Page 57 of Wild Hearts

"I guess so, but my nights are empty. I don't see you guys as often as I want."

"We can make more of an effort to get together," Amber offered, and Noelle's face pinched. "But that's not what you meant, is it?"

I sighed. "Lately, I feel like something is missing."

Noelle raised her brow. "Does this have something to do with a certain ex who recently moved back to town?"

I sighed. "Seeing him interact with his daughter has been eye-opening, which makes no sense because I'm around kids every day at work. He changed his whole life when he found out about Dakota, and he seems happy. Fulfilled in a way I'm not sure I've ever felt."

"Are you feeling this way because he's a dad, or is it more than that?" Tori asked.

"I'm not sure I ever fell out of love with Walker. As soon as he came home, all the feelings rushed back." It felt good to talk to someone about this.

"Does he feel the same way?" Amber asked.

"He's mentioned giving us a second chance, but I don't know. It didn't work out great the first time. I was so hurt when he left."

Noelle shrugged. "But you're not kids anymore. The timing is different."

"Wouldn't I be an idiot to ignore what happened last time? He's the one who walked away."

"Yeah, but he's not planning to do that now, is he? Not when he just moved here to be with his daughter," Tori said.

"There's always the possibility he could move to Virginia. It's Dakota's home, and he'd do anything to make her happy."

"If you're in a relationship, you make those decisions together," Tori pointed out.

"Like last time?" I asked her.

Tori winced. "I think it's different when you're eighteen. You can't pick up as easily and move in with someone."

"We broke up for a reason, and if it didn't work then, whywould it a second time? I'm fairly sure the statistics on second-chance romances are slim."

Noelle shifted in her chair. "I don't know about that."

"Life was different back then," Tori said. "Things felt so big. Choices were monumental, but at the same time, everything was black-and-white. There was no compromise. But now we can take the time to make sure we're creating a life that we love. You can decide to move with them to Virginia."

Was there anything stopping me from moving? "I stayed here to be close to my parents."

"Couldn't your sister do that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Crystal would never even consider it. She's so wrapped up in her job in the city. She barely remembers to call home."

"That might be because you've always filled that role in your family," Noelle added.

"And what role is that?" I asked, curious as to how they saw me.

"The caretaker. The responsible one. That left Crystal free not to worry about your parents."

I considered that. "Huh. I never thought about it like that."

Tori nodded. "If you take a step back, she might step up."

"How do you feel about it?" Noelle asked.

"I've never stopped loving him, and it would be all too easy to fall back into a relationship."

"Is that what he wants?" Noelle asked.

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