Page 13 of Where You Belong

“You want to sit at the bar, or we can grab a booth?” he asks.

The way his eyes drink me in and the pull I feel between us draws me closer to him. I’ve never felt so beautiful from one look alone. It’s given me a confidence I hadn’t realized I’d lost.

Maybe lost wasn’t the right word, but it had gone away for a while. But something about Corbin has brought it back.

His finger rubs along my spine. The warmth of his hand makes it hard to focus on anything else.

“Let’s do a booth.”

The bar is mostly empty. It will give us time to talk before Madelyn and Alex arrive.

He nods, hollering to the bartender that we’re claiming our spot. They must know each other, when he responds with a mock salute.

I expect him to take the seat across from me, especially with it being the two of us here. When I slide into the booth, he mutters, “Nuh-uh,” under his breath and motions for me to scoot over.

I turn my body sideways, pressed against the wall to face Corbin. He settles beside me, slipping his arm along the back of the seat.

“Now this is better.” He winks, rubbing his thumb along my shoulder. “Although I wouldn’t mind if you decided to curl up against my side instead.”

I narrow my eyes at him playfully, and he shrugs as if to say “it was worth the shot.”

“Why’d you decide to move and settle down in Arbor Creek?”

This conversation could take a few different directions. If he’s as interested as he seems to be, I might as well shoot him straight. I half expected him to pull back when I brought up Huxton when we were talking after the photo shoot, but if anything, he only seemed more interested.

In fact, I was surprised and relieved when he encouraged me to bring him to their next Friends Night.

“I lived in Chicago until I was nineteen and got engaged to Huxton’s father. He started a business in Everton, so moving back and being close to my family seemed like the right decision.”

He listens intently. If the mention of Atlas bothers him, he never lets it show.

“We separated about three months ago. I was staying with my mom for a bit, you know, getting back on my feet. When I started looking for a place of our own, it seemed like the right choice to stay close by.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he says, clearing his throat. “About the separation. We never go into relationships, especially marriage, wanting it to end. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you.”

A weight lifts from my chest, like a heavy sigh of relief at his understanding. He made it so easy to open up to him.

“Looking back, even before we got married, I saw signs it wasn’t going to last. Red flags I chose to ignore. My father wasn’t around growing up. He had passed away before I was born.”

“Damn,” he mutters under his breath. Corbin adjusts himself in his seat, taking everything in before he turns back to me. He moves his arm between the two of us, reaching for my hand. I tangle my fingers in his, needing the lifeline.

“It was hard growing up without a father. I can’t imagine how different my life would be if he had been here.”

I’ve thought about it a million times leading up to and since our separation.

What if I had clung to my connection with Atlas for the wrong reasons? Did I stay with him because I loved him, or was it because I didn’t want Huxton to be without his father, too?

“In the end, I wanted to make it work for our family. It took a while before I finally accepted it wasn’t going to work out, no matter how hard I tried. It’s better this way.” I blink back the tears, recalling the conversation I had with Huxton before he left with his dad. “I truly believe it’s better this way.”

“I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to pack up and essentially start over. It says so much about you and the woman you are.”

“It’s taken time to adjust to being alone. The nights when Huxton is with his dad are hard.” Corbin squeezes my hand in his. “It helps that I’ve started to get to know people here and made friends, though. I’m not going to say it’s gotten easier, but it’s certainly brought light to a dark time.”

I sigh, tucking my hair behind my ear. The server approaches us, and she seems to recognize Corbin. Madelyn mentioned his job in law enforcement after the photo shoot, so aside from being from a small town, it makes sense he’s taken the time to get to know people in the community.

She takes our drink order and flashes me with a warm smile, assuring us she’ll be back with those in a few minutes. Meanwhile, Corbin never moves to let go of my hand and neither do I. Not even when a text message comes through on his phone, vibrating against my leg. He uses his free hand to slip into his pocket, pulling his phone out to check who it’s from.

“It’s Alex. He said they’ll be heading this way in a few minutes. He got tied up at work but is almost home to pick up Madelyn.”

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