“Okay, while you’re allLittle House on the Prairiehere, I’m going to back up a second and ask how he was able to convince you to go on this ... trip to the farm when you woke up?”
“I slept at his house. I had an epic meltdown after my call with Dylan, went to tell Everett whatever we were doing was done, and then proceeded to cry on his chest until we fell asleep.”
Her concern is now replaced by a large smile. “He held you all night?”
Oh boy. She’s going to get that hopeless romantic look in her eyes and start her scheming. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Don’t you see!” she snaps and then grabs my hands. “Vi, you told him your hot mess of a life story and he didn’t just toss you out. He must really like you.”
“Or he didn’t want to be mean to an emotional pregnant girl.”
Although, that doesn’t explain why he would take care of me all day. Unless he really was worried I was going to snap, which was totally plausible.
Still, it didn’t feel like an obligation, and even when I walked away after our talk in the car, it was more that he was doing what he thought I wanted.
Which really was what I wanted, but then not really because I don’t want any of this. If I could’ve had my way, I wouldn’t be pregnant with Dylan’s child, and I would keep having mind-blowing sex with Everett, get my divorce finalized, and then maybe we could build something special.
“I’m going to let you in on a secret: Men do not take care of emotional pregnant girls if they don’t care about them. You guys are like a second-chance love story for the ages. Girl loves boy, leaves him behind in his dusty little town to fall in love with a douchebag Hollywood star who has a small dick. Then you come back, and ... poof ... love.”
“You have been in Hollywood for too long. This is real life, Ana.”
She shrugs. “These stories exist for a reason.”
“This isn’t that story.” I won’t allow myself the belief that this ends happily, because all too often—it doesn’t.
“Fine. Then why are you staying here?”
I blink, unsure of what the hell to say to that. “Where would I go?”
“You’ll come live with me and Nick or I’ll buy you a house or something.”
“Ana, stop. First of all, I have a job here. I promised Miles a year, and I’m going to uphold my obligation until the end of the school year. Also, I don’t want to go back to California. I hated it there, and I really don’t want to leave this place. I love this house and the town and the people here.”
“And your neighbor?”
“It can’t happen,” I say, needing her to hear me.
“Okay, then. Well, how about you show me all there is in this cute little town so I can at least feel better when I leave.”
I reach out, taking her hand in mine. “I can do that.”
“Okay, this store is absolutely adorable! We should franchise it and have one just like this in California,” Ana says as she’s walking around Prose & Perk.
“You really like it?” Hazel asks. She about lost her shit when she saw Analeigh.
“It’s amazing, seriously. I love the entire feel of it.”
“Thank you.”
The way Hazel looks as though she might explode is really cute. I’m such a dork that when I met Ana, I had no idea who she was. I grew up with two parents who probably had no idea who her father’s band was, let alone let me listen to it. Although, my Gran did love him, but I didn’t get her musical influence until later.
I had classical music or nothing.
I usually chose nothing.
Instead of music, I read.
Everything and anything I could get my hands on. Shakespeare was my absolute favorite or Jane Austen. I read those stories over and over, which may be the reason I’m in the position I’m in.
