruby’s eyes, and she hugged me again, like a baby koala.

“Miss Ruby!” a girlish voice hollered from the front porch. “I finished my nuggets!”

Ruby wiggled away with a laugh, dabbing her cheeks. “Look at me being a baby and forgetting I was babysitting.” Her eyes snagged on the cane at my feet. “What happened?”