“Do—do you think maybe he was right?”
“Mama!”
“I ain’t sayin’ heis, I’m sayin’ is there a possibility?”
“No,” Rett snaps, glaring at her mother. “I am not still in love with Cal. We’re over.”
“Well, baby, I don’t know what to tell ya. Just know you can stay here as long as you need to, ’kay?”
“Thanks, Mama.”
Eliza leaves, hesitating a moment before pulling the door closed behind her. Rett stares at the wood for a moment then sighs. Both her mama and Austin claim she isn’t over Calum, but she is. She has been since she filed the papers.
Warm lips pressing forcefully to hers, hands cradling her face with such gentleness at odds with the kiss… The heat that had slithered up her spine, something that said it was right. But it hadn’t been. Calum wasn’t meant for her anymore; she wasn’t his.
So why had his kiss elicited some sort of reaction from her beyond mere disgust at his audacity?
Maybe…
No, it is ridiculous.
She rises to her feet and slips from her room. Orpheus pads along beside her, standing still as she gathers up his leash and muzzle. She doubts she has any cause for concern, knows with certainty that he will stay by her side. He always has before. Old habits die hard, she thinks.
Kids pause in yards when she passes. They stare without shame at her—or rather, the bull terrier who prances along. The leash stays relaxed, and Rett thanks her past self for all the training lessons she’d signed up for. She doesn’t dare think of how disastrous this trip back home could be were he not well-trained.
Her feet carry her toward the woods, toward the path worn with each walk and drive between the trees. Her dog sniffs at the ground, ears perking up when he hears the birds and the rustle of squirrels in the branches overhead. Rett breathes in, out, and feels the weight slipping from her shoulders.
Here, she can find respite. She can pretend she hasn’t lost two loves of her life. She’d given up Calum for her own doubts, and Austin had given her up for his own. Frowning, Rett steps over a large root jutting up through the hard-packed earth.
Do you think maybe he was right?
Was Austin right? Does Rett still love Calum the way she had when she was eighteen? She hasn’t let herself dwell on the last handful of years. Hasn’t let herself think too hard on what she gave up when she signed her name. Why should she? All it would have done was mix her up even more, and cutting Calum loose, severing the connection with him cleanly, was the best for the both of them. They could move on with closure.
But he hadn’t, had he? No, he claimed he still loved her two months ago. He said he hadn’t given up on them the way she had. The dissolution of their marriage meant nothing to him.
Once they reach the river, Rett unleashes Orpheus and lets him bound along the shore and to the edge of the water. He barks once, twice, his tail wagging fervently as he prances into the water. She watches him with a small smile playing at her lips. He’s only ever known the city; never has he had this sort of freedom. She wonders if that’s another mistake she’s made in her life.
“Thought I’d find you here.”
She whirls around to see her father emerging from the shadow of the trees. Swallowing thickly, Rett presses a hand to her chest and feels the rapid flutter of her heart. Matthew gives her a slight smile as he approaches.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay,” she says as she turns her attention back to her dog. “How’d you know?”
“Never been hard to figure out, especially not after Calum bought the trailer.” Her father chuckles when Orpheus leaps into the slow-moving river with a bark. “He’s a good boy.”
“He’s the best.”
“Your mama told me.”
Rett folds her arms over her belly and blinks away the warmth behind her eyes. “At least it wasn’t another marriage down the drain.”
“Retta…”
“What’s wrong with me?” she bursts out.
“Nothin’, honey. There ain’t a damn thing wrong with you.”
