Page 98 of Heart Set on You

I love her, I know that much, and I need her to know it too. To never doubt it. I’ve never been happier than I was during those days and nights with her in Vancouver. They were a dream. They were everything to me, and I want more of that. More of that magic we create whenever we’re together. I need to fix this. Regret begins to claw at me, all the what ifs taking up space in my brain. What if I had told her that I was falling in love with her? What if I had asked her to stay? It’s too late to go back in time, to do it differently. But I’m willing to do whatever it takes now for us to be together.

“I love her.”

“Then you know what you need to do. Man up, M.B., and go get your girl.”

Chapter Forty

Rylee

“Did you hear a word I just said?” My gran looks up from the kitchen table she’s wiping, giving me a stern glare. She takes the empty plate from in front of my gramps, shaking her head at him. The gesture, I know, is meant for me.

“Listen to your Gran, sweetheart.” My gramps sits back in his chair adjusting his glasses on his nose. This is how these two work. My gran tackles the hard conversations head-on while my gramps backs her up. They’ve been like this since I was a kid.

Admittedly, I didn’t hear a word she said. I’m standing at the kitchen sink, washing the dishes and staring blankly out the window. I’m depressed and mopey and everyone in my family knows it.

“Rylee-Jay, we need to talk. We have news for you.”

My heart jumps in my chest. What kind of news could they possibly have for me? What if one of them is sick? I grip the edges of the counter, soapy water from my wet hands dripping down the front of the cabinet.

Gran must notice that I’ve gone still, because she gives my arm a squeeze before handing me a dish towel for my hands. “No, sweet girl. It’s nothing like that. Your gramps and I are fine,” she soothes. “Now sit down.”

She walks towards the table, taking a seat herself and crossing her arms over her chest.

Letting out a long exhale, I toss the towel onto the counter. I know better than to argue with her when she has something to say. I take the seat across from her. My gramps is at the head of the table. I have no idea what this is about, but they are making me nervous.

“We’re moving,” my gran blurts out of nowhere. “We’re selling the farm.”

“You’re what? Wait… I don’t understand.”

“Gramps and I are moving to a seniors’ place that we’ve had our eye on. A few of our friends from the church live there and they just love it. It’s something we’ve been talking about for years and an apartment recently became available, so we took it.”

I can’t believe this. “Why is this the first time I’ve heard about this?”

“We didn’t want to tell anyone until we found a place. And we knew you and your brothers would give us hell. We appreciate y’all taking care of us all these years, but we don’t want to be a burden. Besides the farm is gettin’ to be too much work.”

“You two will never be a burden. I’m just sorry I haven’t done enough,” I manage to say. I can’t imagine them anywhere but in this home, on this property. “Are you sure you want to leave the farm? You love it here.”

“Never been more sure, honey. Wait till you see this place. They have bingo on Saturdays, ladies’ night on Tuesdays and a yoga class three days a week. We can enjoy our lives instead of working our tails off around here. It’s a good thing.” Gran rests her hand over top of mine.

I can’t help but laugh. “You’re really going to go to yoga?”

“You bet I am,” she nods. “You know your Gramps and I love you more than anything in this world but it’s time you had a talking to. So listen up.”

Taking his cue, my gramps stands up and presses a kiss to the top of my head before walking to the back door. “Listen to her, sweetheart. She’s a smart woman.” He winks at me before disappearing outside.

“Now, you listen,” she begins in her this-has-got-to-stop voice. “I’ve let you wallow long enough. I’ve watched you mope around this old house for weeks. You don’t go out. You’re not seeing friends. You don’t do anything for yourself. You’ve made it your full-time job to take care of your Gramps and I, and frankly, it’s driving us a little crazy.”

I sigh. I know she’s right. My heart is broken in two. One half of it is barely beating in my chest, the other half is in Los Angeles with Miles. A tear slides down my face. When would this heart of mine stop hurting so bad?

“Come here, sweetheart.” Gran stands from her seat, rounds the table and pulls me into her chest. Another tear slides down my cheek, soaking into her blouse. I’m not sure I will be able to stop the rest from coming. This cry feels like it’s long overdue.

“You have a choice to make, Rylee,” Gran says, pulling away from our embrace. “You can figure out a way to be with that handsome man of yours or walk away and find someone else who can make you happy. I’m sure there are plenty of nice men in Deer Lake who would love the chance to date you-”

“Gran…”

“Let me finish. This needs to be said. You deserve to be happy and anyone who knows you, knows that you aren’t happy right now. I know you love him, and I also know things are complicated. I’m not asking for you to explain any of that to me. I’m just here to tell you that there’s always a way. Especially when love is involved.”

Gran squeezes my shoulder one last time before walking outside to let me sift through my thoughts.

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