She shakes her head. “If I texted all the guys I kissed, I’d never get any work done.”
I shove her playfully. “Stop kissing all the men.”
“I can’t help it. Some are really, really cute. Besides, I have to kiss all the frogs to find my prince.”
“If you’re not talking to them afterward, how will you know?”
Kellie smiles softly. “I’ll know. Just like you will. If Quinn is the right one for you, it’ll work out.”
I really wish I had her confidence. I need to stop sweating about the things I can’t control. This is one of them. If Quinn wants to reach out, he can.
“Now, tell me what Roy did.”
It takes me an hour or so to fill her in on Roy and his shenanigans. It’s like a weight is lifted off me when she asks me how I feel. I simply don’t care. He wants his cake, pie and chocolate chip cookies, and that’s not going to fly with me. I don’t want to marry someone and wonder every day of my life if he’s being faithful, and I’m definitely not playing stepmama to his love child.
Kellie finally convinces me to leave the apartment. She’s right, the sun makes me feel better. For the first time since I arrived, I’m behind the wheel of my car. The top’s down, radio’s blaring and I’m cruising with no destination in sight.
The freedom I felt when I first arrived is back. I throw my hands up and scream, much to the delight of a few passersby who honk. At least, I hope they’re delighted. I could be wrong, and they could be mocking me.
Turning onto random roads, I end up at the park. It’s a perfect day to just sit and watch people, something I haven’t done since I arrived. After circling for a parking spot, I’m finally walking on the path, surrounded by well-manicured shrubs, beautiful blooming flowers, and people. So many people. Dog walkers’ breeze by me on roller blades, there’s a group of people doing yoga, a man painting, a woman playing her violin, and people reading.
I find a bench, which seems to be right
in the middle of everything and just watch. I take in the sights, sounds, and smells of everything around me. I could easily see myself living here, but truthfully, I miss the massive oak tree lining the driveway to my house and the Spanish moss that hangs from them, creating shade and reprieve every few feet from the blistering sun.
The thoughts of home bring tears to my eyes. I never thought I’d actually miss it or become homesick, but maybe this thing or whatever it is with Quinn is the wake-up call I needed to finally get on the road and head home.
I pull out my phone and look at the date. If I leave now, I’ll be home well before the party and that gives me plenty of time to talk to my parents about Roy. There won’t be a wedding. I don’t care if the rumors about him are true or not. I’m not in love with him. I haven’t been for a long time and marrying someone I don’t love doesn’t make much sense to me.
Telling my parents will be hard. Most of this is my fault because I’ve never been truly honest with them about my feelings for Roy, and from the beginning, I was set to be his wife. He changed. I changed. It’s the natural part of life. I’m sure if I hadn’t gone away to school, I’d already be Roy’s wife with a kid on the way.
My phone rings, startling me. It drops to the ground despite my flailing hands trying to catch it. I groan as I pick it up and slowly turn it over. The screen’s shattered, making it impossible for me to see who’s calling.
I hesitate, unsure if I should answer it or not. For all I know, it’s Quinn, returning my gazillion messages or my parents, wondering where the heck I am. It could be Roy… and well, I can’t imagine what he wants to talk about.
“Hello.” My voice breaks. I’m on the verge of full tears. In one small moment, my life has flipped upside and over what, a broken phone screen and the fact that I miss the oak trees.
“Hello, little sis. Are you ready to come home?”
“Yes,” I squeak out. “I am.”
“What’s wrong?” Rhett asks.
“Nothing and everything. I don’t know. It seems like the last few days I’ve been drowning, and I don’t know why. Up until today, I thought this place was perfect.”
“Did someone hurt you?”
I nod but tell him no. I don’t want Rhett storming into town over one little kiss that didn’t mean anything to anyone but me. Rhett’s that brother, willing to come to the rescue of his sisters, even if we have a hair out of place.
“Do you want me to fly there and drive back with you?”
“Yeah, I think that would be good. We’d get home faster if there are two of us driving.”
“All right. I’ll book a flight and head out. Give me a few days, okay?”
“Thank you, Rhett.”
He clears his throat. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can leave today if you need me.”