AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m about to make a change and the euphoria of finally taking that risk is overwhelming.
Here goes nothing.
Chapter 40
Gage
“You’re sure these are going to last on the drive over there if I keep them in water? It’s a long trip,” I say with a worried expression.
“Hell if I know,” Warren shrugs.
“They look a little mangey,” Heston says. Hearing him give his opinion of the bouquet of wildflowers that I picked this morning cracks me up. He’s supportive in his own way. I definitely couldn’t have got the house ready without him these last few days.
“She likes them. Trust me,” I argue.
The first thing I did after getting that phone call from Blythe on Friday was make the house I’ve left empty for so long exactly like I thought she’d want it. I filled the extra office with books and blankets and a new electric fireplace. I moved a new bed in the primary suite and put shelves in the closet for her. I rounded up all of the vintage teacups, decorations, and rugs I could find. Put in a new sound system so that she could dance in the living room while I cook her dinner.
I envisioned her in every spot of that house while I tried to fill it with things that would make her feel like it was ours to share. Tripp talked me out of asking her to move in right away once I convince her to come back to Westridge. The last thing I want to do is scare her off. But at the same time, I want her to know that I’m serious about us. And that there’s nowhere else that I’d rather be than at home with her every single night.
Especially when there’s a brand-new security system around every inch of land that I own. More intelligent video surveillance, more sensitive motion sensors, biometric keypads at the gates, you name it. Hopefully, Blythe is fine with bulletproof windows too.
It’s a little overboard, I’ll admit. But I once told her that she wasn’t safe with me. At the time, I knew it was true and it wrecked me. I have to prove to her that that’s changed.
She might be mad at me for overstepping with this one - but I also bought the trailer house that her parents live in and signed the deed in their name. I sent over a crew of guys to help fix anything that needed it there. I even hired her Mom as the new baker at the café, a job that I knew she would enjoy and would be good at.
I invested in reopening the café within a day of seeing her business plan. I could feel how much that place meant to her. Maybe I can find out what other types of tea she likes and have Sofia put them on the breakfast menu.
I didn’t buy her parents’ house and give it to them or pay their medical bills or even invest in the café to impress her. I did it because I know those things are important to her, so they’re important to me too. And I take care of what’s important to me. To us.
I fixed up the loft at the bunkhouse to have comfier beds in case she wasn’t keen on officially living with me yet. I stocked the pantries and fridges with her favorite foods and drinks. I even had some plants brought in to liven up the place a bit. I know it wasn’t much to look at from the outside. But she loves flowers and landscaping, so I think she’ll fall in love with how it looks now.
I painted fences. Restored old gates and windmills. Made everything look the best it possibly could. I know that’s not important to her, but it’s important to me. I need her to love it.
The next thing I did was probably the dumbest of all, most would say. I don’t care how risky it was or the painful daily reminder I’ll have to put up with if she doesn’t agree to move back. But I don’t regret it, even after signing the papers. If she doesn’t understand how much I want her in my life after seeing the front gate when I finally get her back here, I don’t know what else to do but get on my knees and beg. And I’ll do that too if I have to.
After packing for a few nights just in case and driving through the night without stopping, I finally pass the highway sign that saysWelcome to Tucson. Warren got me the details of where she might be, and I called ahead last night to plead my case to the nurse over the phone and convince her to tell me if she would be there or not.
She said the tours and interviews were over, and that Blythe wouldn’t be there. I panicked. I shuddered at the thought of her deciding to bolt for some reason without me knowing. She was so upset the other day, I wasn’t sure what exactly was running through her mind at the moment.
The phone call that convinced me to drive up here was not a fun one. Blythe cried buckets of tears over how confused she was. I tried to console her, reminding her of how intelligent and capable she is, and made sure to let her know that I’d have her back no matter where she ended up. But it didn’t seem to calm her down. She went on and on about how much she missed her family and her hometown. And me. My heart melted into a pool of liquid hearing that.
It killed me to hear her so upset. I listened to the millions of reasons why she was unhappy, but none of them included being with me. That filled me with a burst of pride, and I knew that the only way to make sure she was okay was to come here as soon as I could.
I’ll admit that I came here to tell her that I’m in love with her and to bring her home too.
The same nurse that I initially contacted ended up calling me back last night. “I found out some information for you,” she’d said. “She mentioned to one of the staff here that she wanted to see the sunrise tomorrow at Saguaro National Park. I don’t know exactly where in the park, but I think she’ll be there.”
Sure, I could have called or texted Blythe. But deep down, I was scared to have the conversation of asking her to come back over the phone. It didn’t seem right.
I made a mental note to send that nurse a huge vase of flowers and a thank you card.
I pull into a parking spot at the head of a trail at the eastern park. There are two parks on either side of the city. I gambled guessing which one she might be at. After stepping out and smoothing my shirt, I grab my hat from the front passenger seat. Looking in the rearview mirror, I run my thumb and forefinger along the brim checking that it doesn’t need a quick shape-up.
I’m covering all the bases and not above using a little cowboy charm to break the ice.
Hopefully while walking around this place until I see her, I can write up a speech in my head. You’d think driving across two states last night would have given me enough time to come up with something better thanplease come back I fucking miss you.
The sky is glowing with a smoky blend of pink, orange, and early morning baby blue. I’m surrounded by larger-than-life cacti. I didn’t realize how big they were in person.
