“Umm… No, not really.” Abbie’s always been a terrible liar.
“Abbie…” I warn. “I can handle it.”
“Are you sure?” she whispers. The line sounds muffled as if she’s covering the phone with her hand.
“Yes,” I assure her. “Hit me with your best shot. Actually, cancel that. No more shots for this girl.” I roll my eyes.
“Okay… They weren’t so much talking about you being drunk, but Easton was at church, and you know how it goes. Some people started the rumor that you are going to get back together.”
My eyes fall shut as I take in her words. How does a town hold on to a teenage love for so long? I mean, let it go, people.
“Okay,” I state, emotionless. I haven’t had time to process what it felt like to see Easton. Give me a few days, and I’ll be panicking. That’s my downfall, delayed reaction.
“How do you feel with him being back in town?” Abbie questions softly. Her voice is full of concern yet hopeful.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I haven’t had time to process. I’ve been puking and then eating my life away.”
“I’ll come over.”
“No, go have lunch with Finn, plan your wedding or whatever. I’m okay, I promise.”
“Faith…”
“I mean it, Abbie,” I cut her off.
“Okay, but if you need anything, call me,” she resigns.
“Thanks. I’ve got a documentary on the TV, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got some break and bake cookie dough in the fridge.”
“Call me,” she repeats. I tell her I will and hang up, bringing my knees to my chest and lying down on the couch.
I think I’m in shock. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d see Easton again. I’m not mad at him; our lives just went in different directions. But now…
Could we pick up where we left off? I allow myself a second to fantasize before I return to the present. For all I know, he has a girlfriend or a wife. I’m going to pretend that’s not a possibility.
His eyes are still the same gorgeous shade of green, bright and comforting. He looked the same, yet different. Stronger, taller, he filled out his clothes much more than before. Easton always had plenty of muscles to show off—a perk of ranching—but he was thinner. Now… Now, he’s all man.
He’s even more handsome than before, making my heart stop when I saw him. It felt…unreal. I spent the rest of high school and then early college dreaming that he’d return, that he’d show up on campus and surprise me. I’d catch myself daydreaming about this, preparing for when I saw him. But I never did. It was a silly thing to spend my time thinking about. Too many years had passed, and we were different people.
I wonder why he’s back. The curiosity has been swimming in my head since last night. The million-dollar question—did he hope to see me?
Sighing, I turn off the video footage of the Allies fighting the Nazis and get dressed. It’s freezing and the dead of winter, but there’s only one place where I’ll be able to clear my mind.
…
Easton
I had forgotten exactly how small Everton is. At church this morning, people stared at me with curious eyes as they whispered amongst themselves. It was awkward as hell, sitting there knowing they were talking about me and not doing anything about it.
It was great to see Gavin and meet his wife and daughter. I promised him we’d catch up this week. A lot has changed over the years since I left, and, in a way, it seems like a totally different place than where I grew up.
I stop for coffee at Cup-O-Joe, the same coffee shop that’s been in the same location since I was a kid, and random people greet me. Some look familiar, others I had forgotten about, but they hadn’t forgotten about my family or me.
I am surprised by how many people have called me by name and asked about my parents and sister. I should’ve known. When you’re from Everton, you’re a member for life.
In the sea of familiar faces, the one I didn’t see is the person I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. I thought I’d see Faith at church, but it seems like she skipped today’s service.
Once I have my cup of black coffee in hand, I step out into the frigid cold with only one destination in mind. Camden is still sleeping, and I have a feeling he’ll be passed out for a while despite the time change working in our favor coming from the east coast.
I shiver and take a drink of my hot coffee. You forget how cold a place can be when you haven’t lived there for years. Hopping in my car, I make a mental note to check out some car dealerships this week. It’s time to trade in this sedan for a pickup truck.
Fuck, I missed this place.
I drive through the curvy roads, taking in the snow piled on each side of it. It snows in Virginia, but it’s nothing like this. When I first moved, people were amazed at how thirty degrees felt like fifty to me. Here, in Wyoming, thirty degrees is almost a spring day.
A slow smile tilts up my lips as I see the old, familiar structure in the distance. I can’t believe it’s still standing after all these years. My heart stops when I see another car parked near the barn. When I look up at it, I see someone standing by it. She’s here. I hoped she would be—this was always our place.
At the echo of my door closing, Faith turns around, and her eyes widen in surprise. She takes her bottom lip between her teeth as she stares at me approaching her.
“Hey,” I smile, standing in front of her now.
“Hi.” She offers a sheepish grin, all tight-lipped and tense.
“I see this place is still standing.” I slap it once, and the wood creaks.
“Careful,” she warns.
“Barely standing…” I trail off as I look at it.
“Yeah. It’s endured some harsh winters.” Her lips are set in a straight line. Something about her tone tells me there’s more meaning to her words.
“I bet.” I run a hand through my hair. Are we seriously talking about the weather and this barn? After not seeing each other for thirteen years, I expected our conversation to go a little differently.
“How are you?” I stick my hands in my pockets, needing more warmth than the gloves can provide.
“I’m good. How about you? Moving back, huh?” Faith wipes away strands of hair that whip in the wind, the tip of her nose red.
I smile at the memory of teasing her when we were young, calling her Rudolph since her nose would always turn red when the temperature dropped.
She looks beautiful. Her tousled hair adds to her beauty as she stands before me—a woman instead of a girl—with the same shiny blue eyes.
“Yeah,” I nod. “The time was right. I had heard about a position for a lawyer that opened up at Town Hall, and next thing I knew, the ranch was for sale.”
“I didn’t hear about any properties going up for sale,” Faith states with bunched eyebrows.
“Do you work in real estate?” I lift my eyebrows.
“No,” she shakes her head. “I don’t know why I said that. I guess I thought the Prewitts were happy living there.”
“Their kids went off to college, Mr. Prewitt is ready to retire, and they had no future for the ranch. I think they bought a vacation home in Florida and a small apartment here,” I explain, shivering as the wind kicks up.
“I forgot how cold it got here,” I comment, staring out at the white mountains. Actually, everything is covered in snow. Not one inch of the surrounding area is clear of the white powder.
“Yeah…” Faith’s teeth clatter, but she doesn’t move.
“This is still here…” I find the carving, smiling widely.
“Yup, it’s withstood it all, like the barn.” Faith’s voice is clipped.
I look at her again, my fingers still tracing our names. “Well…” I stare into her eyes. “It was meant to. It’s why I put it there.” I take a step closer to her, wishing I could hold her. I’m having deja vu of the day I met her here to tell her we were moving. The sadness swimming in her eyes that day is almost i
dentical to what I see now staring back at me.
“We were just kids, Easton,” Faith says defensively.
“Yeah, just kids…” I look at the carving again, flattening my palm over it. “Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if I had never moved?” The million-dollar question. Actually, it's the trillion-dollar question. I’d give everything I owned for a glass ball that would show me an alternate world, one where Faith and I stayed together, went to college, did everything we talked about. I’d love to see how we would’ve turned out.
She shrugs but remains silent.
“You look good, Faith.” I nod, taking her in. I could look at her for hours and not believe she was standing in front of me.
“Thanks.” She relaxes a bit. I wonder what’s going through her mind.
“Aren’t you going to say I look good, too?” I raise my eyebrows and cross my arms.
“You actually look terrible,” she deadpans, the ghost of a smile attempting to make itself seen.
“Ouch.” My hands fall to my chest. “Just like that, huh?”
Faith giggles, and it’s the best sound in the world. “It’s good to see you, Easton.”
Right here, in this very moment, I stand before my first love, the first woman I gave every piece of myself to, wondering how I could make her my last.
Faith
“How about we grab a cup of coffee and catch up?” Easton asks once he drops his hands from his chest, his eyes alight with humor and peace.
I was surprised to see him here, but it makes sense. This old barn was a comfort for us, a familiar place where we’d come to get away from the world. It makes sense that after being away for years, he’d feel at home here.
Now that I’m over my shock of seeing him, it’s familiar being around him. Him showing up here feels like no time has passed, except when I look at him, standing before me, taller than he used to be, strong thighs outlining his jeans, and a defined jaw peppered with scruff.
Time has definitely passed, and it’s been good to Easton Locke.
Not thinking too much about it, I say, “Sure, Cup-O-Joe?”
“Perfect.” A dazzling smile brightens his face. I’m in so much trouble if I think I’ve truly moved on from this man. One look at the person he’s grown up to be, and I’d fail a lie detector test that asked if I was still attracted to him.
Easton looks at me as he waits for me to make a move toward my car. “See you there,” I throw over my shoulder before sliding into the driver’s seat, turning on the heater to full blast and placing my hands close to the vent, letting it warm up my gloved fingers that are frozen despite my attempt to keep them warm.
I catch a smile playing on Easton’s lips as he shakes his head and gets into his car. I never saw him as a fancy Porsche guy, but I guess we all change. He mentioned he’s a lawyer, and I can imagine that lifestyle coupled with living in a city is completely different than the one we have here, different than the way he was brought up. Either way, coffee is going to be interesting.
I park in a spot a few shops down from Cup-O-Joe. The center of town is full of people, and I’m sure they are having lunch or a cup of coffee indoors. I can imagine the whispers when everyone sees me sitting with Easton. After Abbie told me what people were saying at church, this will probably confirm their theories about Easton and me dating again.
I roll my eyes and get out of my car, careful not to slip on a patch of ice as I make my way into the coffee shop. Once I’m inside, I see Easton walking toward the door. His arms fly out as he slips but maintains himself upright. I cover my mouth as I giggle, ignoring the loud chatter in the place.
“Did you see me almost fall on my ass?” Easton asks as soon as he opens the door and stands in front of me.
“Yup,” I pop the P, holding back my laughter.
Easton shakes his head with slight embarrassment. “Let’s get you coffee, Rudolph.”
My mouth drops open as I glare at him, but I feel a slight blush cover my cheeks. He remembers that.
After Easton and I grab our drinks, we sit at one of the only tables available and ignore the wandering eyes and curious coffee lovers with raised eyebrows.
“People were whispering at church. I bet they’re getting a kick out of this,” Easton leans forward on his elbows as he speaks.
“Yeah,” I sigh.
“Sooo… How have you been? Where do you work?” He leans back on his chair, his hands cradling the coffee cup.
I can’t believe I’m sitting here, having coffee with Easton, as if we were two old friends catching up. Well, I guess that’s exactly what it’s like. Still, it feels weird and right and confusing all at the same time.
“I’ve been good. I work at the elementary school as the administrative assistant. It’s great, honestly. Poppy teaches there, too, so it’s nice to have her around.”
“That’s cool. I take it being a historian didn’t work out?” His eyes widen the slightest bit as a smile marks his face.
I chuckle and shake my head, relaxing into my seat. “No future, so I make up for it by watching documentaries. How about you? A lawyer, huh?” I lift my eyebrows. I never imagined him taking on a suit and arguing in a courthouse.
“Don’t look at me like that.” His full smirk turns into a crooked one. “I had to take debate as an elective in high school, and I ended up really enjoying it. From there, I started looking at my options. Then, in college, I took a few pre-law classes and loved it.”
“Good for you.” I take a sip of my coffee, cringing when it burns my tongue.
“Hot?” Easton lifts his eyebrows in question.
“Steaming.” I remove the lid from my cup so it can cool down faster and look back at him.
“So now you’re going to work with Mr. Powell. I guess you took over Patrick’s position.”
“Yeah, I actually did. Heard he moved out of town not too long ago. What happened there?” His eyes widen in curiosity
“He’s a jerk and eventually lost his standing with the people. He was using Poppy— Actually, I should say trying to use Poppy to get a secure spot at Town Hall.”
“Poppy?” Easton’s eyebrows pinch together. “Weren’t he and Averly together?”
“This is what happens when you move away from a small town; you miss all the juicy stuff.” I shake my head and shrug.
My heart stammers when Easton leans forward and whispers, “You know that wasn’t my choice. I would’ve stayed.”
Suddenly, the light conversation has turned more serious. I stare into his eyes, framed by his full eyebrows. I always had a weird fascination with guys and thick eyebrows. It’s like they make them look manlier, scruffier. Easton always had perfect ones.
“You never came back, either.” I raise an eyebrow. God, I waited to see him again. It’s neither of our faults that we didn’t work out, but how I wish we would have. How I wish he would’ve jumped on a plane and visited, written to me, anything. Then again, neither did I.
“It wasn’t that easy. So much time had passed, and it felt awkward. Besides…” He looks over my head, avoiding my eyes.
“Besides what?” I push.
“For all I knew, you had moved on, met some guy and gotten married.”
My heart stops as his words sink in. My breathing comes in shallow as I look down at my coffee cup. If Easton wondered about that, then it must mean he still thought about me, not just remembered me as an ex-girlfriend.
“Why did you come now?” I look back into his eyes.
His expression turns grave. “My dad passed away a year ago—”
“What? I’m so sorry.” I reach for his arm, and we both look down at where our skin makes contact.
“It’s okay. He was sick, heart issues, and we knew it could happen. It still doesn’t prepare you, though. Losing a parent.” He shakes his head.
“Anyway, I know how much he loved this place and leaving it was hard on him, but he would’ve done anything to make my mom happy. She deserved the opportunity to
work at a university and make her dreams a reality, even if it meant leaving our home. But after he died, I just felt like I had to come back home. I could feel him here. I used my part of the inheritance to buy back the ranch. I just don’t want people here to accuse me of being a rich kid because I’m not,” he whispers this last part.
I nod.
“Where better to honor his life than here?” Easton shrugs, leaning back, causing my hand to slip off his. I remember when I didn’t need permission to touch him.
“And yours,” I add.
“Yeah, mine too. It all just fell into place.”
“That’s great,” I say just as his phone rings.
“Shit.” He looks at the screen and frowns. “It’s Camden. He’s probably wondering where I am. When I left this morning, he was still sleeping. He’s not much of a churchgoer.”
“Oh, yeah.” I stand. “You should go home. Man, that feels weird to say.” I shake my head and laugh awkwardly.
“Feels right to me.” He grins, his eyes brightening up like Christmas lights. “But yes, I should go before he tries to ride a horse or something.”
“You already have a horse?” I lift my eyebrows.
“Not yet. Mr. Prewitt has his in the barn, and I told him he could board it there. No sense in finding somewhere else when it’s been the horse’s home for years.”
“That’s nice.”
Easton shrugs. “It’s what anyone would do.”
I shake my head and smile. He’s always been oblivious to his kindness, and he acts upon it unconditionally. It’s in his nature.
When we stand outside of Cup-O-Joe, Easton turns to look at me. “How soon before people start talking about us?” He chuckles.
“You’re too late. They already are.”
“What?” His eyebrows pull in, and I hold up my phone to show him a text message from Abbie. Word about Easton and me having coffee has been let loose. Someone even took a picture of us, and it’s circulating around town. Let the fun begin.
“Damn, that was faster than I thought. Sorry about that.” He runs a hand down his face.
My Way to You: A Second Chance Romance (Love in Everton Book 7) Page 3
