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Summer appreciated that Natalie gave her the benefit of the doubt, though maybe that was more for Cody’s benefit. “If it’s worth holding on to for both of us, then there will have to be some compromise and change.” The second she said that last word, she understood Natalie better.
Natalie saw change as a bad thing because she’d had a good life here with her family. Everyone lived together in harmony.
But the thought of Cody being with Summer... that felt like Cody leaving her for Summer. And if he actually went with her to Texas, that was not just someone leaving, but Cody picking her over Natalie. For a young woman who adored him, that would feel like a massive blow.
Summer didn’t know how to reassure her sister that Cody would always love Natalie no matter what.
Cody tried instead. “This is what happens in families, Nat. We grow up. We go our separate ways. But we are always connected. You and Haley will eventually do the same. You’ll go off to college, find someone you want to spend your life with, you’ll move on.”
“But half the house is yours. You don’t need to go anywhere.”
“What if I want to be somewhere else, with someone else, because that’s what makes me happy?”
Summer burst with joy hearing that.
It probably felt like a blow to Natalie. “I don’t want this,” Natalie admitted. “I thought we’d all be in the house forever. That’s why Dad built it. For all of us.”
“When we were all young, that worked for us. Now, things are changing. That’s what happens as we get older and want different things. Just like when Brooke got married and moved in with her husband.”
Natalie pressed her lips tight. “This is never going to work. You two have separate lives.”
Cody dropped his hands. “Maybe when you meet someone you really, really care about and want to be with, you’ll see that you’ll do anything to make that happen.”
Natalie stared up at Cody like he was her everything.
Summer knew just how she felt, because that feeling was growing stronger inside Summer every day when it came to this wonderful man. And while she’d settled in here with everyone, especially Cody, time was running out on her vacation and she’d have to figure out how to balance work, life, and relationships in a whole new way.
What she knew for sure: she didn’t want her life to go back to the way it used to be. All work. A lonely condo. Eating meals alone. No one there to share her days and nights.
God, how she wanted more. A partner. A friend. A lover.
She looked up at Cody and smiled, because he made her believe they could be everything to each other despite the obstacles.
Chapter Thirty-One
Cody hadn’t expected the morning to go like this. He thought he and Summer would go for their run, then he’d talk to her about taking their relationship to the next level. He was tired of their being so close and still too far away from each other.
Maybe he was taking things faster than he should, but Summer would return to Texas sooner rather than later. He didn’t want to focus on how difficult it could be for the two of them living apart. Instead, he tried to remain focused on building the foundation, so they could sustain the relationship.
Natalie somehow managed to say out loud all the reservations he had in his head, but he tried to push them aside.
He’d gotten a glimpse of what it would be like living with Summer. He loved coming home from the office, finding her in the kitchen with Miranda cooking dinner. Later, after they all sat down together and talked about their day, he’d steal time alone with her. He also loved seeing her with her sisters, strengthening their bonds.
Summer and Haley, they were already a match.
And Natalie, for all her reservations, was subtly showing signs of warming up to her. He caught the way Natalie eyed Summer and paid attention to what she said and wore. He thought it cutethat Natalie had been slowly changing what she wore from jeans and T-shirts to outfits carefully picked to look put together. She was growing up before his eyes.
Haley had taken some cues from Summer, too. Mostly she and Summer watched videos on how to style hair and apply makeup. Then the two would do makeovers. It was girly, but so fun to see.
The girls were benefiting from having a big sister who took the time to do things with them and encourage them. Natalie might not think so, but it was true.
Natalie had never thought to use her love of photography for anything but a hobby she enjoyed. Now the wheels were turning and her future looked more focused.
If anyone else in the house had steered her in that direction, he didn’t think Natalie would have taken it so seriously.
He found himself staring at the house, wondering how he and Summer could join their lives. It would take effort, sacrifice, and a hell of a lot of compromise.
Summer glanced up at him. “You’re thinking about me going home.”
