Page 43 of Love Letter Lost
I accepted the change of topic with a forced laugh.
“Thanks, Doctor Ridge.” My voice cracked as I spoke. I cleared my throat before continuing. “Now can we eat something? I’m starving.” In our rush to include Audrey in our hiking plans, we had forgotten all about the food part of our celebration. Not to mention, I needed distance between us, fast. My mind whirled with all I’d learned.
“Your wish is my command. What sounds good?”
I thought for a moment. “Honestly, fried chicken and potato wedges.” I pictured the deli food and my stomach growled.
“Coming right up.” Ridge got me settled on the couch with pillows and an ice pack before leaving for the grocery store. I used the time to scroll through the photos Audrey had taken. The waterfall in the background made a beautiful setting. I loved the pictures of Ridge and me together and knew that, despite the disaster my heart was heading for, I would treasure them after the wedding was over. Especially now that I better understood why he’d run. I selected my favorite few photos and sent them to Ridge before limping to my bedroom and grabbing the notebook and a pen then settling onto the couch to write.
Dear Ridge,
Thank you for being my knight in shining armor today. I can still fall down a mountain with the best of them, and it was good to know you were there to catch me.
I wish I had been there to catch you after the accident and the fight with your dad. I had no idea what you were dealing with at home. My heart aches, knowing the pain you must have gone through at the hands of the man who should have cared for you most. Please forgive me for not knowing, for not doing anything.
Mal
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
I finishedthe letter and hobbled back to my room, placing the journal on my nightstand before returning to the living room. I settled on the couch, scrolling through social media as I waited, my stomach grumbling and ready for food. By the time Ridge returned, Ruby had wandered out of Audrey’s room and was settled on the couch next to me.
“Thanks for sending those pictures. They turned out great.” Ridge distributed the food and sat on the loveseat diagonally from me. “Sorry the hike didn’t end as expected. The waterfall was beautiful, though.”
“I know it wasn’t the best hike ever, but I’m glad we went. It was nice to be in the mountains.” I paused to take a bite before continuing. “When I’m up there, I feel like I can actually breathe. I can let go of my stress and just enjoy everything around me.”As long as no one makes off-handed remarks about proposals.
“I get that.” Ridge nodded. “That’s one thing I love about Rexburg. It’s so close to trails and rivers and things.”
“Where’s your favorite place to go?”
He thought for a moment as he bit into his food. “Probably Island Park. It’s a few hours away, but worth the drive. You can find a camping spot near Henry’s Lake and spend a weekend exploring the mountains. It’s gorgeous and not too far from Yellowstone.”
“I’ve heard of it. Audrey has friends with a cabin up there, and she talks about it all the time. It sounds nice.”
“It is.” Ridge paused. “I wish I could get Amber to see how amazing it is. I took her camping once a couple of months ago, and I will never make that mistake again.” His facial expression was comical. His lips and eyebrows scrunched, and he puffed his cheeks a bit.
“Not good?” I asked with a laugh.
“Horrible. She spent the entire time complaining about something. If it wasn’t the dirt, it was the bugs. If it wasn’t the bugs, it was the camp bathrooms.” He sighed and then shrugged. “It was her first time camping, so I can’t really blame her. I think our next outdoor adventure will be of the cabin variety.”
At that moment, I wanted to grab Ridge and shake him, pointing out how wrong for him Amber was. But it wasn’t my place. We may have been friends almost our entire childhoods, but we’d been back in each other’s lives for only a few days, hardly enough time for me to have a say in his personal life.
I decided to change the subject. “So, you mentioned wanting to teach history. What era is your favorite?”
“That’s a tough question. Probably World War II. It’s a hard time to talk about, but I think there’s so much we can learn from it.”
Our conversation moved on from there, making the years of missed time fade away. It could almost make a girl forget how much she’d been hurt and how unavailable he was, especially now that I understood the past in a new light.
We finished eating in companionable quiet. I tried to draw out the meal, hoping Audrey would swoop in to help with the centerpieces despite the guarantee of disapproving glances that would come with her. A text, explaining that she’d gotten roped into something with Chloe, dashed that possibility. Not even my pleas for a Ridge buffer were enough to change her mind.She must trust me more than I do.
“Where do we start with the centerpieces?” Ridge stood, taking our trash and dishes into the kitchen.
“Probably with a table.” I hated to get back to work.
Ridge glared at me with a shake of his head. “I kind of assumed that part.”
I shrugged. “You’ve got to be more specific.”
“Now that we have atable,” Ridge gestured to my kitchen table, “what’s next?”
