Page 5 of Where We Call Home

“Where are you off to, anyway?” my mom asked, sitting up and holding out a hand to help me up.

“Boone’s throwing a party for Aspen. She finished her first novel, and he wanted everyone to celebrate.”

I groaned as I pushed myself up, and my mom yanked me the rest of the way, nearly toppling backward into the wall.

Told you—lack of space.

Seeing Aspen happy with Boone warmed my cold, dead heart.

Boone Cassidy had quite the reputation. He was Faircloud’s own cowboy Casanova, notorious for one-night stands and zero commitment. But the moment he met Aspen, that all changed.

Now, they were that couple. The kind that made you sick with how in love they were. So much so that Aspen had literally written a romance novel about their love story.

Barf.

When the fiasco of getting ready was over, I slung my purse over my shoulder, hugged my mom goodbye, and stepped out the door.

Another struggle in my life? Getting in and out of my 1969 Chevy Camaro.

This car wasn’t just any car. It was my dad’s pride and joy. The day I got my driver’s license, I claimed it as mine.

Driving this car meant I got to relive all those nights I spent as a kid helping him restore her. By “helping,” I mostly meant handing him the screwdriver or holding the flashlight just right.

Turning the key in the ignition, the engine rumbled to life, smooth and strong, just like it always had.

There wasn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for this car.

And no one else drove her.Ever.

Well, except for Gus.

Gus owned a mechanic shop in Faircloud and had made a name for himself by being grumpy as hell and a little too blunt. I liked him for it. He was middle-aged, had a mop of unruly red hair, a beard that would make a Viking jealous, and tattoos from his neck to his knuckles.

If I were a few years older…bow wow.

One day, Betsy—my Camaro—started making a weird noise, and I needed a mechanic I could trust. Word around town was that Gus was the best when it came to classics, but he had a mouth on him that could offend even those with the thickest skin.

I walked in that day ready to throw down. We went toe-to-toe from the moment we met and its been a beautiful relationship ever since.

While I was away traveling, he’d stop by to check on my car. Though, I had a sneaking suspicion he was more interested in checking on my mom. I’d told hersomany times she should ask him out, but she always got shy and shut down the conversation.

The trees blurred past as I drove toward Cassidy Ranch, the sun sinking lower on the horizon. Boone was throwing the party at his parents’ place—because nothing said rugged cowboy like a romance-themed celebration. Love made people do crazy shit, I supposed.

One thing I gained by moving back to Faircloud was spending more time with my friends. Seeing them again made me realize how much I was truly missing out on.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved what I did. Adventure and photography were my passions. But lately, being back in this town meant something in a way it never had before.

I’d always been a lone wolf.

As much as I adored my friends and my mom, I knew it would be me and the baby until the end because I came to terms with the fact that no one was guaranteed to stay.

Finding out I was pregnant had rattled me to my core, forcing me to confront feelings I’d buried for years. I’ve noticed that even my internal thoughts are a bit more… emotional.

I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted kids. Honestly, I’d always leaned toward not. But the moment I saw those two pink lines, something in me shifted. I looked in the mirror and saw someone else—someone I could be. And just like that, my entire life changed.

Giving up a piece of myself to anyone had always scared the shit out of me.

I’d spent years avoiding attachment, burying myself in work, in adventure, in meaningless one-night stands. I was in my late twenties with zero real relationships to show for it. My priorities had been simple—figure out what city to get drunk in and what guy would keep my bed warm that night.

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