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Once I put Maple to bed, Reese came over to talk me off the ledge. “What are you going to do?” She sipped from her wine glass.

“He lied to me.” My anger hadn’t dissipated—in fact, it had intensified, boiling the blood in my veins.

“I feel like lied is a strong word.”

“Whatever the fuck you call it, lies, half-truths, or purposeful omissions, he wasn’t honest with me.” Fuck a wine glass—I grabbed the bottle of red.

“I’m sure he had reasons.”

“Don’t you take up for him.”

“Dial…” Her voice was tight, like she was attempting to defuse a bomb. “You’re gonna ruin it.”

“Oz’s lying to me has already done that.” I hadn’t started this. I was just trying to cope.

“You have every right to be upset.”

“Thank you for giving me permission.” My tone was anything but gracious.

“I need you to push past the point of anger and plant your feet in a field of understanding.” Reese had watched a lot of daytime talk shows back in the day and often considered herself the resident problem solver.

“It’s Texas for a year… maybe more. Texas!” I shouted.

“Maybe his plan is for you all to move to Texas. You said Uncle Ernest mentioned Oz is looking for a place. Maybe he wanted to secure a house before discussing it with you.”

“I’m not moving to Texas. I was born in Hume and I’m gonna fucking die here.” Once the words left my mouth, I knew I was drawing deep lines in the sand. If Ozzie was in Texas and I was in Tennessee, what did that mean for our future?

“Have you tried calling him?”

“And say what?”

“You could just tell him how you feel.”

“I haven’t figured that out yet. But I know I can’t lose him, not after all this. What was the point of all that talk about houses, families, and starting over? Why sell me the fucking dream if he knew he couldn’t provide it? Oz knows I’m not moving to Texas.” I threw my hands up in defeat. “This is what the fuck I’m talking about—everything is changing and I feel like I’m being left behind.”

“Can we take a beat and focus on what we know for certain?” Reese asked. “Oz adores you and wouldn’t purposely hurt you.”

“What’s certain is that Texas will be the end of us.”

“Dial, I love you like a sister. So I say this from a place of deep affection: you are vexing my last fucking nerve.”

“I don’t get to be mad even a little bit?” I said.

“You can be mad, but not stubborn. You need to talk to him, and if after that it is what you think it is, then Oz is a son of a bitch.”

“I don’t think I can handle another heartbreak, not with him. Everyone claims we belong together, but there is always an obstacle blocking our way. Maybe we’re just a wrap and Texas is exactly what we need to prove it.”

Reese thought I was headstrong, but I saw it as being realistic. I wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship, and Maple didn’t deserve an absent father. Was he even thinking about how this move would affect her?

Why pursue me if he knew he was going to be leaving? It felt like a cruel joke. I would not let Oz disappoint my daughter the way he’d disappointed me. Recently I’d allowed myself to start looking forward to our future. Late-night drives with Ozzie at the wheel. Our first Christmas as a family. Our dream home, where we’d create new traditions and memories. Now all of it was bitter, and the thought of ever believing it was real turned my stomach.

My phone rang, the screen displaying Ozzie’s picture. I let the call go to voicemail.

“Who was it?” Reese asked.

“Ozzie.”

“You’re ignoring his calls?”