AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You were great,” Trace assured me, taking my hand and kissing my cheek. He’d already put his guitar back in the case and it was slung over his shoulder.
“Thank you,” I told him. Shaking my head, I hastened to add, “Not for the compliment, but for convincing me to do that. There’s nothing else quite like it,” I explained, letting him lead me out of the shop. “And you,” I gasped, shivering as the cool night air touched my skin, “you’re so amazing, Trace. Why have you never pursued music?”
He shrugged, popping the trunk open. “It’s a hobby. It’s something I enjoy doing, but not something I want to make a living at.”
“But cars—”
“Cars are my passion,” he finished for me. He rubbed the finish on the Camaro affectionately. “Fixing something that’s broken and making it beautiful again…it’s amazing. When my dad and I fixed this together…it was one of the best times of my life. Watching this piece of junk get a new life, seeing it shine again, brought me joy.”
I turned away from him, chewing on the edge of my fingernail to hold back a lecture. His eyes had lit up when he was talking about cars. That was where his passion lay. I knew he still felt like it was his responsibility to take over his family’s company, but don’t we owe it to ourselves to be happy? Isn’t that more important than the feeling of duty? I didn’t want to argue so I opened the car door and slipped inside. I would bring it up again, eventually, because I loved him and I wouldn’t sit back and let him be miserable for the rest of his life.
It was well into the afternoon by the time we started on the road. We’d lounged around in bed for most of the morning and eaten a late breakfast before packing our bags.
I smiled fondly as we drove through the town one last time. This would always be the place where we got married, and therefore, it would always hold a special place in my heart.
“What are you smiling about?” Trace’s gaze flicked my way as he pushed his aviator sunglasses further up his nose.
My smile widened further. “I was thinking about how this will always be the place where we got married.”
“We’ll have to come back…if you’d like that,” he suggested.
“I would,” I nodded, pulling the bottom of my tank top down. We were fairly close to the town where I had grown up but I didn’t feel bothered by that. My life had been far from perfect, and anyone looking from the outside in had been oblivious to what was happening behind closed doors, but it had still been my home. While I had no desire to see the house I’d lived in, it didn’t bother me being here. It was…nice…and I knew that this wasn’t my home anymore. I’d been in Virginia for so long, that sometimes it felt like I had always been from there.
Trace turned down a street and I looked from side to side.
“Uh—this doesn’t look like the way to the highway.” I hated to sound like a nagging wife, but I didn’t want to spend an hour getting lost either.
“I know,” he answered simply.
“Where are we going then?” I looked at the houses surrounding on us each side. “Are we buying a house or something?”
“No,” he chuckled, scratching his stubbled jaw.
“Trace,” I groaned, “what’s going on?”
I hated being kept in the dark, but Trace was always trying to surprise me.
“I’m not telling,” he mimed zipping his lips.
I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as we passed even more houses. I racked my brain, trying
to figure out what he was up to, but I kept coming up empty.
He parked in front of a cute cape cod style home. The siding was gray and the shutters were painted a dark green. The front door was wood with two lights beside it. Flowers and bushes lined the walkway. It was a comforting friendly-looking home.
“Why are we stopping here?” I asked, still staring at the home.
“You’ll see,” he climbed out of the car.
I pushed the door open and stood staring at the house.
“Are you coming?” He asked as he started up the walkway.
“Yeah,” I shook my head. “So, who lives here?”
“You’ll see,” he reached behind him for my hand. I reluctantly let him lead me to the front door. He pushed the doorbell and we waited.
After a minute, I said, “No one’s home,” and tried to walk away.
