Page 63 of The Promises We Broke
"Yeah. It did." He met my eyes directly. "For everyone involved."
The admission hung between us, heavy with regret and possibility. I wanted to push further, to demand details and explanations, but something in his expression told me he'd shared what he could for now.
"Actually," I said, gathering my courage before I could change my mind, "Delaney invited me to family dinner tomorrow night. I was thinking of going, if... if you're okay with that."
Something shifted in his expression—surprise, then something that looked like joy. "You want to come to family dinner?"
"I thought it might be nice. To see everyone together, catch up properly. I haven't had any Amelia cuddles for ages." I twisted my napkin in my hands. "But I don't want to make things awkward for you. If you'd rather keep family time separate from whatever this is..."
"No," he said quickly. "I'd love for you to be there. The family's been asking about you anyway, and Cade's been wanting to show off his baseball card collection to someone new."
The warmth in his voice made my chest flutter. "Then I'll be there."
"Good." His smile was soft, genuine. "That's really good."
"I should go," I said reluctantly, glancing at the clock. "I have to catch up on all my notes from this week."
"Of course." He started to reach for his crutches, then paused. "Billie? Would you maybe like to see the house sometime? I mean, if you're curious about the renovation progress."
My heart was thundering so loudly I was amazed the entire coffee shop couldn't hear it. The house. Our place. The symbol of every dream we'd shared as teenagers.
"I'd like that," I heard myself say.
The smile that spread across his face was radiant. "Really?"
"Really. But as friends," I added quickly, needing the boundary even as part of me wanted to throw caution to the wind.
"As friends," he agreed, though something in his eyes suggested he was hoping for the same thing I was—that friendship would be the beginning, not the end. "Next Saturday?"
"Yeah, that would be great."
I left the coffee shop in a daze. All I could think about was seeing our house again, and the way Gage had looked at me when I said yes.
Like I was exactly what he'd been hoping for.
All I could think about was Saturday afternoon and the house by the swimming hole and the way Gage had looked at me when I said yes.
Like I was the answer to a prayer he'd been afraid to voice.
Maybe Blake was right. Maybe it was time to stop protecting my heart and start fighting for what I wanted.
Maybe it was time to find out if the boy I'd loved was still somewhere inside the man he'd become.
Saturday couldn't come soon enough.
Chapter 22
Gage
The familiar chaos of Sunday dinner at Trace and Delaney's farmhouse should have been comforting. It had been awkward at first being in the middle of a family I wasn't sure I still belonged in. But now, I could see why this was a tradition they'd created. Because instead of being surrounded by awkward tension there was nothing but comfort and warmth here. And even better, with Billie sitting across from me at the big oak table, sharing shy smiles and careful conversation, I felt like my skin was too tight and every nerve ending was on fire.
Yesterday's coffee had been a revelation. An hour of tentative conversation that felt like the first real step toward rebuilding what we'd lost. When she'd mentioned family dinner, the yes had come so quickly it gave me hope that maybe she wanted this reconnection as much as I did. Now, watching her laugh at something Cade said while helping him organize his baseball cards, I felt that dangerous emotion unfurling in my chest again.
"Uncle Gage," Cade said, dragging me back to the present, "are you gonna eat your potatoes or just stare at them?"
Heat flooded my cheeks as I realized I'd been watching Billie instead of eating. "Sorry, buddy. Just thinking."
"About what?" he asked with the directness only kids could manage.
