Page 8 of Won’t Let You Get Away

Answering honestly means revealing why I ultimately decided to come home.

I love Tucker like a brother, but there’s no way my Ma would forgive me if he found out about my pregnancy before she did. It was one thing for Addison to know before her, given how close we are.

Taking a deep breath, I reach across the gap between us and squeeze Tucker’s hand. “If I answer that, I’ll start crying. And then you’ll ask why, and I won’t lie to you.” Movement catches my eye and I turn to see Ma standing in the cabin doorway, waving at me. Smiling back at her, I turn to Tucker once more. “How about this? I promise that if you ask again later tonight, I’ll answer then.”

Tucker gives an understanding nod. “I can wait.”

Reaching between us, he takes a few bags from my arm and jumps out of the truck. As he heads towards the cabin, greeting my Ma with a kiss on the cheek, I focus on calming my racing heart and holding back tears.

When she turns to look at me again, her mostly white hair blowing in the breeze, I finally come to terms with the fact that things are about to change.

Carefully climbing out of the truck, I take one more deep breath before closing the door and putting on a smile as I turn towards the cabin. “Hey, Ma!”

With surprising speed, she practically launches herself off the porch and at me.

I stumble back and wrap her into a hug. My purse presses awkwardly against my thigh and the bags I’m carrying almost slip from my arm, but I don’t really care.

The warm, familiar scent of vanilla washes over me as my mother envelops me in a hug. It’s a small comfort amidst the worries and uncertainties of the past weeks. This is why I came back home.

There’s just something about a hug from my mom that helps ground me.

She looks me over and her hands grip my shoulders tightly as she holds me at arm’s length. Almost immediately, it’s as if she can see the turmoil behind my eyes despite my forced smile.

Her brows furrow and she cups my cheek with her hand. “You look exhausted, honey. Did you let your sister do any of the driving?”

I laugh. “And trust Addison behind the wheel with all my belongings? No way.”

She sighs, shaking her head and taking a step back. “Come on, let me show you around. Tommy just finished making the bed and is putting some towels in the bathroom for you.”

“Ma, I told you I have my own linens,” I protest. “And I know what the cabin looks like.”

“But it’s one less thing for you to worry about unpacking tonight. Plus, it gives you no excuse to miss dinner at the house.” She waves her hand dismissively and hooks her arm throughmine to pull me along. “Also, you haven’t seen the cabin since Pa finished his renovations.”

“Renovations?”

“Oh, I mentioned it before. He needed a project a few years ago, so I suggested fixing up this place.” She pulls the screen door open and motions me inside. “You never know when someone might need a place to stay, and I couldn’t let anyone stay here in its previous condition.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” I say, trying to recall what the cabin looked like before.

My mom ushers me through the door and I am immediately taken aback by the drastic changes. What used to be a simple, rundown cabin with one bedroom, one bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen has been completely transformed.

“How did I not notice these changes from the outside?” I murmur in disbelief while trying to process what I’m seeing. “Pa did all this?”

Ma beams at me, taking the rest of my bags from my arms and heading for the kitchen. “He had some help with plumbing and electrical work, and the boys next door helped with heavy lifting and painting when they could spare time.”

“This is more than just a small renovation.”

My dad went above and beyond simply updating the cabin. He expanded it, but kept an open concept feel. The kitchen and living room are now separated by a butcher block island, where Addison sits typing away on her phone. All the stainless-steel appliances shine like new. On the other side of the living room, there’s a brand-new mantel above the updated stone fireplace flanked by two bookcases.

At least now I know my books won’t be sitting in boxes.

As I walk through the living room towards the new glass sliding door, my jaw drops in amazement. The back wall of the cabin has been opened up to reveal a brand new porch and aview of the fenced-off farm land behind our property. But as I take it all in, something else catches my attention. To my right is a bedroom that wasn’t there before, and to my left are two doors that used to lead to a small bedroom and bathroom. Before I can even ask about these changes, the bathroom door opens revealing my brother.

“Well, hey, baby bro.” I smirk and cross my arms.

Tommy’s head snaps up in surprise and it’s then that I finally wonder if he’s still upset with me for breaking off my engagement to Paul. Since the very first time I brought him home, my brother has thought my ex could do no wrong. He was Tommy’s hero.

Addison had mentioned that Tucker gave him a hard time over Christmas for being mad at me despite knowing I was unhappy in my relationship. Since then, Tommy and I have only spoken a few times.

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