AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind it would be the hardest thing I’d ever do.
THIRTEEN
Daisy
“This was so much better than the first time I tried. Don’t you think?”
I’d declared those words and asked that question proudly to Forrest mere moments after I sat down beside him on the lift.
Grinning at me, he asked, “Are you talking about riding down the trail, or the way you effortlessly got yourself onto this chairlift?”
“Both!” I exclaimed, letting out a laugh.
The laughter indicated I was happy, and there was no question I was. But as happy as I felt, I was also doing everything I could to distract myself from the thoughts that threatened to send me into a melancholic state.
Our time together was coming to an end.
From the moment I’d met him, Forrest proved just how wonderful he was. I had been in awe of the man he was right from the beginning.
After spending the time together those first few days, I could no longer hold myself back from going after what I wanted.
And ever since we’d crossed that line and taken that step with one another, everything changed. Not Forrest, or the way he treated me. It wasn’t even the way we’d spent our days together that changed, either.
In fact, we’d gone back and forth between the cabin and my room, staying with each other every night since our first night together. We’d spent every waking moment with one another, and we refused to be apart while we slept, too. Falling asleep every night with Forrest’s arms around me had been one of the best experiences of my life. I felt so safe, protected, and cared for.
All the days and nights with him had been the best time of my life.
But while everything as it pertained to Forrest himself and the way he treated me wasn’t any different than I’d come to know, there was still one thing that had changed.
And it was horrible.
Because the thing that had changed was the one thing I hadn’t realized could change at all.
My feelings.
This man became everything to me, and my heart was aching at the thought of leaving him. Every time I had a thought about needing to leave here to head back to my hometown, a wave of sadness washed over me.
I hadn’t made any official decision about moving to Scarlet Valley permanently, but there was one thing this trip had taught me. It was critical for me to get back to Birch Creek and take the steps necessary to liquidate the items I no longer wanted or needed, find a storage unit for the things I intended to keep, and put my place on the market. Living there hadn’t brought me any happiness, and staying there would surely only bring me more heartache.
After I got things squared away in Birch Creek, I’d return to Scarlet Valley and actively search for housing options. Once I knew what my options were, I’d make a final decision.
For now, my only concern was spending as much time with Forrest as I could. And since I didn’t want anything else distracting me from that—not my living situation or the fact that Forrest and I didn’t have much time left together—I continued to pretend this trip wasn’t coming to an end.
But it was.
And I knew Forrest and I should—and probably would—talk about it. I just didn’t know what way it would go. Or, at least, not all of it, anyway. I had a feeling there’d be a lot of tears on my part when it came up.
“You really have improved,” Forrest noted. “I’m impressed by how well you’ve done, considering the break you had to take from learning to give your foot the time it needed to heal.”
“Aw, thanks. But I’m convinced I wouldn’t have done half as well as I did if it hadn’t been for your diligence, patience, and willingness to teach me,” I declared.
He let out a laugh. “You make it sound like it was some kind of chore or massive undertaking for me. You might have learned how to snowboard, Daisy, but I’m the one who got more out of it.”
Forrest didn’t have a clue just how much he’d given me. I mean, I didn’t doubt that he believed I was grateful for everything he’d done for me, and I was relatively certain he knew just how much I liked him. Even if I’d attempted to explain it to him, there was no way Forrest could grasp just how pivotal this trip had been in my life, thanks to him.
I chose not to argue with him about who benefited more from our time together. He clearly got something out of it, too, and I didn’t question that for one second.
“Well, learning to snowboard and getting onto the chairlift are only part of the equation. I still haven’t quite mastered the art of getting off the lift, even if I’ve had a couple of successful attempts at it,” I advised.
