Page 114 of Lavender Lake
Christmas morning would be filled with presents and matching pajamas, Muddy’s chocolate chip pancakes, and hot chocolate with a little spice added to it.
Tempest would curl up next to the fire and fall asleep.
Dad and Jane would . . .
Well, they’d get married. And have at least one kid.
And where would I be?
Back in New York. Working in a high-rise building with glass windows and empty take-out boxes. Smushing myself into a subway car during early morning rush hour. Getting my heels caught in sidewalk grates. Going home to an apartment that still had my friends, but not my sister.
There was a fork in the road. A clear fork.
I could go back to New York. I could get on the hamster wheel and pray that I’d be able to carve out some time for Thanksgiving or Christmas to come home . . . but not both, because there would never be enough time off for both if I chose that life.
And there would be men. Gorgeous, suit-clad men, who didn’t understand me or how I’d grown up. I’d be forever hungry in New York. Hungry for the one true human connection I’d ever made that I’d run away from because it had been too powerful.
I’d always gone after what I wanted. Even if I hadn’t known what that was, I knew if I dove headfirst in a direction, I’d eventually find my way. I always did.
But at this moment, my way seemed to be leading me back to my roots. Back to something I never thought I’d want again.
A Family.
A home.
Love.
Living with regret was something I’d never do.
So, I opened my phone and stared at the screen for a moment. Then I scrolled to his name and pressed it.
His phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Until it switched over to voicemail.
It beeped.
“Please,” I said. “Please come back.”
And then I hung up and hoped like hell I hadn’t fucked it all up.
“I can’t believe I get to hug your faces in a week!” Wyn said, a huge smile spreading across her lips.
“I’m literally ex-ing off days on the calendar,” Poet added as she held up a black marker.
I got up from the couch in the cabin and went to refill my glass of lemonade. Declan had gone into town with Harlan to hang out with Wade, leaving me and Hadley to have sister time in their cabin.
“One more week, and then we get to show you the town, the ranch, and maybe chain you to the porch so you can never leave,” Hadley said.
“Chain? Please, throw away the key,” Poet said.
I came back and took a seat next to Hadley. “Work still dragging you hard?”
“It’s the worst,” Poet grumbled.
