I nod, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders as I walk out of the bookstore. The past is finally where it belongs—behind me. And my future, my Heather, is waiting.
Chapter Sixteen
Heather
Ifeel his eyes on my back as I walk away from him. Why am I jealous? I have never been the type of person to be, but something about him brings it out in me. Maybe it’s because I remember seeing them together in high school. Yet, I remember after they broke up, we got close before graduation. The silly pact we made. I remember it like it was yesterday. If we don’t find happiness by the time we are thirty-five, we will find each other. Even then, it was silly, but now… it has me doubting. Is he only dating me now because of that pact? Or did he truly have feelings for me? Is Carrie Anne going to swoop in and steal him from me? My heart can’t take another breakup, not after the divorce. This will shatter me to my core. Hell, I don’t know if I can stay in Lawson Ridge if that happens.
I put my keys in my car and take off toward my house. It takes everything in me not to look back toward the coffee shop to see if Lincoln has gone back inside yet. What did she need to tell him? My mind races. Whatever it is, it can’t be good. The streets are bare, most people are heading home for dinner by now. I try to fight the tears threatening to spill over, but its no use. By the time I pull up in front of my house, my face is soaked.
I turn off the ignition and run inside, slamming the door behind me and I slide my ass to the floor, and put my head in between my knees.Please don’t leave me. Not after this. Not after I have fallen head over heels for you.
The sound of my text notification startles me. I fumble to pull it from my pocket. My heart racing seeing his name on the screen.
Lincoln: On my way to you.
My heart skips a beat. He's coming here? Now? I'm not ready. I can't face him like this, a sobbing mess on the floor. But I can't bring myself to move either.
I hear the rumble of his truck pulling into the driveway. The slam of a car door. Footsteps on the porch. A gentle knock. I want to answer, but my voice catches in my throat. He knocks again, more insistent this time.
“One second!” I yell.
I take a deep breath, willing myself to stand. My legs feel like jelly as I reach for the doorknob. I pause, my hand trembling. What if this is it? What if he's here to end things?
Before I can change my mind, I twist the knob and pull the door open. Lincoln stands there, his brow furrowed with concern. His eyes widen when he sees my tear-stained face.
“Oh, baby,” he whispers, stepping forward to wrap me in his arms. I stiffen at first, then melt into his embrace, fresh tears spilling onto his shirt.
He guides me inside, kicking the door closed behind us. We stand there in the entryway, holding each other, until my sobs subside.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble into his chest.
“For what?” he asks, pulling back slightly to look at me.
I can't meet his eyes. “For being jealous. For... everything.”
He cups my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should apologize.”
“What did Carrie Anne want?” I manage to ask. My heart sinks. This is it. He's going to tell me it's over, that he's going back to her. I brace myself for the blow, but what he says next catches me completely off guard.
“She just wanted to apologize for our breakup. Look, I know you’re worried about Carrie Anne, but I need you to know something.”
I brace myself, waiting for the blow I’m sure is coming. But instead, Lincoln takes a step closer.
“That pact we made? It wasn't silly to me. Even back then, I had feelings for you. But the timing was never right. And now?” He reaches out, gently taking my hand in his. “Now, I'm with you because I want to be. Because I've always wanted to be.”
Tears well up in my eyes again, but this time for a different reason. “Really?” I whisper, hardly daring to believe it.
Lincoln nods, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Really. Carrie Anne isn't a threat. She just wanted to let me know she's moving back to town. But you're the one I want, pact or no pact.”
I want to believe him, desperately need to believe him. But there's still a nagging doubt in the back of my mind.
“It's just... after everything with my ex-husband, I'm scared of being hurt again.”
Lincoln's eyes soften with understanding. He knows all about my ex-husband's betrayal, how it shattered my trust and left me feeling broken.
“I’m not him,” he says gently. “I would never hurt you like that. I want you to trust me, but I know that takes time. I'm willing to prove myself to you, every day if I have to.”
His sincerity touches me deeply. I reach up, cupping his face in my hands. “I do trust you, Lincoln. It's just my own insecurities getting the best of me sometimes.”
