Page 109 of Not Another Yesterday
She’s had the same pair of red chucks for years, has glued the sole on the right one twice now. She refuses to toss them because she hates breaking in new shoes. Blisters.
She likes strawberry ice cream and fuzzy socks. She hates being cold, likes her pillows medium-fluffy, and when she’s sad, she orders a caramel macchiato with extra whip at the bottom of the cup.
I wonder how many of those she’s had to have since I shattered her heart.
That last thought hits me hard enough to finally get my feet moving.
The dirt crunches under my boots, causing Cat’s and Miranda’s heads to turn to me.
“Hey there, Rony,” Miranda says, but I only have eyes for Cat.
She stands there, that box with flowers still in her hands.
“Would it be okay if we talked?” I ask her.
She raises her eyebrows, something hopeful flashing across her beautiful face. “Now?”
I nod. “Yeah. Now.”
I don’t know what happened between them during their six hours of forced proximity, but Cat glances at Miranda like she’s looking for… what? Permission? Encouragement? Not sure which or why she’d need either, especially from Miranda.
But Miranda grins and says, “Go ahead, I got this. I’ll just grab Daddy Soult to come help me move this stuff. Or maybe Stevie… orboth,” she says, obviously for my damn benefit.
I don’t acknowledge her statement. I reach for Cat’s hand, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, then lead her to my truck parked beside Miranda’s.
I open the door for her and watch as she climbs in—allowing myself a quick glance at her perfect ass before closing the door behind her and heading to the driver’s side.
I know exactly where I’m taking her: the one place that’s always been my retreat, my hideout from the world. Somewhere we’ll have the privacy I need to finally unpack everything.
Cat
I keep wanting to reach for Ronan’s hand as we rumble along a narrow dirt path into a thicket of trees. Back home, back when we were us, it was my favorite way of driving. Ronan in the driver’s seat of his Mustang, my hand on his shifter, his hand over mine. But I don’t reach for him now. I just fold my hands tightly between my knees, keeping them from even twitching in his direction.
We aren’t who we used to be only months ago. I hate how that feels. How my body wishes to bend in his direction, to answer the silent call to be in his arms, yet how much it feels like we’re strangers again, separated by a cavernous divide.
The air is thick between us, filled with tension, yet so much familiarity. I conspicuously inhale his scent, glance at his gorgeous profile. The past two months have done nothing to dull my love for him. If anything, his absence from my daily life, though definitely not my thoughts, just made me long for him more.
“Sooo,” he says, eyes still locked on the barely-there path ahead. “How was your day?” His voice is careful. I bet he lost his mind when he found out his grandma sent me off with Miranda. I’d have done the same if it were him on some random trip with…Adam.
I give him a small smile. “Pretty good.”
His eyebrows lift. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Randi and I had a chance to talk a little bit.”
He swallows. His green eyes flick to mine for a single heartbeat, and it looks like he wants to say something. But he just nods, not prying. Not yet, anyway.
Just then, Ronan stops the truck—and I gasp.
Just ahead, tucked between the trees, is a clearing with a beautiful, still lake, its surface sparkling beneath the afternoon light. A long,narrow wooden dock stretches about twenty feet into the water like it’s reaching toward something. Or someone.
“Oh my gosh,” I breathe, completely overwhelmed. “It’s incredible.”
Before I realize it, I’m out of the truck. I meet Ronan at the front. Unlike me, he doesn’t hesitate. He takes my hand, bold and steady, and leads me down the dock like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“This,” he says, gesturing out over the vast expanse of the lake with his free hand, “used to be my hideout. I guess, in a way, it still is.”
“It’s… Ran, this is…” I have no words to adequately describe how perfect this place is. It’s quiet and peaceful, nature in all its perfection. It almost feels like Ronan and I are the only humans on this entire planet.
