Page 6 of Where We Call Home

And now?

Now, I was forced to grow up. To settle down. To re-evaluate everything.

I had been content with the way things were. But how much longer could I really sustain it?

Finally, I pulled into the driveway and parked, letting out a deep breath as I stared at the main house.

Nerves twisted in my stomach at the thought of seeing Aspen and Penny again. A strange, uncomfortable flutter, like butterflies fighting to escape.

Since the gender reveal a few weeks ago, I’d been pulling back. Retreating into myself. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was becoming an outsider—watching life happen from the sidelines.

I was growing up, and Aspen and Penny… well, they were still diving headfirst into reclaiming their youth.

There was nothing wrong with that.

But I wanted them with me on this journey. They were the only two people I had outside of my mom, and I needed them now more than ever. Meeting them was the greatest blessing a girl could’ve wished for.

Moving away after my dad died had been necessary. Oklahoma stopped feeling like home after he was gone. Every street, every memory—constant reminders of what I’d lost.

My mom packed up our SUV and drove us to Faircloud, Texas, and this town gave me something I hadn’t had in years.

A freshstart.

Here, I wasn’t that girl—the grieving kid everyone whispered about. No teachers pulling me aside, no pity-filled glances in the hallways. I was just Theo.

Reaching for the “oh shit” handle, I tried my best to get out of the car.

I failed miserably.

With one hefty pull, I almost straightened.

Then my knee locked up.

And just like that, I collapsed back into the driver’s seat.

I groaned, staring up at the ceiling of my car. “I am fucking going home.”

Muttering a string of expletives, I leaned back, taking a breather before attempting one more time.

It was impossible to describe how demoralizing it felt to be unable to do something as simple as getting out of my own car.

Especially for someone who had always done everything for herself.

“Need help?” A deep voice carried across the driveway.

That wordhelpstill made me cringe. It used to be foreign to me, something I prided myself on never needing. Now? It was quickly becoming a permanent part of my vocabulary.

“No thanks,” I replied, shifting in my seat, still fighting my body’s limitations. “I was just leaving.”

The sun was in my eyes, casting a golden halo around the figure near my car.

Then he stepped closer.

Rhodes Dunn.

One of Boone’s closest friends.

He leaned down, resting his forearms on the frame of my open door, flashing a grin that sent a bolt of heat through my stomach.

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