Page 81 of Our Now and Forever

“I need to go.”

“When are you coming home?” the older man asked.

“Never,” Caleb said, ending the call and grabbing his keys.

Just like the previous day, Snow spent Saturday driving around Nashville, visiting every spot to which Caleb had ever taken her. She even checked the locations he’d merely mentioned as places they should go. Asking at every hotel was impossible, but she checked several parking lots for his Jeep. She finally reached Deb, who’d pulled a double shift the night before and had no idea if Caleb was in town. Her former roommate had been surprised by the switch in roles, from hunted to hunter, but Snow was beyond thinking about her pride, nor was she up for explanations.

She just wanted to find her husband.

Around sundown, Snow was forced to admit the likelihood that Caleb was well on his way to Baton Rouge, if he hadn’t reached that destination already. She attempted to call Lorelei to let her know she was coming home, but her phone had died while she’d been trolling the Nashville streets. Thanks to a blown fuse that she’d meant to replace, she had no way to charge the phone without pulling over and finding an outlet.

All Snow wanted at that moment was to curl up in her bed and cry. Caleb’s scent lingering on her sheets would rip her chest open even more than it already was, but at least she would have some tiny piece of him to hold on to.

Squaring her shoulders, she drove north on I-65, assuring herself that this wasn’t over. What was twenty-four hours compared to eighteen months? If she had to fly down to Louisiana and beg at his doorstep, Snow would do it. She’d take a lie detector test, sell the store and move to be close to him. Whatever it took, giving up was not an option.

She didn’t blame Caleb for believing his mother. The woman possessed ninja-like manipulation skills, and her son had been on the receiving end of them his entire life. There was no way for Snow to prove that she’d never cheated. As much as her heart wanted to scream that she shouldn’t have to prove anything, that if he loved her he’d believe her, Snow was realistic enough to know that life didn’t work that way.

If put in the same position, she couldn’t say how she’d react. Except that everything she knew of Caleb said he’d never cheat.

The tears remained in check until she reached the Ardent Springs exit. The store would have closed an hour before, which gave Snow the excuse she needed to go straight home. By the time she turned off Main Street, her cheeks were soaked and she’d used every napkin in her glove box to wipe her nose. Though she’d taken a quick shower before leaving her hotel that morning, she’d been wearing the same clothes since yesterday morning, with the one concession of a new package of underwear.

If she’d been thinking straight on Friday afternoon, Snow would have packed a bag, but she’d driven out of town on panic and instinct, the practical incidentals not entering her mind. Tomorrow, she would come up with a plan. Maybe if Spencer or Lorelei called him, Caleb would answer. Or even Cooper.

Miss Hattie’s porch light glowed in the distance as Snow swiped a hand across her cheek. A hot bath, a cup of tea, and her pillow would get her through the night ahead.

And then she pulled into the driveway and her heart fell out of her chest.

Caleb managed to keep his ass on the porch, but barely. Watching Snow walk his way, looking fragile enough to split into pieces any second, set his lungs on fire. But they had to deal with the mess between them before he could hold her again. No more secrets. No more doubts. The next time they touched, there would be nothing in the way.

And there would be no going back.

“Hi,” she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve as she sniffled. “How long have you been here?”

“A few hours,” Caleb answered, gripping the porch step to keep his hands off her. “I tried to call.”

Snow lifted the phone in her hand. “It died,” she said. Two words that could apply to more than a phone in this situation.

His jaw tight, Caleb said, “I need to know something.”

“I swear, Caleb. There was no one else.”

“I know that,” he said, watching her jerk back in surprise. He reached up to brush her cheek, but held back. “Are you still willing to marry me?”

With little more than a whimper, she nodded her head yes.

“No more running,” he said. “For either of us.”

“I’ll never run again,” she said, “unless we run together. I’ll sell the store. I’ll move to Louisiana. Whatever it takes.”

Caleb felt as if he could breathe again. Pulling her tight against his chest, he said, “We’re not moving anywhere but to that house on Green Street.” Leaning back to look her in the eye, he brushed a tear away with his thumb. “This is it, Snow. Now and forever. You and me.”

Her face crumpled as she said, “I thought I’d lost you.”

“Of course not,” he said, giving her a smile. “You can’t lose me, darling. No matter what.”

“I love you, Caleb McGraw,” she declared, squeezing his neck. “And I’m never letting you go.”

Chapter 27

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