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I’d laid it all out there on the page—my regrets, my fears, my deepest hopes. I told him how that magical New Year’s Eve night had changed everything for me, how I hadn’t been able to get him out of my head since. How I knew we’d both made mistakes, let pride and hurt feelings keep us apart...but that I was tired of living in the past. That I wanted a future. With him.
It was the hardest thing I’d ever written...but also the most honest. And now that it was done, I felt a sense of peace washing over me, regardless of how he responded. At least I would know I’d been true to myself, to my heart.
As I stepped out of the room, feeling lighter than I had in years, I nearly tripped over Gertie, our resident troublemaker. The little pygmy goat was standing smack dab in the middle of the hallway, looking up at me with those mischievous eyes.
“Stay outta trouble,” I warned her, wagging my finger.
Gertie just blinked at me, then trotted off with a flick of her tail. I shook my head, chuckling under my breath. That goat was gonna be the death of me one of these days.
I made my way downstairs, the letter to Adam clutched tightly in my hand. My heart was pounding something fierce, but I tried to keep my expression neutral as I walked into the living room.
Laney, Bailey, and their little ones were nowhere to be seen, but Aubree, Rory, and Dakota were still there, chatting and sipping on sweet tea.
“How ya feeling?” Dakota asked.
I plopped down on the couch beside her, letting out a long breath. “Better. A lot better, actually.”
Dakota raised an eyebrow. “Did writin’ that letter help?”
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. “It did. More than I thought it would, to be honest. But that’s not all...”
I hesitated, not sure how to bring up the subject of Tyler. My brother had always been a sore spot for me, and I knew the girls were well aware of our complicated history.
Aubree leaned forward, her expression gentle. “What is it, honey? You know you can tell us anythin’.”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Well, after I finished the letter, I called Tyler. We had ourselves a real heart-to-heart about...about everythin’.”
“Oh?” Dakota’s eyebrows shot up. “And how did that go?”
“Surprisingly well, actually,” I admitted. “I told him how I’d been feelin’...like I was always worryin’ about him, always tryin’ to fix his messes. And he agreed that I’d been takin’ on too much responsibility for his choices. He promised me he’s changed, that he wants to do better. And he said from now on, he wants me to focus on myself instead of always worryin’ about him.”
Aubree reached over to squeeze my hand, her eyes shining with pride. “Good for you. It’s about dang time you started puttin’ yourself first.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned just in time to seeGertie hightailing it through the custom-built “goaty door” that led to the shared backyard between the Cole and Wilson houses.
“Gertie!” I hollered, jumping to my feet. “You come back here right now, you little-“
But it was too late. She was already gone, no doubt off to cause some sort of mischief. I sank back down onto the couch with a groan, rubbing my temples.
“I swear, that goat’s gonna be the death of me,” I muttered.
Dakota patted my knee sympathetically. “Aw, don’t be too hard on her. She’s just got a lot of...personality.”
I snorted. “That’s one word for it.”
Rory cleared her throat, bringing us back on track. “So, what else did Tyler say? About...well, about everythin’?”
I blinked, trying to remember where I’d left off. “Oh, right. Well, he also mentioned that he’d like to bring his new girlfriend, Candy, to our next girls’ night. If that’s okay with y’all, of course.”
Aubree’s eyebrows shot up. “Candy? As in, the Candy he met in prison?”
I nodded, biting my lip. “The very same. I know it’s a lot to ask, but...well, Tyler seems to really care about her. And I figure if she’s gonna be a part of his life, maybe it’s time we got to know her better.”
Dakota shrugged, taking a sip of her sweet tea. “I’m game. The more the merrier, I always say.”
“Agreed,” Rory chimed in. “And hey, maybe we could invite Hope too. I think she could use a night out with the girls.”
I felt a smile spreading across my face. “That’s a great idea. Hope’s been such a sweetheart since I started at the call center. It’d be nice to include her.”
We chatted a bit longer, ironing out the details for our next get-together. I was just starting to relax, the knots of tension in my shoulders finally loosening...
When the back door suddenly burst open with a bang, making us all jump. I whirled around, my heart in my throat, to see Adam standing there, his chest heaving and his eyes wild.
In his hand was a very familiar-looking piece of paper. My letter.
“Paisley,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “Is...is any of this true?”
