Page 79 of The I Do Over

ChapterThirteen

“A successful relationship requires falling in love multiple times, but always with the same person.”

Unknown

“This is stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid…ow!”

It was late Thursday afternoon, the sun was going to be going down soon, and Maddie was hopelessly lost. Her phone battery died about an hour ago too—not that it mattered. You couldn’t get cell service out in the middle of the forest. She normally prided herself on being prepared, but today she failed on many levels, all in an attempt to distract herself.

“And look how well that worked out for me,” she muttered as she tried to get her bearings again. Yesterday she had gone out hiking with a group but found that she wasn’t in the mood for being chatty or making new friends. So today she had opted to go it alone and it was a big mistake.

Huge, really.

Bordering on colossal.

She was almost out of water. She’d eaten all of her snacks—vomited most of them up on some greenery she prayed wasn’t poison ivy—and just twisted her ankle. And that was after she had gone to pee far off the path and ended up with a branch to the face because she tripped on a rock. It was how she ended up getting all turned around and lost.

It was official. She was going to die out here.

Maddie allowed herself a total of three minutes to sit on the ground and embrace all the negativity, but then she stood back up and gave herself a firm pep talk.

“This isnotthe way I’m going to go down, dammit. I’m going to get back to that cabin and eat the rest of those cookies, and I don’t care if I throw them up! Then I’m going to ice my ankle, order a pizza, and eat it in the hot tub!” Feeling like she had something to look forward to, she slowly started walking again.

Hobbling, actually.

But besides the creature comforts of being out of the forest, there were so many things she still needed to do and going to see Knox was at the top of the list.

The time alone had really given her the opportunity to think things through, and the reality was that Knox was right.

About pretty much everything.

She was afraid of her father—back when they were kids and now. Most of her life, Maddie did her best to fly under the radar with him to avoid dealing with his moods and the hurtful things he would say. But that day, in her own home with Knox at her side, she should have trusted that he would have protected her from anything her father said or did.

Her plan was to drive to Raleigh on Saturday and pretty much beg and grovel and convince Knox that she was worth another chance and demand that they get the future that kept slipping away.

She loved him. She always loved him. And dammit, she was always going to love him.

She was tired of being alone—tired of just existing. The times that she and Knox spent together over the last few months had been some of the best of her entire life. And when she added them to the wonderful times they spent when they were dating in high school, she knew that Knox Channing brought out the best in her. He made her happy.

Choose Knox. Choose happiness.

Her mother’s words had played over and over in her head for the last several days and it was really the confirmation that she needed. He was what she wanted, what she needed. Now she just had to pray that he could forgive her. It was one thing to ask for a second chance, but a third might be pushing her luck.

“I don’t care,” she mumbled as she walked along the path. “I’ll make him see reason and I won’t leave until he does.”

Big words coming from a woman who literally got lost on a marked path…

“Oh, shut up.”

Clearly there was a reason why hiking alone was frowned upon.

For almost an hour she kept walking and then something miraculous happened.

She saw a light.

No, not the one shining down from the sky, but a light at the end of the path, which meant she’d finally made it back to the parking lot! If her ankle didn’t hurt so damn much, she’d run. But for now, she was ready to sob with relief. She’d done yet another stupid thing and managed to make it out safely.

“No more stupid moves, Madalyn. From now on, believe in your bad self and stop playing the victim.”

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