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Everything after that felt like it happened at hyper speed. I ran around my bedroom like a chicken with my head cut off, throwing everything my hand touched into my suitcase. I probably forgot some very crucial items, but that was okay, because I had some ultra slutty underwear in my bag, and that was all that mattered.
After the ticket had been purchased and Tortellini had been forced into his cat carrier, my girls left so I could get on the road to the airport. I didn’t have a lot of time, so the plan was to push the pedal all the way down and pray the route there was speed-trap free.
I was rushing to the front door when, all of a sudden, it swung open. I skidded to a stop, the soles of my sneakers catching on the wood flooring and nearly tripping as Roan stepped across the threshold and announced loudly, “Honey, I’m home.”
* * *
Roan
I pushed the door closed and turned around, jerking to a halt at the sight of Alma standing just feet away, a look of astonishment on her face and her hand wrapped around the handle of a bulging suitcase.
My brow furrowed and my head cocked to the side. “Where are you going?”
Her mouth gaped. She sputtered and blinked like her brain had been kicked off line and could not compute.
“Where am I going?”
“Yeah, Freckles. That’s what I just asked.”
“Where am I going?” she repeated on a squeak.
I dropped the bags I’d been carrying and moved to her, taking her face in my hands. “Baby, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“I—I’m going to Nashville,” she sputtered, causing my chin to jerk back in bewilderment. She continued to speak, her voice high-pitched and frantic as the words spilled out at a rapid-fire pace. “I’m going to Nashville because you aren’t supposed to be here right now. You’re supposed to bethere. And I’m going to go and try to win you back because I’ve been so stupid. I was scared, and I let that fear rule me and I ended up losing you for a second time.”
I rocked back in shock. “Lose me? Freckles, you didn’t—”
But she was on a roll and couldn’t hear a word I was trying to say. “So I’m going to Nashville to tell you that I love you. I love you, and even though I’m still scared, I don’t care about that. Not anymore, not if it means I have you. I’ll deal, because all I need in life is you. As long as I have you, I have everything. But you aren’tinNashville. You’rehere.”
A switch inside of me flipped, warmth spreading through my chest and filling me so full I thought it might burst from the tips of my fingers and the ends of my hair. She wouldn’t stop talking, so I did the only thing I could think to shut her up. I grabbed her by the back of her neck and yanked her to me, slamming my mouth down on hers.
The kiss wasn’t slow and sensual. It was hard and possessive. I poured every ounce of the love I felt for her into it so she couldn’t possibly have any doubt. By the time I finally pulled back, dropping my forehead against hers, we were both panting and out of breath.
“What”—she cleared the frog from her throat—“what was that for?”
“Well, it was mainly to shut you up,” I said with a smile that split my face in half. “But it was also because you said you love me, and I can’tnotkiss you after you say something like that.”
Her eyes were wide, full of wonder and confusion. “I’m so confused right now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I can see that. But, baby, didn’t you get my letter?”
Her brows pinched together in a V. “Letter?”
“Yeah, the letter I left for you. I explained everything in that letter. How I was heading back to Nashville so I could officially fire my manager and label for good and pack up all my shit so I could put my house on the market.”
“You’re putting your house on the market?” she squeaked.
“Yeah. I fucking hate that house.” I stood tall and looked around at the home Alma had made herself. This house felt more like a home to me in a week and a half than the one I’d lived in for years. This whole town felt like home, and I couldn’t imagine ever leaving.
“I much prefer this one.” I returned my gaze to hers. “And besides, the woman I’m in love with and am going to marry one day soon lives here. So now I do too.”
Alma’s eyes filled with tears as she fisted the material of my shirt, holding me tight. “But—but what about my shirt? The Music City shirt. You took it with you.” Her throat worked on a thick swallow. “I thought—”
“I took it with me so I had a reference when I went to buy a new one. One that’s not all faded and unreadable. I still have the old one. I just have a new one too.”
She let out a watery laugh and looped her arms around my neck. “You can keep the new one. But the original is mine.”
God, I loved this woman. I couldn’t wait to start our lives together.
