Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I don’t know where I’m going to end up. I don’t know what my life will look like a week from now, or even a year from now. Everything feels uncertain. Like I’ve stepped off the edge of something familiar, and I’m now free-falling, hoping to land somewhere safe.
My safe place has always been my sisters, my best friend, and my hometown.
What I do know is this: I walked away. I ended a five-year relationship, quit my job, and packed up whatever I could fit into my rental car before driving through the night back to the only place I was certain was holding me back all those years ago. The memory of my parents was too much, so I fled, and now, here I am, going back, and it feels right. I didn’t leave myself much room to second-guess my choices either. If I had slowed down, thought too hard about the consequences, I might have stayed, which would have been worse.
So, I ran. I ran to save myself from what I knew would have been a lifetime of pain and feeling insignificant. The last couple of years have shown me what life would have been like if I had stayed. Instead, I chose distance. I chose silence over arguments, clarity over confusion, and my own peace over something that had been slowly breaking me for longer than I wanted to admit.
I stayed far longer than I should have, and tonight—well, last night now, I guess—the choice was easy. I chose myself.
And now I’m here, back where my sisters and my best friend are, where I can breathe a little easier, even if everything else feels like it’s falling apart. I don’t have a plan yet. I don’t have answers. But I have this moment, this small sense of relief, and the quiet certainty that leaving was the right thing to do—even if I’m still figuring out what comes next.
Grabbing my keys, phone, and purse, I climb out of the car. I’ll get some of my things later; right now, I need a hug from my best friend and a nap, in that order. The door to my rented SUV is barely closed before Sophia comes running out of the house, no coat, snow boots untied, as she rushes down the snow-covered steps to greet me. I brace myself for impact as she collides with me, wrapping me in a fierce hug. I hug her just as fiercely.
“I missed you,” she mutters, before pulling back, tears in her eyes to match the tears in mine. “Come on.” She tosses her arm around my shoulders and leads me into the warm house.
“Where’s Nathan?” I ask her. Sophia started dating Nathan a couple of years ago, and they’ve been living together for about a year.
“Oh, he’s at his parents’ place, helping his dad work on his motorcycle.”
“He made an excuse to give us some catch-up time, huh?” I ask.
She grins. “He did.”
“I can’t believe Nate is the man you fell in love with. We went to school together all those years, and the two of you never once dated.”
“I know.” She nods. “He was always just Nate, the funny, flirty guy who played football. It’s weird how life works out sometimes,” she muses.
“Yeah, kind of like me packing up and moving home—oh, and let’s not forget quitting my job and leaving my five-year relationship. Can’t forget that.”
“Are you ready to talk about it yet?” she inquires.
“I probably should,” I say, before I word vomit everything that happened since getting home from work yesterday.
Compassion is written all over my best friend’s face. “Damn,” Sophia mutters.
“Yeah. So, here I am.” I hold my arms out at my sides.
“You can stay here as long as you need to.”
“Thanks, Soph, but once Ellison knows I’m here, I’ll go back and stay in my old room. It’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing, but I’m not cramping your space with Nate.” I wag my eyebrows, and she laughs.
“We’re happy to have you.”
“And I appreciate you more than you know,” I say, covering a yawn.
“Do you want something to eat before you nap?”
“No. Right now, I just need a soft place to land.”
“Come on,” she says, standing from the couch. “I’ll get you something more comfortable to sleep in so you don’t have to dig through your bags, and we can deal with everything else after you’ve had some rest.”
“Thank you, Soph. I love you. I’ve missed you,” I tell her.
“Love you, girl. I missed you, too, and selfishly, I hope that you’re home, here in Magnolia Ridge, to stay.”
I nod, but honestly, I don’t know where I’m going. I have no plan, but I’m comforted knowing that my sisters and my best friend have my back. I can take the time I need to figure it out, and that is priceless.