I hopped out of the truck, walked around to her side, and opened her door. I held out my hand.
She didn’t say a word as she placed hers in mine and let me lead her down a path. The trees grew larger and larger as we walked.
Finally, we reached one near the center. It stood tall and proud, nearly fifteen feet. It looked like something out of a painting, all perfectly shaped, with full branches and perfect symmetry.
Anna stopped and stared up at it, her lips parting slightly. “Wow, it’s beautiful, Chase. It’s so tall. It would take a mansion to fit it.”
“Exactly,” I said proudly. “She definitely deserves a place of honor. And that’s exactly what I’m hoping for. I’ve nominated her to be chosen for the Governor’s mansion.”
“Well, they’d be a fool not to pick it,” she said, glancing at me with a shy smile.
I smiled in return, but then my expression sobered. “But that’s not the reason I’m showing you. This tree…it’s special for another reason.”
She tilted her head, curiosity reflecting in her eyes.
“My family has what you’d call a tradition, I guess,” I answered. “We set aside this section of the lot just for family trees, ones we plant and tend to ourselves. That way, it’s personal when it’s cut down and brought inside. It’s where all the Dawsons and Allens, and I guess now theBraxtons and Caldwells, since Bristol and Cam are married, come to get our trees. They all hold a memory, some small, some more special, like the first as a couple or the first a new child helps with.”
“What a lovely tradition!”
“We even name the trees. Last year was Lexi’s first time planting a tree. She named itElizaafter her former etiquette teacher.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “You mean Eliza Pettigrew? She was so…formal.”
I laughed, knowing that wasn’t the word most of us would have chosen. “That’s the one. Lexi said there was no way a tree named after her would dare not grow straight and tall.”
She laughed as well. “That’s funny. What are some of the other names?”
“Well, Cam called one of hersFirgie,” I answered, making her giggle when I spelled it for her. “Em named oneNeedlejuice,and someone else called oneGriswold. My grandfather gave them the names of competitors. He said it gave him extra satisfaction when he cut them down.”
“They’re all such clever names. And what about you? What did you name yours?” Anna asked.
I looked at her for a beat, then back at the tree. Truth time. “Different names over the years. This one is mine. It has a special name.”
“What is it?”
“I call herBlossom.”
She froze, her fingers slowly rising to cover her mouth. “Chase…why?”
I looked up at the tree as I answered. “I planted her the year I met you. I wanted to keep it a secret because I thought you’d think it was silly. But after high school, itbecame more. Because even when you weren’t here, I couldn’t let you go. Especially when I saw how unhappy you looked with your…husband.” I nearly choked on the word. “It was something I could control. Something I could protect and care for when I could no longer take care of the real thing.”
I finally returned my attention to her. “And I know that sounds completely crazy and possibly unhinged,” I admitted with a small shrug, “but it helped keep me grounded. It was a way to keep you here. And someday, I hoped it would make you proud.”
“I…I don’t know what to say,” she said, her fingers reaching out almost reverently to slide along one of the lower branches. “I had no idea you felt that way.”
“I didn’t want you to know.”
“All these years,” she whispered. “I thought I was the only one holding onto the memory.”
“You weren’t.”
“I used to lie awake at night, especially after the trips we’d make back here, and wonder if you hated me. I wouldn’t have blamed you.”
“I never hated you, Anna. It would have been easier if I could.” My voice was rough. “I was hurt. Angry. But mostly, I missed you. I have for years. Every time I saw you.”
“I…” Her voice faltered. “I figured you’d moved on.”
“I tried,” I admitted. “But now that you’re back, I know the reason why it was so hard. It’s always been you, Anna. And we’re not kids anymore. We know what’s real. And we know how to reach for it.”
