AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Frustrated they were about to get into it while he was driving, he put on his blinker and pulled into the gas station they were getting ready to pass. He didn’t even bother parking in frontof the convenience store but stopped along the curb. When he turned to face Nora, she was staring at him in confusion.
“I thought I made myself clear last night, and again this mornin’—apparently, I was wrong. I have no intention of bein’ your ex anymore. I should never have let it happen in the first place. I’m rightin’ a wrong, baby. I’m sorry I’m so late in gettin’ here.”
A tear spilled from the corner of Nora’s eye as her lips began to tremble. Squeezing her fingers agitatedly, she drew in a shaky breath and said, “You say it like it’s that easy.”
“It is. It’s you and me. We’ve always been that easy.”
“Lawson, we hurt each other so badly,” she cried, her tears coming faster now. “You broke my heart into a million little pieces. For the longest time, I thought I’d never get over you—and then I met my Evie. I swear to God, she saved me. I needed her to show me how to love again.”
Seeing her pain, still so evident after all these years, sliced open his deepest scar. Lashing out, he raised his voice to match her volume and spat, “Damnit, Nora—you broke up with me in the middle of a fuckin’ war over a spotty video chat.”
“You chose that war over me!”
“I got lost in that war, and you left me stranded in the desert! You’re not the only victim here.”
“I never said I was,” she whispered, shrinking back in her seat. Nora sniffed, then reached up to wipe her cheeks, avoiding his gaze. “See? It’s not as cut and dry as you want it to be.”
Lawson sank his fingers in his hair, pulling at the thick strands. He focused on the bite of his pull, willing himself to channel his frustration away from Nora. He wasn’t angry with her. He’d long since forgiven her, and she didn’t deserve the ire he still felt toward himself.
Letting go of his hair, he blew out a sigh, and with a lowered voice said, “I’m sorry. Baby, I’m sorry it took me so long to getover my shit. We’ve lost so much time, and I’ll regret my part in that until the day I die. But every woman who crosses my path pales in comparison to you. I can’t fall in love with anyone else, because I’m still in love with you. I won’t run from the truth anymore. We only get one shot at life. I know that better than most. I want this, Nora-Jean—I wantyou. After last night, how can you not want the same thing?”
Nora shook her head. “I’ve never lied to you, and I’m not gonna start now.” She paused and licked her lips nervously. “I love you, too—or, at least, the you I once knew. But, Lawson, you can’t possibly love this version of me. We don’t know each other anymore.”
“You think I don’t see you?” Having had enough of her diverted gaze, he reached for her chin and lifted her head until her green eyes found his brown ones. “You think I can live in this town without seein’ you? We were together ten years, songbird. I’ve loved you half my life. I know you. I know how strong a woman you are. I know the kind of mother you are. I see it in the way you look at Evelyn; the way you hold her; the way you speak to her. You’re exactly who you said you’d always be.
“As for me—I’m no stranger. A little older, a little smarter. Smart enough to admit I’m not me without you. Not the me I want to be, anyway.”
They sat in silence for what seemed like a long time, staring at each other all the while. With each second that ticked by, Lawson prayed she’d give them one last chance. He knew if she did, it was the only chance he needed. He wouldn’t let her go again.
Finally, Nora-Jean cleared her throat and murmured, “We haven’t done this in a long time. I don’t know where we go from here.”
Smiling, Lawson leaned toward her and brushed a kiss against her lips. “To dinner,” he replied before kissing her again.
“Okay,” she agreed weakly.
They’d definitely missed their reservation. Smithy’s on a Friday night was bound to be packed, but that didn’t stop Lawson from continuing to their original destination, anyway. The steakhouse was the finest restaurant from Shelbyville to Nashville. If he had to sweettalk their way into a table that night, he would. He’d promised his woman a proper date, and he would deliver.
They’d had to wait a half an hour upon arrival, but they got their table for two at Smithy’s. Conversation over dinner had been light, their emotionally charged exchange in the truck all but demanding for a bit of brevity. Lawson asked after Nora’s music, and she told him about her fellow musicians and how the Pick-a-ninnies came to be. She wanted to know about work, and what all he’d done after he’d left the military. They also talked about Evelyn, of course. It was obvious, she was Nora’s favorite topic.
After an hour, they admitted there wasn’t much mystery between the two of them. Estranged as they were, they’d been keeping tabs on one another through friends and family. There were plenty of details to uncover. Six years of here-say was a lot—but they had time. Lawson was sure of it.
Two steaks and four glasses of wine later, Lawson paid for their meal and drove Nora-Jean to the ice cream parlor in the Town Square. They’d arrived minutes before the shop was scheduled to close, and they ate their orders in the cab of his truck, their conversation driven byremember whens.
It was nearly nine when he walked her back to her apartment, her hand tucked inside of his. Justice was on her feet and gathering her things the second the two of them walked through the door. After the quickest recap of her evening with Evelyn—at which point she admitted she had to be the cool babysitter that delayed bedtime until eight-thirty—she was out the door in a blatant attempt to insure she wasn’t a roadblock to the rest of their night.
Not that there was any real possibility of that happening.
His first night in Nora-Jean’s bed had been a flurry of passion and desperation. On his second night, Lawson made sure to take his time. He made her come with his fingers, then his mouth, then his cock—dragging out her pleasure until she could hardly stand it. She crooned for him all night. Lawson couldn’t remember ever falling asleep more satisfied.
When he woke Saturday morning, he was pleased to find Nora-Jean still asleep in his arms. Even after the night they’d had, it was hard to believe she was his again. It felt good. It felt right—or something close to it. When the bed they shared wastheirsand nothers, they’d be where they should be.
He was distracted from his morning musings when he heard her little hand work to twist the knob of the bedroom door. He lifted his head to peer over Nora’s as the door swung open. Her small, bare feet against the carpet were almost imperceptible, and she stopped as soon as her golden-brown eyes found Lawson’s. He then watched silently as Evelyn carefully accessed the situation.
After a long pause, she whispered, “Is mommy sick?”
With a shake of his head, Lawson whispered back, “No. She’s just tired. She’s okay.”
Fidgeting with the ends of her hair, Evelyn returned her attention onto her mother, studying her a minute longer to see if she believed him. When her eyes found his once more, she murmured, “I’m hungry.”
