Page 23 of All Roads Lead to You

I smiled at that. Hunter was my one true constant in this uncertain world.

Chapter 7

Nick

Logan and I planned to leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow since it would be a nine-hour drive to Nashville, and that was without stopping. We’d packed the Mustang already, for the most part, so we wouldn’t have to deal with it in the morning. The only thing we needed to toss into the car was the cooler for food and drinks.

Logan moved things around in the opened trunk, checking and double-checking to make sure we’d packed everything we would need. The trunk and backseat were crammed with a suitcase we had to share, two backpacks, a tent, camping gear, toiletries, and other necessities we’d need while on the road. If worse came to worst, we could always buy it. Although, if we did, I was sure the car would explode if we added anything else.

“God, my poor car,” Wyatt said, walking into the garage.

Logan glanced back at him, grinning. “Regrets for bribing me?”

“Never as long as you two get along.”

Admittedly, I liked seeing Logan smile.

“We’ll do our best,” I said.

My stepdad clapped my shoulder and then gripped it. “Good. That’s what I like to hear. Anyway, Mia and I will be up early in the morning to see you boys off, not that your sister doesn’t have us up at the crack of dawn. I thought those days were long over.”

“You love it,” I said.

“I really do, as exhausting as it is.”

Logan closed the trunk and locked up the car. “Hopefully, we got everything. We’ll do one more check tomorrow.”

“Whatever you forget, we’ll bring it with us when we head your way in a couple of weeks.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

An hour later, after I’d showered, I fell onto my bed, rolled over, and stared at the phone sitting silently on my nightstand. It’d been pretty quiet since Lauren and I broke up. On days we weren’t seeing each other, we could talk on the phone for an hour or more. We didn’t always talk, but just ‘hung out’ over the phone. I thought we’d been close and in love, but now I questioned everything and looked for any signs I might have missed or where I failed.

It still stung a little that I was about to leave without her and that it’d been nearly two months since we broke up. Not once did she call me to apologize or to see how I was doing. It felt like those years had been wasted. Being as stubborn as I was, I didn’t call her, either. If I were Caleb, I’d just hit college and find girls to get with, but that wasn’t my style. I’d only had one girlfriend ever, so while I was excited for my future to begin, it was bittersweet, starting a completely new life alone.

The screeching alarm set my heart racing and pounding. I sat up, instantly awake, and glanced at the clock, which read five-forty-five in the morning.

“Here we go,” I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

This trip would either be the adventure of a lifetime or an absolute disaster. I prepared for the worst but hoped for the best. And with Logan, who knew? One minute, he was cool, and the next, he’d go completely mental.

After throwing on the clothes that I’d laid out the previous night, I headed to the bathroom I shared with Logan, but I stopped in the doorway and turned around. My room was virtually empty except for the bed, dresser, and desk. All the posters were gone, the souvenirs I collected over the years from our family vacations had been packed away, headed toward my new life, and my tennis trophies were put into boxes, which now sat in the basement.

Sure, I’d see my room again, but it would never be how it used to be. Just like when I returned, I’d be a different man. Probably. Maybe not. I doubted I’d change that much in a few months. Still, I’d like to think I’d be more grown up. Perhaps even a little smarter and wiser.

I guess I was more sentimental than I thought.

Logan and I reached the bathroom at the same time, staring at each other for a beat before he waved me in. “Go for it.”

“You go first.”

“Just get in the fucking bathroom, and I’ll go after you.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed. “Sorry. Just… you can go first.”

My mouth opened and closed, trying to find words, but before I could argue, he stormed off back into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. How could a person be polite yet such an asshole at the same time? I seriously doubted that I would ever understand Logan Conrad.

I rushed into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and fixed my hair before heading downstairs with an excited pep in my step for a quick bite to eat and to drink down some coffee.

“Morning,” I said as I stepped into the kitchen and walked straight to the coffeemaker to pour some brewed coffee he’d brewed already.

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