Page 67 of It's Not Home Without You

“Don’t apologize. You need to be more aggressive; you’re too nice. But I have one question? Have there been more dates? More kissing? Anything?” I smiled with delight when she blushed.

“I don’t know what we are. I mean, he kisses me, and he likes to hold my hand, but he hasn’t asked me out.” She turned to look at me as we passed the sign that said Sunny Pines. “What does it mean? Does he think I’m easy?”

“Ask him if you guys are exclusive or dating other people. Then he’ll give you the answer.” I could picture Dex getting mad. I justhoped I was around to watch him lose it. I got out to stretch my legs when Emma stopped at the gas station.

“I’m getting something to drink, you want something?”

“Ooh, get me a Slurpee,” Emma shouted. I walked into the gas station and headed to the back to get my drink.

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t accept to be part of the wedding party. You and Abigail were like sisters.” I was about to get Emma’s drink when I heard those voices and instantly froze. I need to leave ASAP, but Gwen and Juliet Dunnett turned around and saw me.

Small towns, huh?

“Freya Pratt, you look well.” Mrs. Dunnett said in a sharp tone, giving me a once-over.

“You’re back.” Juliet also gave me a slow glance, her eyes on my Fendi heels and my Louis Vuitton bag. Once upon a time, I would have been kind to them because I wanted them to like me, but not anymore.

I grabbed the first drink I touched.“This is my home.”

“You didn’t care about that when you broke my son’s heart,” Mrs. Dunnett bit out, and I laughed.

“Seriously? It’s not like you and your husband left me much of a choice.” I turned around, paying for the drink in my hand and forgetting to get Emma’s Slurpee.

“Where’s my drink?” Emma asked.

“The machine broke down. Here, I got you this.”

Emma looked at the drink and then at me. “I don’t like energy drinks but thanks.” She grabbed the drink and threw it in the back seat. I watched through the window as Mrs. Dunnett and Juliet argued. I didn’t have it in me to care.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The wedding rehearsal had started,and all I had done was pace all over the trailer. Grandpa knew there was something wrong with me, but he didn’t point it out. He watched me walk to my room, outside to the living room, and back again to my room. I was desperate, and time was agonizingly slow, taunting me. It was sink or swim time. Did I go over andtell Max how I felt despite everything working against us, or did I let him be happy with her? It was stupid and so utterly selfish of me, but I wanted him to make a move. A part of me hoped he had canceled his wedding after what happened, but no one said anything.Was I a lousy lay?I shook my head to clear away unwanted thoughts.

“Looks like it gonna rain,” Grandpa announced, not even looking outside.

“I guess,” I responded while I played with my hands and kept pacing our little kitchen.God, give me a sign? Tell mewhat to do.The more time that passed, the more I felt like I was dying on the inside. I could be impulsive and show up, but then what? What happened after I said my piece? What then?

“Freya, sit your ass down, girl,” Grandpa yelled at me. With shaky feet, I did as he asked.

“Now, I always let you run around and make your own choices. Some of them good, most of them bad, but you ain’t had your mama, and I did the best I could. I watched you with that boy, and he cherished you. Now I ain’t stupid, and I figured you ran because that daddy of his wasn’t too keen on having you be with his son. He visited me once shortly before you ran out of town. He told me to keep you away from Max.”

I gasped, about to ask him why he never mentioned it, but he cut me off.

“You had time to talk. Now let me have my say. I didn’t open my mouth because I figured if I forbade you to see the boy, you would do it to spite me. Besides, that boy would have moved heaven and earth for you. You left this town but took that boy’s heart with you. Max was empty. One day after he came back from college, he came here piss drunk, demanding answers I didn’t have. With taxes rising, my pension wasn’t cutting it anymore, and I wasn’t about to touch your hard-earned money. The last thing I wanted was to sell my land… This land is all I have tooffer you.” MyGrandpa’s voice shook. I knelt in front of him, holding his hands with tears in my eyes.

“I sold it to Max because I knew with him, you’d alwayshave a home. Now stop wasting your time and go stop that boy from making a mistake both of you can’t come back from.”

Wiping the tears from my face, I gave Grandpa a hug and a kiss on the cheek and ran to counter for the truck’s keys.

The rain made it hard to drive, but I kept at it, needing to get to Max, at least to tell him what I felt before it was too late. Cranking the heater up so the window wouldn’t fog, I then I took my phone and dialed Rusty.

“Hey,” he answered skeptically.

“Are there many people? Can you tell Max to meet me outside? I need to talk to him.”

“What are you talking about, Gabs?”

“The wedding rehearsal.”

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