Page 47 of Waiting to Love You

We even briefly touched on the future. I told her about taking the civil service exam in hopes of becoming a deputy and how that might affect our spending time together. Bristol was clear about her fears that something would happen to me overseas, and she could very well have the same fears about me becoming a deputy. Bristol hasn’t said anything specific, but she has hinted that there’s always a possibility of something happening, even if Tyson’s Creek is a quiet town where nothing ever really happens.

Instead of blowing off her fears, I confronted them head-on, explaining to her that although I understand there’s just as much of a threat of me getting hit by a car crossing the street as there is of something happening while I was on the job, I’d do everything in my power to ensure I came home safely to her. That seemed to ease her worries, but Bristol promised to talk to me about her fears and concerns if they arise, and I promised to always listen to what she had to say. I understand her fears are valid no matter how unlikely anything happening to me is.

I hoped that conversation had brought us closer, and it seemed we were heading in that direction the last time we talked, but something’s changed, and I have no idea what it is. Either way, I need to ensure she knows I have no intention of leaving Tyson’s Creek or her.

With every conversation, the connection and love I feel for her grows more and more. I know people will ask how I can love someone I’ve only spent a few weeks with, but when your heart knows, it knows. Besides, Bristol and I aren’t just meeting each other for the first time. Yes, we went more than a year without speaking to each other while I was on deployment, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying.

But out of nowhere, she’s stopped answering to my messages and has been sending my phone calls to voicemail. The sudden cold shoulder has me second-guessing everything.

“Too busy to respond to a text?” I huff as I push off the couch.

Once Brady gets into gaming mode, there is no talking to him.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. People are attached to their phones.”

I cuff him on the back of the head. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, man.”

“Anytime.” He winks at me as I head past him toward my bedroom.

As soon as I walk into the room, images of the night I spent with Bristol filter through my mind. I never believed in love at first sight, but meeting Bristol has changed the way I view the world. I’m no longer going through my days on edge and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead, I’m thinking about the future. More specifically, a future with Bristol in it.

I believed that after we spent more time together, she’d understand where I was coming from. I thought if I just showed her how much I cared for her, even after all this time, I could convince her to open herself up to me a little more. But instead, things have just gotten more complicated.

Something has scared her off, and I need to find out who or what it was and fast, or I could lose her. The one time I spoke to her via text a few days ago, she said things were busy for her right now, but I can’t shake this feeling that there’s something else going on. Bristol told me there were things she wasn’t ready to share with me just yet, and I understood, not wanting to push her away. But I was hoping after spending all this time reconnecting and getting to know each other again that she’d trust me enough to share those parts of her, even if only a little bit. Instead, I feel like I’m back to square one.

My phone rings, breaking me from my thoughts. “Hello?”

“Seth Williams?” an unknown voice asks.

“Speaking,” I reply gruffly, wanting to know the meaning of this call as quickly as possible.

“Hello. This is Amie from Pointe Realtors. This call is to inform you that the owners of the home accepted your offer.”

I sigh in relief; things may just be looking up. Now, not only is Connor my boss, but he’s my neighbor, too. If he wasn’t such a decent guy, I would have reservations about it, but it seems to have made us better friends.

“That’s great. Thanks. Is there anything else you need from me to finish the process?”

“Not at the moment, but we’ll let you know. Thank you for choosing Pointe Realtors, and congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I hang up the phone quickly and head back out of my room, stepping right in front of the television to ensure that I have Brady’s full, undivided attention.

“What the fuck? I was in the middle of a game!” Brady shouts, leaning from side to side and trying to glimpse the screen around my imposing form before pausing the game.

“No, you aren’t. I got the house.” I smile down at my friend as he pulls his headset off and drops the control, his game now forgotten.

“That’s amazing, man.” Brady stands and gives me a manly hug. “One step closer to sealing the deal with your girl.”

“I’m going to need to have a lot more than a house to convince her I’m not going anywhere, but this is a step in the right direction.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love that Brady and his family opened their home up to me when I needed a place to stay, but it's time for me to have space of my own. Having spent the last twenty-plus years sharing a room with two or three other men, it will be nice to not have to worry about anyone but myself.

“We need to celebrate. I’m sure Connor and Vance are busy with their ladies, but Walker and Riggs are in town. I bet they’d be down to grab a few beers at Crawdaddy’s.”

Leave it to Brady to find any excuse to head to Crawdaddy’s. He suggests we go there every chance he gets, whether it’s grabbing a beer with the crew from Ace & Hammer after work or a bite to eat. Yeah, it's one of the few bars in the area, but there is something that keeps drawing him back there… or I should say, someone.

Ever since his run-in with Emersyn a few months ago he’s been moody. He claims it’s nothing more than stress and adjusting to civilian life, but I know better. Nothing sets my friend on edge more than a beautiful woman. I always thought he had someone back here in Tyson’s Creek who had his heart, but he always denied it. Now I have a feeling I finally figured out who his mystery woman is.

“Is Emersyn going to be there?” I question, already knowing the answer.

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