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I bent down to her level.“I need to get going,” I told her, hating the way her face instantly fell.“Your dad is back, and I need to get to Georgia for Thanksgiving there.”
She shook her head.“Granmother’s Thanksgiving isn’t fun like this.You know that.Stay here,” she pleaded.
If only I could.
I pulled her to me and hugged her tightly.“I love you, Buttercup.I had the best time with you, and we will do it again soon.But I need to go back home.Enjoy your day and eat enough of your Honey’s dressing for me too.Okay?”
She clung to me as she nodded her head.“Okay,” she replied with a sniffle.
That one little sound was almost enough to make me suck it up.Stay.Forget that Wilder hated me and wanted me out of here.Overlook the fact that his stepdad and brother now thought I was some evil bitch, pretending to be nice.But if I left, Wilder would be happier, and that was the best for Sarah.
I released her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before straightening.It was time to exit.My emotional tidal wave was close to cresting.
I waved at Azalea and Jojo.“Thank you for having me.I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.”
“You too, sweetie,” Jojo replied.
“Drive carefully,” Azalea told me, still looking as if she might beg me again to stay.
It hurt my chest even more to think that once I was gone, she’d hear from Porter or Wilder about what a bad person I was.She’d think differently of me.I wouldn’t be returning here, and my heart felt broken from just that realization alone.
“I love you,” Sarah said, sniffling again.
“And I love you most,” I told her, smiling the best I could.
Belladonna sensed what was happening and came to give me some goodbye love.I hugged her tightly before heading for the door.I had to get out of this house—and quickly.My chest felt like it was about to explode.
Nine Years Ago
The moment Wilder’s truck pulled into the driveway, I rushed outside to greet him.I hadn’t seen him in person since the day I had left for Ole Miss.We talked daily and texted, but that wasn’t enough.I wanted to see him.I needed to see him.
He wasn’t even out of his truck completely when I reached him.His gaze trailed down my body, then back to my face.The sexy smile of his that made me feel like a puddle of goo slid over his handsome face.
“You miss me?”he asked.
Laughing, I threw my hands around his neck and hugged him tightly.“YES!”I exclaimed.
His arms wrapped around me, holding on to me as if he was never going to let go.Every nerve in my body came alive.It felt as if they were waking up after a long sleep.I leaned back just enough to cover his mouth with mine.
Peppermint and Wilder made the world seem right again.I loved him.I hated being away from him.I wanted him with me all the time.Video calls weren’t enough.I needed more.So much more.
He broke the kiss too soon, pulling back and looking over my shoulder toward the house.“I don’t need your dad coming out here with a gun, ready to take my head off.”
My dad didn’t care who I kissed or what I did.He rarely paid any attention to me at all.
“We are just kissing,” I pointed out.
Wilder raised an eyebrow as he stared down at me.“Yeah, but you’re eighteen, and I’m twenty-five,” he replied.“Most dads would have met me at the door with a rifle.”
My dad would just be glad when I was gone again.
“Exactly.I am eighteen.A legal adult,” I informed him.
He chuckled then.“Adult, huh?”
Narrowing my gaze, I pointed a finger at his chest.“Are you saying I’m not an adult?”
He shrugged.“No.Not exactly.It’s just … there is a lot of life you haven’t lived yet.”
