Page 55 of Rebel Without a Claus
“Fine,” Aunt May huffs, tossing her hands into the air. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe she will wake up one day and regret staying. But sweetheart, that’s not something you get to control. That’s the risk we all take when we love someone. You don’t get to write their ending.”
I swallow hard. “I just… I can’t be the reason she resents her life.”
“And what if shewantsto change her life? What if the job in LA is just a stepping stone to something else, and this—you—is what she’s actually been working toward all along?”
“You’re not hearing me! I don’t want her to stay out of guilt.”
“Trust her that if she stays it’s because she wants to,” Aunt May says gently. “But you have to ask yourself something, Luke. Are you really afraid she’ll resent you… or are you afraid she’llturn into you. Maybe you resent her a little because she had andhasthe chance to leave.”
I flinch.
Bingo. Straight shot right to the heart.
“You’ve always felt a little stuck,” she continues, soft now. “You think I don’t know that? You had to take over the farm after your dad passed. All this?” She gestures around the barn. “This was never your dream.”
“I never knew what my dream was. This was as good as any.”
“You were so young when you took over for your dad, that you never dared to let yourself dream any bigger. And Iappreciate you. I’ve loved having you here with me these last several years. But your happiness means more to me than this farm. I love you, Luke. We can find a way to survive without the farm. We can sell it. Or hire more help so that you can travel more. See the world.”
I scoff at her optimism. Hiring help means training them. Trusting the lives of dozens of livestock in the hands of someone who isn’t family.
Her hand grips my elbow, giving it a squeeze. “You buried your dreams. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make new ones with Eve. Together.”
I stare at her. “You think I’m projecting?”
“I think you’re scared.” She smiles sadly. “But I also think you love her enough to let her go. So I’m just here to ask you… do you love her enough to try and build something new with her instead?”
The door creaks open again, wind swirling in around Nicholas.
“Cupid’s getting antsy,” he calls. “Are we ready to load the rest of these guys and get a move on?”
I nod once and start toward the trucks.
But Aunt May’s words stay with me, echoing louder than the hoofbeats behind me.
What if the life I built out of obligation… could be rebuilt into something better?
Something real?
Somethingours?
Maybe it’s time to stop bracing for goodbye. Maybe I don’t even have to say,Stay with me.
Maybe… it’s time for both of us to dream bigger and see if our dreams lead down the same path.
Maybe after all these years, Eve and Luke can finally get their chance at a life together.
CHAPTER 19
Eve
Golden light filtersthrough the big front windows of the North Star Lodge, spilling across the polished hardwood floors in soft, honey-colored stripes. It’s one of those crisp December mornings where the air smells faintly of frost and cinnamon, and for a brief, foolish second, I let myself believe everything is fine.
I pad down the stairs in my red sweater dress and black leggings with Cringle following at my heels. My hair is already curled and my makeup’s done and I feel smug in the knowledge that—for once—I might be the first one awake. I want the head start. Today’s going to be busy and chaotic, and if I can get even twenty minutes of quiet before the madness starts, maybe I’ll survive it.
Coffee first. Always coffee.
I make a beeline toward the kitchen but stop halfway when something catches my eye on the desk tucked into the corner of the front lobby. A stack of unopened mail sits there, looking harmless enough, but there’s one envelope—bright, angry red—peeking out from beneath yesterday’s flyers.
