AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The flight. Everly let her head fall all the way back. She’d checked her bag and it was probably too late to get it back now.
She grabbed her phone and what was left of the latte. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she headed toward baggage claim. She’d never had to track down a bag prior to the flight’s departure, but baggage claim seemed like the first place to try.
She spent half an hour at the customer service desk before walking away with a ticket. If she was lucky, they’d call her in a few days to let her know she could pick it up.
Everly pulled her phone from her pocket and stared at it for a moment before sinking onto a bench near the exit. She needed to get home.
She gasped as the word rang in her ear. Her home wasn’t hers anymore. David had bought the house last fall, and she’d been living in it for months while he traveled around the country for work. Her name wasn’t on a single paper tied to the house she’d been living in, but they’d bought it hoping to one day settle down and build a life together.
Why was her skin burning? Everly’s emotions ranged from comfortable happiness to elation most days. Today felt like a hurricane of anger, betrayal, and heartache. Exhaustion threatened to pull any remaining joy from her body.
Maybe she wasn’t ready to go back to the house she’d planned to share with David, but she still needed to get out of the airport. The excitement from earlier had morphed into anxiety.
Who could she call? Her first thought was of Blake. He’d come if she called, but she’d already asked him to go out of his way once for her today. Plus, he’d seemed down earlier, and she didn’t want to pile her problems on top of whatever was already bothering him.
Her next thought was Jess, but she had lessons today. Stella was covering for Everly today in the check-in office, so she was out of the question. Ridge was on a four-day pack ride.
All signs pointed to Blake. Maybe she could make it up to him somehow if he agreed to come back and get her. She’d at least make him take the gas money he’d refused.
She pressed the button to call Blake and waited half a ring before he answered.
“Ev, is everything okay?”
“Um, yeah. I’m not flying to Cleveland.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Blake’s panic coaxed a chuckle from her. His protective streak always went haywire first and asked questions later.
“Nothing is wrong. Well, mostly. David and I just broke up.”
It was the first time she’d said the words out loud, and the sentence sounded tangible, like there was a physical something that had separated her from her fiancé. And the future she’d imagined? It was just that–all in her imagination.
“You what?” Blake shouted. “Why? What did he do?”
“I appreciate how you assume it was him,” Everly said. She’d meant it as a joke, but Blake wasn’t in his normal joking mood.
“I know it was him. Now I just need to know if I’ll be breaking his legs or his neck.”
Everly chuckled–something she hadn’t thought possible a mere five minutes ago. “Let’s stick with a pinky or something. We can talk about it later. I hate to ask you this, but would you be able to come pick me up?”
“I’m already on my way. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
She wanted to ask how he was only ten minutes away when he should be a good half-hour away at the ranch right now. Instead, she whispered, “Okay. Thanks.”
When the call ended, Everly flipped the ringer to silent and slipped it in her pocket. David would call again, and she wasn’t ready to talk.
With the phone out of sight and Blake on his way, a fraction of the chaos in Everly’s mind settled. She watched travelers as they waited, grabbed their luggage, and left. The monotony kept her mind off what had happened, and she didn’t see Blake until he was beside her.
She stood, and he didn’t stop when he reached her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close to his warm chest. The comfort of his embrace had her knees buckling, and she grabbed onto him to keep herself upright. This peace in the safety of Blake’s arms was exactly what she needed when everything else in her life was crumbling.
CHAPTER FOUR
Blake
Blake blocked out everything except Everly. The airport noise, the ache in his chest, and the fiery urge to throat punch David were easy to push aside when he was holding Everly. They were still just friends, and he knew that. But after what just happened, he had a reason to be hopeful, right? At least she wasn’t with David anymore.
When Blake had walked into the airport and gotten that first look at Everly, he’d been shaking. Rage? Adrenaline? Whatever it was had disappeared. Now, his hands were steady, and they stayed frozen in place. Neither of them wanted to break the peace of the moment.
