Page 152 of Choosing Forever
“You won’t think that when I kick you in the crotch, Darren. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I thought that jacket was gone. Assumed you used it for a fire starter or just ran your car over it and left it on some back road,” he says, reaching forward to take both sides of it into his hands.
“You can thank my grandmother. She refused to listen to me when I told her to do all of those things. I’m considering trying again right now, though.”
His grin is bright, making him appear younger. “How many times did I beg you to wear this jacket at my games?”
“Every time, Darren. You tried every time.”
“And you rarely gave in. You chose a jersey instead.”
“This jacket is heavy. And it smells like BO.”
He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, letting his touch linger. “I never even wore it.”
“Then whoever made it did before they gave it to you, because even now, it still stinks,” I grumble.
“Yet, here you are. It looks good on you. Like it was made for you to wear.”
My chest pangs as I say, “Tell me why you’re selling your house, Darren.”
“It’s not the right one anymore. I’m not sure it ever was.”
“What do you mean? You designed this place.”
He nods, eyes holding mine. “Can I take you somewhere? I’ll answer all of your questions when we get there.”
“All of them, Darren. I mean it.”
“Anything you want, Elle.”
I let him lead us to his car and keep all of my questions to myself on the drive. He doesn’t push, and I don’t mind the silence because I’m not alone. We’re together.
The drive is longer than I was expecting, though. Once we pass the Cherry Peak sign, I have to bite down on my lip to keep from asking him where we’re going. The drive-in grounds come and go before he turns down a dirt road. A moment later, he pulls over beside the ditch.
We’re in front of an open field with nothing to see beyond besides the sharp tips of the mountains and a few glowing lights from the town of Oak Point. If I were to turn around, I’d see the drive-in and the wooden structure that’s starting to be built to replace the original and, just to the left, the football field would be hovering far into the distance, the goalpost creating a shadow over the freshly worked land.
It’stheplot of land. Ours from all those years ago.
Stepping outside, I take in a deep breath. “Why are we here?”
“Follow me.”
He rounds the hood and takes my hand. We head into the field, and I eye the No Trespassing sign hung on the wire fence.The opening in the fence kind of ruins the whole privacy thing, but I keep my mouth shut about that.
“I’m afraid to tell you that if you bought me a horse, I’m going to ask you to return it.”
Chuckling, he moves around the field as if he’s been here a few times and knows where all of the wrong places to step are. I follow him carefully until he stops, turning to face me.
“Why are we here, Darren? Why are you selling your house? Yourhome?” I ask.
“That house has never been a home to me. I tried to make it one, especially for Abbie, but something was always missing.”
“Stop being cryptic,” I demand, my breath turning shallow.
Taking my other hand into his, he holds them both firmly. “I tried to fit you into that house, Elle. I bought your tiles, and I designed my entire bathroom around them because I thought that if I’d just nail those tiles, there would be that piece of you in the foundation of my house that couldn’t be scrubbed away. The built-ins in the living room and the panelling in the master bedroom were more failed attempts to build you into my life when you were no longer there. It didn’t matter how many things I did to that place because it was never right. It never was going to be right because you weren’t actually there.
“I’ve been in love with you for so long that everything I did had a little piece of you in it. A memory or a drifting thought. And now . . . Now, I’m done with trying to make a piece of you work. I want all of you, Delaney. I want your laugh and your touch because it’s the only one that can make me feel every emotion under the fucking sun. I want to see you in our room every morning and watch as you unpack your things beside mine. And I want to see you with my daughter. I want you to spend hours making bracelets together and giggling about the things I’ve done that day that the two of you can’t believe. I’m not okay with anything less than that anymore. So, I bought this land, and I’ve spent the last two days doing this.”
