Page 9 of The One Who Changed Everything

The drive was a blur, my focus fragmented by the whirlwind of emotions that swirled within. Anger, fear, longing—each vying for the lead in my chaotic thoughts. And beneath it all, the steady drumbeat of my primary purpose: to protect Sophia at all costs.

Parking outside the library, the building's familiar facade offered no solace today. I sat for a moment, hands restinglifelessly on the steering wheel. The weight of secrets pressed down on me like the heavy Midwestern humidity that would build throughout the day.

Fourteen years of carefully constructed walls, fourteen years of guarding the truth with a ferocity born of necessity. And now, Evan Mercer, with his kind eyes and calloused hands, threatened to bring it all crashing down.

CHAPTER 5

Samantha

Icouldn’t catch a break. It was like everywhere I went in this town, there he was. I barely registered the familiar scent of roasted beans and cinnamon that usually greeted me like an old friend. Because evenmycoffee shop had been invaded. My town, my library, my apartment complex. And now my coffee shop? I wanted to stomp my foot like my teenage daughter did when she thought I was being unfair. Because life was certainly being unfair right now.

There he was, sitting by the window, his tall frame slightly hunched over a steaming mug, his Bible open on the table in front of him. I rolled my eyes. The man was my baby daddy, for crying out loud. What an upstanding example of Christianity.

Ugh. That was catty, and obviously I knew that Christians made mistakes. I was the unmarried single mom, after all. But come on.

"Can I get you the usual, Samantha?" the barista's voice cut through my trance.

His eyes flew up at her words and I quickly turned away, embarrassed to be caught studying him.

"Um, yes, thanks," I murmured, quickly paying for my coffee and waiting at a nearby table.

I scrolled aimlessly on my phone, desperately trying to ignore his presence a few feet away.

“Mind if I join you?” I glanced up to find him standing next to me, his Bible now tucked under his arm and his coffee in his hand.

“Sure,” I answered, my voice a controlled whisper, though inside, I was screaming.

"Thanks," Evan replied, pulling up a chair. His eyes lifted to meet mine with a warmth that I wished didn't stir something within me.

We sat there, surrounded by the low hum of other patrons' conversations and the clinking of ceramic on wood, enveloped in an awkward silence. Holly brought my coffee, and I clung to it like a life raft.

I could feel Evan's gaze on me, patient and expectant.

Evan cleared his throat, a subtle signal that he was about to steer us away from the precipice of silence. Except, there was nothing for us to talk about. We weren’t friends, and I couldn’t pretend we were.

“I should go,” I said, pushing to my feet.

"Oh…” He almost looked disappointed. “Can I walk you out?”

"No," I said quickly—too quickly perhaps, feeling the façade crack just a bit. My gaze dropped to the table, focusing on the wood grain patterns as I fought to keep my emotions from spilling over.

Evan reached out, as if to bridge the gap, but stopped short. "If there's something you need to talk about—" he began, but I cut him off.

"Really, I'm fine." The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but I swallowed it down with another sip of coffee. My heart hammered away, protesting the falsehoods, but I couldn't afford the truth—not yet, not now. “I just need to go.”

I could admit to myself that I was running. Except, there was really nowhere to run in Minden.

I managed to avoid Evan for the next few days. But a few nights later, after a long day of hauling boxes of old encyclopedias to the storage shed, I snuck out of the apartment after Sophia went to bed. The apartment complex had a postage-stamp-sized pool that Sophia loved, but it was the hot tub calling my name that night.

I dropped my towel on the chair and eased into the warmth of the hot tub, groaning at the almost painful heat. I found a seat and tipped my head back on the stone edge, letting the hot water loosen the tightness of my back and shoulders. The day's tension ebbed away with each ripple. Then a familiar voice sliced through the tranquility.

“Samantha?”

My eyes snapped open, and my heart kicked against my ribs. Evan stood at the edge of the hot tub, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable in the dim glow of the pool lights. Water droplets clung to his skin, and his damp hair told me he’d already been swimming.

“Didn’t peg you for a rule breaker,” he said, one brow lifting.

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

---