Page 40 of Can't Get Over You
“He’s not the love of my life.” She paced to the bay window, barely seeing the forest, because at that moment, the fog in her mind cleared, bringing sorrow—fear—into high relief. She crossed an arm over her stomach when she realized losing Matt wasn’t what she was sad about.
She was thirty years old, and giving him up meant she might never live her dream.It’d be years before she’d find someone to love again. Even more time before she’d have a child.
So much for a house full of kids.
Despair slid into her bloodstream. But she wouldn’t tell Willa any of it, because if she did, her friend would stay in Calamity to support her. All her hard work to get on the partner track would go out the window.
“To be honest,” Willa said, “I think most people get married because they’re ready. And that means they only have the pool of people around them at that moment in time to choose from. I don’t think it’s about finding the love of your life.”
“You’re probably right about that.” She needed to burn her vision board, forget some stupid, self-imposed timeline, and focus on how damn lucky she was to be a teacher and have good friends and decent parents.
“Putting aside my job for the time being, what do you want to do?” Willa asked. “Just tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”
Cody raced over to her, eyes bright and grinning. “I got a bike. Come look, Miss O’Neill. It’s so cool.”
Finlay held the phone away from her mouth. “Yay! I can’t wait to see it.”
“Mister’s gonna take those big trucks out of the garage so I have room to ride. You have to come watch.”
“Who’s that?” Willa asked. “Whereareyou?”
“That’s Cody.” She spoke with the intention of letting her friend know she couldn’t give any details.
“Come on, Miss O’Neill. Watch me ride.”
Jude’s tall, dark, and imposing form blocked the doorway to the kitchen. With his legs braced apart like that, his biceps bulging, and his hair tousled and shiny, she wanted to climb him like a tree.
“Let’s go,” he said to Cody in a commanding tone no one would ignore. “Miss O’Neill will join us when she’s off the phone.” When Cody did little more than inch closer to her, Jude frowned. A little crease formed between his eyes, and she knew he was trying to figure out what to do. “Remember, I told you my brothers are coming over? We’ll all ride together.”
The boy’s eyes widened in alarm. “Are you gonna ride, too, Miss O’Neill? You’re not gonna leave me, are you?”
Her decision was made. “No, Cody. I’m not leaving you. Not tonight.” She glanced at Jude to see if that was all right, but his expression, of course, revealed nothing.
But this wasn’t about him. It was about Cody feeling safe.
Nothing else mattered. “Hey, Wills? I have to go.”
“You’re seriously getting off the phone?” her friend asked.
“I am.” She had a little boy depending on her for his well-being.
“I don’t understand any of this.”
“I know, and I promise to explain tomorrow. But for tonight, I’m going to stay at a friend’s house.”
“Blink twice if you’ve been kidnapped.”
Finlay smiled. “I promise you, I’m fine.”
Willa sighed. “Let the record show, I’m opposed to this action. But just so we’re clear, I’m coming to pick you up tomorrow, and we’re either going to get drunk or make a whole new vision board.”
“Your flight leaves in the morning, remember?”
“Yeah, well,” Willa said. “I’m changing it to Monday.” And with that pronouncement, she ended the call.
Finlay stared up at the ceiling, hands overlapped on her chest like a body in a casket.
Which was fitting because part of her died when she’d run from the church. A whole life she’d once wished for with her every breath.
