Page 101 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

‘I hope you’re right because at the moment she looks like she hasn’t eaten or slept in weeks.’

He held me tighter to his chest, and I wanted to stay in this moment where there weren’t any outside forces pulling us away from each other.

‘I had an idea I wanted to run past you.’

‘All right,’ he said with a halting breath.

‘The success of the musical has made me do a lot of thinking about what I want to do next.’

He kept softly combing my hair the way he had the first night we were together. It made me want to go back there. Freeze that place in time and never let it go.

‘I’m considering going back to community college to finish my basic credits. When they’re completed, I can transfer to Middle Tennessee State and get a degree in theater with an emphasis on directing.’

He shifted back, turning me to face him. ‘That’s perfect. You are damn talented, and whatever you set your mind to you can achieve. When would you start? How many credits would you take? What does the curriculum look like?’

‘Slow down.’ I gave him a quick kiss. ‘Those are all items I have to look into, but your enthusiasm makes me feel better. I’m glad I had the courage to say it out loud. Make sure it didn’t sound ridiculous.’

‘Dreams are never ridiculous. I believe in you, Bird. Whatever you set your heart on, you’ll make it happen.’

There was a tenderness to his voice that almost had me begging him to stay. To confess all the ways he made me felt seen. Loved. Instead, I let the air still between us, the fading candles casting long shadows across the bedroom walls.

‘What time is your flight?’ I asked when I finally found my voice again.

‘Noon.’ His breath hitched as he held me closer. ‘Can I ask you to do something for me?’

‘What do you need?’

‘If I call or FaceTime, please pick up.’

I swallowed back the swell in my throat. ‘Ford, we agreed this would be over when you leave.’

‘I know, but friends still talk. And I want an update on the wedding and Torran’s pregnancy.’

There was that flash of torment in his voice and it took every ounce of strength not to break down. I reached for his hand, kissed each knuckle. Maybe staying in touch was the next best thing to having him close. A small bit of contact every once in a while so I could know he was okay.

‘That sounds like a good plan.’

He pressed another kiss to the top of my head, the steady beat of his heart thrumming in my ear.

When he’d arrived in Ivy Falls, I’d seen him as yet another way of my former life haunting me, but his presence had been a sweet surprise. It reminded me that my past did not have to be a legacy for my future. That I could make good connections, trust my own judgment. It’d been a risk to do this with him, but I couldn’t imagine a better partner leading me over that bridge to a new life.

I held on to his hand. His breath went steady and more than once I had to reassure myself that I was doing a good thing, the right thing, by letting him go without confessing how hard I’d fallen for him.

‘You sleepy?’ he asked in a rough growl, his hand moving under the sheets.

I turned over and kissed him, moving his hands to the places I wanted him to touch me. He worshipped my body in a way no other man had, his tongue painting a canvas across my skin, over my nipples, between my legs.

Words like love and stay played on repeat in my head as my body shook and writhed beneath him. I could have said all those words, but I stayed quiet as stars exploded behind my eyes and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces.