The Girl He Used to Love

by Amy Vastine

  It was a brilliant idea. It was quite possibly the best idea anyone had ever had. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to make it happen.

  “Go pack.”

  “For what?” Sawyer asked.

  “We’re going home.”

  * * *

  FAITH FINISHED SWEEPING the aisle and was hanging the broom up in the tack room when she heard the slamming of a car door. Scout barked and ran out ahead. Her morning helper had already come and gone and she wasn’t expecting anyone else this Sunday.

  When she stepped outside, there was no one there, not even the dog. She shielded her eyes from the bright morning sun. Maybe she had been hearing things.

  “Scout! Come here, boy!” she shouted, figuring the dog had run around the house, chasing who knew what.

  The dog didn’t reappear. Faith didn’t have time to chase him down. She needed to shower and get ready for church. Scout would show his face eventually.

  She crossed the yard and climbed the porch steps. Just as she went to the push the front door open, it moved on its own. Sawyer and one happy chocolate Lab were on the other side.

  “What are you doing here?” Faith threw her arms around her brother. He had been gone less than three weeks, but it felt like years.

  “I came to take you to church. You better go get ready—you smell like the barn,” he teased but didn’t let her go.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming when I talked to you last night?”

  Sawyer released his grip. “I didn’t know I was.”

  * * *

  “I’M GLAD YOU’RE HERE.” She’d been missing him so much during the down times of the day. Evenings alone in the house were the worst. She also hated going to church by herself. He’d arrived at the perfect time.

  Faith went up to shower and change. She smiled when she saw Sawyer on the floor, playing with the dog. “I don’t know who’s happier to see you—me or Scout.”

  “I’m happy you’re happy,” Sawyer said, giving Scout’s belly a rub. “I thought maybe you were still mad and that’s why you haven’t been calling or texting as often.”

  Faith plopped down on the couch. “It’s been really crazy around here and I sort of wanted you to get acclimated to your new life. I didn’t want to be the bothersome sister, calling you all the time, telling you how much I missed having you around.”

  “Well, that’s good to know. I don’t want things to be bad between us.”

  “I’m sorry for how I handled everything,” Faith confessed. She was ashamed to admit it. “I shouldn’t have asked Dean to turn you away. I should have been more supportive of you.”

  Sawyer stopped messing with the dog and glanced back at his sister. “I accept your apology.”

  “I felt abandoned. Like you were treating me the way Mom treated Dad.”

  Sawyer scowled at the mention of their mother. “Don’t ever compare this to that. Mom left us to fend for ourselves before we were old enough to do so. She truly abandoned us. I left totally certain you could do this because you are one of the smartest, strongest women I know.”

  Faith appreciated his belief in her. “I know it’s different. It’s just always been us. You and me, we take care of each other. That’s what we do.”

  “And that’s what we’ll continue to do. It’s not like I’m never going to be here. And when you need me, when you really need me, I’ll be here. You can believe that.”

  Faith put a hand on her brother’s cheek. It was hard not to picture the little boy he had once been. The one who’d asked to sleep in her room for months after their mother left. The one who’d asked her to come to school with him for show and tell because she was his lucky charm when he was six. The one with dirty knees and a backward baseball cap who once told her she would make a great mom someday because she was the best big sister.

  He wasn’t that little boy anymore. He was all grown up and it was time for him to live his own life. It was wrong of her to try to clip his wings when Sawyer was always meant to fly.

  * * *

  FAITH CARRIED THE bouquets of daisies she’d picked up from Harriet’s and unlatched the gate to the cemetery. She’d gone simple today for both Addison and her dad. The summer sun would not be kind to any of the flowers she left out for them.

  A robin fluttered by, landing on one of the headstones and chirping away. Its song was quickly replaced by the sound of someone’s voice. A familiar voice.

  “... And that’s what I’m thinking. Not sure it’s going to work, but I should try, right? I have to try because I’m in love with her. I’ve always been in love with her.”

  Faith dropped the flowers and let out a gasp loud enough to get his attention. Dean stood in front of Addison’s grave in dark pants and a crisp white dress shirt that fit him like it was custom-made.

  He turned slowly and a smile spread across his face. His green tie was the same color as his eyes when they weren’t hidden behind sunglasses. “Good morning.”

  Faith was too flustered to reply. She crouched to pick up the flowers at the same time as he bent over to help.

  “Sawyer didn’t tell me you came with him,” Faith said, unable to acknowledge what she had just overheard.

  “I had to come get my car, which is finally fixed. Sawyer was feeling homesick, so I brought him with me.”

  “That was nice of you. I’m sorry I interrupted your time with Addison. I can go switch out the flowers by my dad’s grave and give you some privacy.”

  He grabbed her arm and stopped her from going. “I don’t need privacy. I was waiting for you.”

  The butterflies in her stomach soared. No one had ever made her feel this way. He had done it when she was a teenager and he did it to her now. It was always his voice, his touch, that sent her heart into overdrive.

  “Were you talking about me? About being in love with me?” she asked even though the answer could send her over the edge.

  Dean covered his heart with his hand. “I thought I knew what it meant to be in love with you, but had no idea until I fell in love with you again.”

  “Even though I asked you to lie? I was pathetic.” It was embarrassing to even talk about. She was lucky Sawyer had forgiven her, but to think Dean hadn’t lost all respect for her seemed impossible.

  He pulled her to him. His hand brushed her cheek as he dipped his head close to hers. “You were scared. You’re still getting over losing your dad. We’ve all done things we regret because of grief. I can forgive you if you’ll forgive me for the way I acted after Addison died.”

  “Don’t be sorry. The past is the past. We didn’t know the truth.” She touched his tie, needing to focus on something other than how close he was standing and how badly she wanted to kiss him.

  “I don’t want to spend my life running from the past. I want to embrace it and move forward. And I want to move forward with you by my side.”

  Her heart dropped. Why was there always a choice to be made when it came to Dean? Dean or Addison. Dean or Sawyer. Dean or home. Why did it always come down to tearing herself in two?

  “I can’t leave Grass Lake. This is my home.”

  He lifted her chin and kissed her so softly. “I want it to be my home, too,” he said against her lips.

  “But—”

  He stopped her with another kiss. It was dizzying. His declaration seemed too good to be true. Maybe she hadn’t heard him right.

  He rested his forehead on hers. “When I came home, all I wanted to do was leave. But you reminded me what home has to offer. When I got back to Nashville, it wasn’t the same. I’m not the same. I want to be here. With you.”

  Faith fought to control her breathing. She rubbed her nose against his as her eyes fluttered. “Then stay.”

  The church bells rang, reminding them of the other
reason they were there. Dean waited for her while she placed her flowers by her loved ones’ resting places and then took her hand.

  He smirked as he opened the church doors. “Maybe we’ll make it through the entire service this week.”

  “Stranger things have happened,” Faith said, giving his hand a squeeze. Stranger things, indeed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “TALK ABOUT STATE of the art. This place is amazing.” Sawyer pressed one of the buttons on the sound board.

  “Look, don’t touch, please,” Dean said, resisting the urge to smack his hand away. The recording equipment had been the investment of a lifetime and he needed it to be fully functional if he was going to pay it off someday.

  “This is so cool. I wish I would have thought to build one of these. I could have been famous a lot sooner.”

  “You aren’t famous...yet,” Faith reminded her brother.

  Dean slipped his arm around her waist. It felt so good to be able to do that without any worry. There would never again be a need to hide how they felt for one another—from themselves or anyone else.

  “Is this going to be enough for him?” she asked Dean, turning so they were face to face. She smelled like her fruity shampoo and Irish Spring soap. She’d been working in the barn all morning and had to clean up before finally coming to see the final product of a month’s worth of hard work.

  Gone was the unused storage shed and in its place was Dean’s new recording studio. Grace Note Records had moved to Grass Lake, where artists could come and get away from the madness of Nashville and focus on the music.

  It surprisingly hadn’t taken much to convince Landon that this was the best solution to all of their problems. Cheaper rent, no studio fees, close enough to Nashville to keep their connections but far enough away to give them some breathing room had made it the right choice.

  “Who? Boone? He’s going to balk at it at first, but then he’s going to realize this is where his soul is going to reunite with his music.” Dean had no worries. He’d put a lot of thought into how he was going to help his fallen star. Boone deserved a second chance...just like some other people Dean knew.

  “I want this to be a good experience for him. And I also don’t want my horses or my staff traumatized.”

  Grace Note and Helping Hooves were joining forces. Artists could come ride the horses, reconnect, recharge. Faith had hired a part-time social worker, who had experience with children and adults. Boone was going to get therapy without even realizing it.

  “They won’t be.”

  “What about me?” Sawyer opened the door to the sound booth. “This is where I’m recording my album, isn’t it? Don’t you want to know if I like it?”

  Dean gave his beautiful fiancée a kiss instead of answering her brother’s ridiculous question. Life was so good, he had to remind himself it wasn’t a dream.

  “He works best when he gets some positive reinforcement,” Faith said, giving Dean’s side a tickle.

  “So do I,” he replied with a sly smile. He slipped his hand under her shirt and rested it against the small of her back. Another kiss was the perfect motivator.

  “Can you two stop? I miss the days when you used to hide in the hay stalls. I don’t need to be constantly subjected to all this lovey-dovey nonsense,” Sawyer complained.

  “You’re lucky I still need you,” Dean grumbled. Sawyer’s single had been released and was getting a better-than-expected response. He was one of the hottest newcomers since Piper. His video had been on the internet for three days and had already been viewed half a million times.

  Landon thought Dean was a genius once again. Life wasn’t good. It was great.

  “We need to get going. The parade starts soon,” Faith reminded them.

  Letting her go was a little easier, knowing he’d get the chance to hold her the rest of his life. He’d asked her to marry him the day he’d moved back to Grass Lake for good. In the gazebo behind the Filmont was the ideal setting. Harriet had helped him surround it with practically every flower in her shop. Faith had cried while she’d nodded yes.

  It had been one of the best days of his life. And it was only the beginning.

  The three of them headed downtown for the annual Fourth of July parade. The streets were lined with people dressed in red, white and blue. The same American flags that had hung limp from the light posts back in May were fluttering in the wind.

  The little kids on their fathers’ shoulders waved tiny flags or held signs that proudly read “We love USA!” All the businesses along Main Street had their windows decorated for the festivities. Hand-painted fireworks covered Harriet’s store window.

  Dean’s mother had saved a spot for them in front of the flower shop. Dressed in her red-and-white-striped T-shirt and her blue shorts that were covered in little white stars, she looked like the flag personified.

  “You made it just in time. Here they come!” She hugged Dean and Faith, handing them little flags to wave. The only person more excited about their impending nuptials than Dean was his mother.

  The parade was led by two of the Grass Lake police officers on motorcycles and the pace car ridden by the mayor and his wife. People walked beside the various floats with bags of candy to hand out to the eager children along the route. Grass Lake Community Bank had a nice banner and Dean’s dad was riding in the car behind it.

  After the Grass Lake High School band passed by, a cherry-red Mustang convertible drove Sawyer and his guitar down the street. His new single blared from some speakers inside the car. The crowd went wild, cheering on their homegrown rising star.

  Faith leaned against Dean and smiled up. She was so beautiful. If they weren’t standing in the middle of a crowd, he would have kissed her until it was time to meet up at Mockingbird Park.

  “My dad would have been so proud,” she said with watery eyes.

  “Of both of you,” Dean murmured in her ear.

  * * *

  NEARLY EVERYONE IN TOWN came to Mockingbird Park after the parade to continue the celebration before the fireworks. Food booths were lined up along one end of the park while the kids enjoyed jumping in one of the two bounce houses that had been set up on the other.

  While Dean and Sawyer were off chatting it up with the mayor and Dean’s dad, Faith was helping Josie in the Sundown’s booth. Josie was testing out some of her new menu items while Faith supplied the dessert.

  Faith had made twenty dozen cookies for this event with Dean’s help. There would have been more had her helper been able to demonstrate some self-control. Dean had one very big sweet tooth.

  Having both her brother and Dean back in Grass Lake was a dream come true. This was the life she’d never imagined was possible. Harriet swore it was thanks to those angels she had up in heaven, helping her out. Whatever the reason for her good fortune, Faith was more than grateful.

  Helping Hooves had everything it needed to be successful. Its potential for growth was enormous, and with Dean’s ideas and ingenuity, they were sure to thrive.

  “You got any of those mudslide brownies?” Mr. Middleton asked. He squinted up at Josie’s price list.

  “Not today, Hank. We went with Fourth-of-July inspired goodies this time. Want a Firecracker Sugar Cookie instead?”

  He tried to peek behind the counter. “You sure you aren’t hiding something else back there?”

  Josie set a sugar cookie in front of him. “You do know that all the alcohol is cooked out of those cookies she mak
es, right?”

  Hank scowled and waved her off, taking his nonalcoholic cookie with him. The two women laughed and shook their heads.

  “Mind if I steal my fiancée away for a little bit?” Dean asked, sneaking around the side of the booth.

  “Are you sending someone to replace her?”

  “Oh, come on now. You know she’s irreplaceable. But I’ll make Sawyer do it. Hang on.” He ran back through the crowd and pulled Sawyer away from a group of admiring female fans.

  “That boy is a keeper,” Josie said, pouring herself another glass of lemonade. She’d been drinking more than she was selling. “I’m happy you two worked things out and found some happiness.”

  “I didn’t think it was possible. In fact, if you had told me three months ago that I’d be engaged to Dean Presley, I would have checked you into a mental hospital.”

  “The look on your face when he showed up at the Sundown that first night, soaking wet and looking so fine—it was like you’d seen a ghost. Funny how things turn out.”

  Maybe it was divine intervention that had brought Dean back to town. Maybe it was just dumb luck. Either way, Faith was grateful.

  “Okay, here you go.” Dean pushed Sawyer next to Josie and grabbed Faith. “He’s ready to serve up some delicious treats.”

  “Wait a minute! You said they needed someone to taste test the chicken wings!” Sawyer protested.

  “Did I say that? Whoops.” He pulled Faith along. “I want to show you something,” he said, leading her away from the throngs of townsfolk and toward the line of trees that provided some nice shade on the east side of the park.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I want to see if it’s still there.”

  “See if what’s still where?” Faith nearly tripped over her own feet as he dragged her in front of one of the larger oak trees.

  “I swear it was one of these ones,” he mumbled. “Aha! It is here.”