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The phone is suddenly jostled from my hand, and Rhett puts it to his ear. My open mouth snaps closed as he speaks.
“You don’t have to say anything right now. Just know I can sleep at night knowing we did everything to have you in Tommy’s life. Either you put in the effort to be there or not. The choice is yours.”
With that, he disconnects the call.
“Rhett! We were having a decent moment.”
His lips settle over mine in a demanding kiss.
“Moment’s over.”
2 months after that…
Evie
The envelope in my hand crinkles. The swirling scrawl of my sister-in-law’s writing sends a concerned ache through my chest. She recently moved back to the States, and one of the first things she does is send me a letter. If I could roll my eyes at her, I would. What I’d give to see her right now and give her a hug.
I move my gaze from the mysterious note to take in the dawn rising over the cliffs. The warm sky is a mixture of periwinkle and tangerine as cotton clouds float overhead. This isn’t the first time I’ve come back since I received the news that altered my life, but this is the first time I’ve come back alone.
Standing from a rock, I brush my hands over my backside to remove debris and walk closer to the edge. Just like the first day I stood here, the significance of my place in this world is thrust into perspective. The minuscule problems of daily life bleed away.
I take a lingering inhale of the sweet-smelling pink rose before I crouch and place it on the edge of the cliff.
“I miss you, brother.”
As I straighten, the wind tosses my hair against my face like a warm finger brushing my cheek.
I slip a finger beneath the fold of the envelope and tear it open. The paper rustles in the breeze as it unfolds. The short handwritten paragraph draws a crinkle from my forehead.
Evie,
Eric wanted you to have this. We talked about it the day we left Arrow Creek. He was saving this money from your parents' estate for your wedding. When things fell through with Tate, he thought he’d continue to hold on to it. Of course, that was before he learned of your living situation.
He planned to send this as soon as we returned to Germany, but that day never came.
He told me he wanted you to have it for housing, and even infertility treatments if that’s what you choose to do. I don’t need to know what you do with it as it belongs to you. Please know I’m taken care of. This money has always been yours.
I’ll see you soon.
Love you,
Caiti
A hot tear trickles down my cheek. I brush it away with the back of my hand and fortify myself with a steely breath. I don’t bother checking the amount on the check. Instead, I dig my cell from my pocket, not sure if I’ll receive much reception up here, but I have to try. I scroll to Caiti’s name.
The phone rings continuously, as it has for much of the last two months.
“Hey, this is Caiti Harris. Leave a message.”
I hang up without leaving a message. She’ll come to me when she’s ready.
2 months after that…
Evie
Rhett and I lie in the loft in my house, tangled in the sheets with a baby monitor on the bedside table. Minutes ago, little babbles and random words filled the peaceful silence as Tommy woke in the house next door. My head rests against Rhett’s broad chest while he twists a curl of my hair around his finger.
“What time does Caiti land today?”
