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Chloe
AS I WAS walking into the barn, my phone rang. My heart dropped when I saw who it was.
Easton.
I took a deep breath and answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, where are you at?”
“Walking into the barn.”
“That’s right. It’s about that time you visit your lamb.”
“It’s a goat, for fuck’s sake!” I shouted, a little loud.
Liberty looked straight at me as I stepped into the barn. Then she started to laugh. I shot her the finger and kept walking toward Patches’ stall.
“Jesus, what is wrong with you? I can’t help it if I can’t keep all the farm animals straight. Chloe, you’ve really changed since you got home.”
Liberty stopped and whispered, “He’s out in the pasture. He got out earlier and ate Gram’s roses.”
“Thanks, Liberty.”
“What?” Easton asked.
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to my cousin, and I haven’t changed. This is me. This is who I am. I’m a country girl who loves animals. I have a pet goat who is my best friend. I want to live in the country, work for my father, live in Oak Springs, and I do not want to marry you!”
My hand went to my mouth while my eyes widened in horror. Liberty, on the other hand, jumped onto a hay bale and started to clap.
“It’s about time!” she shouted.
I waved for her to stop and quiet down.
“I’m sorry, what did you say last?” Easton asked.
Dropping onto the hay bale, I closed my eyes. That was not how I wanted to tell Easton.
“Easton, you had to know this was coming. All we have done is fight over every little thing.”
“Chloe, you’re walking away from this because we had a few disagreements?”
“I’m saying no to marriage because I should have never have said yes in the first place.”
“Why not?”
Liberty put her arm around me, and I rested my head on her shoulder. It was clear she could hear Easton’s voice.
“This is my life, East. Here. In Oak Springs. With my family. If I left, I would only end up resenting you and we would both be unhappy.”
“So you’re saying no because you don’t want to leave home?”
I stood and sighed. He didn’t get it at all, or he refused to get it. I slowly walked toward the barn door.
“Easton, for years I’ve planned on working for my family’s ranch. You knew that. My dad made a new position just for me! This is home.”
“And you don’t love me enough to leave it, start a new life. Make a new home?”
“Do you love me enough to understand why I can’t leave? Do you love me enough to do the same thing for me?”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “I do love you, Chloe. That’s why I want to marry you. Do you not love me?”
I swallowed hard. “I do love you. But I’m not…in love with you.”
“That doesn’t make fucking sense.”
Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Easton, what I’m trying to say is I love you, and dating you was amazing, and we had a lot of fun. But you even admitted to me you only asked me to marry you because we were drifting apart. I don’t love you enough to walk away from a life I have dreamed of for as long as I can remember. A life I want. Living in a condo in downtown Houston is not the life I want. I’d be miserable. We’d both end up miserable.”
“Fine. You want a house in the suburbs, we can do that. You can even bring your lamb.”
I let out a bemused laugh. “If we did that, then you would be settling. And the suburbs is not the same as land and rolling hills.”
“This has nothing to do with your job and your family ranch. It doesn’t even have anything to do with living in Houston. This has everything to do with Rip, doesn’t it? You can’t leave him.”
“Why does an argument with you always come back to Rip?”
“Because your whole life revolves around him. You went to every single one of his games. You even cancelled dates so you could go and cheer on your best friend. God damn it, Chloe. You are in love with the guy, and you won’t admit it to yourself. That is why you won’t marry me, because of that bastard.”
Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to control my temper. “I won’t lie to you about Rip, Easton. Yes, I have feelings for him. He is my best friend and will always be my best friend. He was also the first boy I ever fell in love with. When you asked me to marry you, I thought that if I said yes, I would finally be able to let go of my past. Let go of Rip. That was selfish of me, and I’m sorry. But the reason I am telling you no today isn’t because of Rip. This last week I realized that I can’t leave Oak Springs. The future I’ve dreamed of, the plans I’ve made for my life, they’re all here, every one of them…not in Houston.”
