Page 19 of Rookie's Redemption


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"Don't." She steps back and escapes the small room, putting distance between us that feels like miles. "You think you can just waltz back into town, ignore me for a year and then volunteer at my shelter for a few weeks. Then suddenly we're picking up where we left off?"

"That's not what I—"

"It's been eight years, Ryder! Eight years of nothing. No calls, no texts, no 'hey, Mia, I'm sorry I broke your heart and ran off to chase my dreams without you.'"

Each word is a direct hit, and I deserve every single one.

But before I can respond, there's a distinctivecrunch-crunch-crunchsound from behind us.

We both turn to see our goat friend standing in the middle of the office, methodically chewing on what looks like a stack of adoption paperwork.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Mia throws her hands up. "STOP EATING EVERYTHING!"

The goat looks up at us with those weird rectangular pupils, bits of very important-looking documents hanging from his mouth like confetti.

"I'll get him," I start forward, but Mia's already moving.

"No! Just—don't! You've helped enough for one day."

She herds the goat back toward his temporary pen while I watch, feeling useless.

But this is exactly what I'm talking about.

She's drowning here, trying to manage everything alone, and she won't let anyone help.

"Look," I say when she returns, brushing goat hair off her shirt. "Mia, I know I fucked up. I know I hurt you. But that doesn't mean—"

"Doesn't mean what?" She whirls on me, eyes blazing. "That I should just forgive and forget? Move on like nothing happened?"

"I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to give me the chance to let me make it right."

"Some things can't be made right, Ryder." Her voice cracks, and it guts me. "Some damage is permanent."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Is it?" She laughs. "The night before you drove off. You told me we'd figure it out, that nothing would break us apart. That distance wouldn't change anything because we loved each other. And then, the very next day, you just disappeared!"

I cringe at the memory that circles back to the front of my mind.

Her standing on my parents' porch in that yellow sundress, tears streaming down her cheeks as I drove away. How I kept checking my rearview mirror until she was just a speck, then nothing at all.

"I was eighteen and scared shitless," I say quietly. "Everyone was telling me I had this one shot, and if I screwed it up—"

"So you screwed us up instead."

"Yeah. I did. And I've regretted it every single day since."

She stares at me for a long moment, and I see the war playing out on her face. Part of her wants to believe me. I can see it in the way her shoulders soften, the way her breath catches, the way she just let me hold her and soothe her anxiety attack just like I used to.

But then, like always, her walls slam back up.

"I don't have time for this," she says, turning away. "This place is falling apart. The AC's broken, the vet canceled, I'm behind on paperwork, and I've got sixteen dogs who need dinner and medication and—" Her voice rises with each word until she's practically shouting. "I'm falling apart, Ryder! And I can't handleyouon top of everything else!"

The raw honesty in her voice stops me cold. She's not just talking about today. She's talking about the weight she's been carrying alone for who knows how long.

And suddenly, I know exactly what I need to do.

"Fine," I say, and she looks up, startled by my calm tone. "If you won't let me kiss you, at least let me take you to dinner."