Page 24 of Not Another Yesterday
“Oh… uhh… that’s… random.” Wouldn’t I know it, that little fuzzy monster that had lain dormant in my chest stirs. As far as I know, Ronan and Miranda haven’t spoken in over nine months, ever since she confessed her love for him and then left Montana when Ronan rejected her.
“Yeah, I know. But baby, she’s in trouble. I don’t have any details, but it sounds like some dude she was with took all her stuff. Her money, her phone, her truck. Everything, from what Randi said. Baby, she doesn’t have anyone to call. She really only has her dad, and… well…”
I nod. I know from Ronan that Miranda doesn’t have a good relationship with her father. It’s one of the reasons Ronan feels so bonded with Miranda—their shared experiences of growing up with parents who made them feel unloved.
“That’s awful,” I say as I hold my hand under the spray of the shower.
Ronan’s voice tightens. “The problem is, she’s in Tennessee with nowhere to go and no means to leave.”
My heart drops into my stomach. “You’re driving to Tennessee right now?” I ask, even though I already know. He didn’t ask for my input. He’s already gone. Already hours away. On his way toher.The monster blinks its eyes open and twists its neck in a serpentine manner. “Ran, that is so far!”
“I know, but I don’t know what else to do. I can’t leave her stranded. She didn’t even have money to pay for another night at whatever motel she’s staying at. I don’t know how she’d get out of there or where she would go,” he says, his baritone voice laced with deep worry.
I shake my head to clear it of the toxic, extremely unproductive, and completely unwarranted jealousy. Ronan and Miranda are childhood friends, and even though I can’t be certain of her intentions, I am confident in his. He loves me.
I exhale. There’s no point in arguing. Ronan has probably been on the road for hours by now, and for all I know he’s already in Maryland. “So, what’s your plan?”
“I honestly have no clue. I don’t even really know what happened, but I guess I’ll figure it out somehow. I have no idea, baby,” he says.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Christmas is in only a few days, all our friends are in town, and I was really hoping to spend some quality time with Ronan over break.
“No idea, but I’m thinking at least a couple of nights. I should get to Tennessee sometime tonight. Depending on how quickly I can come up with a plan, I’ll head home to you as soon as I can.”
Home tome. I cling to those words like a lifeline.
“Cat, I’m so sorry for springing this on you.” He knows what this might stir in me. But can he blame me? Miranda is his ex-girlfriend who, only months ago, tried to convince him to have sex with her even while knowing he was with me.
“It’s okay.” I mean it. Mostly.
I still don’t quite understand Ronan’s relationship with Miranda, that deep bond he has with her even with time and miles separating them. Do I have reason to feel threatened? Probably not. Ronan has never given me reason to doubt his commitment to me. He’s always been honest with me, even while he was in Montana, on the nights when Miranda snuck into bed with him. He’d tell me about it without flinching.
I trust Ronan—and the fact that he is so willing to jump into action for a friend who kind of left him hanging while he was at his most vulnerable is one of the things I love most about him. He’s been through so much pain, and still he goes above and beyond for the people he cares about. “Just, will you please check in with me? Let me know you got there okay?”
“Of course, baby.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll get under the shower and let you go.”
A quiet chuckle travels through the phone. “Want to switch to video and let me watch?”
My lips quirk. “I don’t think that’s a great idea. I need you to be safe while you’re driving.”
“Good call. Your body is distracting as all hell. I’d wreck in a matter of seconds.”
“Yeah,I definitely don’t want that. Plus, I have to give you an incentive to come home to me.”
He huffs into the phone as if my last sentence offended him. “I don’t need sex as an incentive. I’m not with you for just your body. I love you, baby. I know this is really unexpected and definitely not ideal, but—”
“I know, Ran.” I sigh again. “Just… think quickly, sweet boy, okay? Come up with a plan and then come home. And please drive safely. I need you.”
“Not as much as I need you.”
My lips tug into a smile. If only he knew how much I love him.
“Let me know when you get there. I don’t care what time that is, just please call me?”
“I will, baby. I love you so much. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Same. I love you.”
