It Goes Without Saying
Page 26
He smiled back as his arms found their way around her.
“And if you’re feeling like you’re, ya know, not yourself, call me. Anytime. Please.” He looked down at the ground and nodded. “And I will tell you about this kid I knew once, named Ben Knoxville, who saved me a hundred times.”
He smiled, and when he blinked, two tears fell from his eyes.
She wiped them with her thumb. “And I will always, always be your best friend,” she whispered.
“No, baby cakes,” he said, kissing her forehead, “you’re it for me. Maybe down the road, I’ll find someone. But you? I mean, I know I don’t know a lot about this. But I’m pretty sure you’re the love of my life.”
EIGHT YEARS LATER
THIRTY-FOUR
“Stop! Jack, that’s mine!” Bailey said, swatting at her brother and reaching for a straw that he had picked up off the ground.
Bria looked down at her children, in a bit of a haze. She was so used to their arguing, she sometimes didn’t even hear it. Everyone had said that Jack was her twin; he had chestnut brown hair and eyes ever since the day he was born. And Bailey, with hair as dark as the night, was the spitting image of her father. Bria stroked Bailey’s long braid with an absent-minded smile. Man, they were beautiful.
“Enough, you two,” she said. “If you behave, we can get Happy Meals on our way home.”
She watched as they both stood at attention, as if she had put them under some sort of spell. But it didn’t last long.
“Bailey!” Jack yelled at his sister, reaching for the straw back. It blew Bria’s mind that a freaking straw was the object of their desire, so much so that they were willing to go to physical battle for it. A straw. Finally, they reached the head of the line.
“Thanks for shopping with us, Mrs. Carmen,” the young cashier said, handing her a receipt.
“Thanks, you, too,” Bria said.
Shit. You too? She hated when she did awkward shit like that. It happened way too often. Eric had loved it; on their first date, when the ticket taker at the theatre had told them to enjoy their movie, she had said, “thanks, you, too.” She thought Eric was going to lose his mind with laughter.
The memory seemed so far away, so distant now, as if it happened in another life. And it quickly disappeared with the sound of Bailey shrieking.
“Enough!” Bria said, snatching the straw and unlocking the back of her Dodge minivan. “Hop in the car and turn on the T.V. I’ll be done in a second,” she said, beginning to load the bags into the back of the van.
It was a beautiful Spring day in Dalesville, and despite the bickering of her children, the breeze brought a smile to her face. Until the last bag ripped, sending cans of Spaghettios rolling around the ground behind her car. She looked around quickly, as if to make sure that none of the other moms, the judgy ones who meal-prepped and made all their children’s food from scratch, saw the canned abominations she was bringing home to feed her children.
“God dammit,” she said, sighing as she reached down to grab them.
“You look like you could use some ice cream,” she heard a voice say. She felt her spine go straight, and a few goosebumps made their way down the back of her neck. No effing way. She turned around slowly.
“Jimmie Cone?” he asked.
There he was, his face with a little more age to it now, but still covered by boyish stubble. She smiled. He never could grow a full beard. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his ring-less ring finger as he knelt down to pick up the last of the runaway cans. A few years before, she’d seen on Facebook that he was engaged. She deleted her account shortly after that.
“Knox,” she said, barely above a whisper. He said nothing, just smiled at her, green eyes flashing as he handed it to her.
“How have you been? How’s the good doctor?” he asked, still smirking. His eyes darted toward her finger, also ringless. They’d said they’d keep in touch, be there for each other. But as time moved on, so did they, and she realized just how out-of-touch she and Knox had grown. She swallowed and shrugged.
“I’m sure he’s doing just fine,” she said. “He moved out about a year ago, when I caught him with his nursing assistant.”
Knox’s eyes widened, eyebrows up. She could see the anger and hurt behind them. She knew that after everything, he’d never want her to be hurting.
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, Bria,” he said. “How are the kids handling it?” He eyed the van.
“They are actually handling it pretty well,” she said. “Luckily, they’ve gotten used to it. I don’t think they know any better; they’re still young.”
He smiled, taking a step closer. She felt the breath run from her lungs.
“They are. And so are you,” he said, his eyes finding hers.
“Well, what about you? How’s married life?” she asked. He gave a half-smile, holding up his bare hand.
“We didn’t end up. . .ah, making it to the altar.”
Bria nodded, eyes wide.
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking down at the ground.
“And I’m sorry you’re hurting, Bria.” And without a moment of hesitation, he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her head to his chest like he’d done so many times before. She let her shoulders fall and her guard drop, the guard she’d had up for a year, now, ever since she saw the text on Eric’s phone.
Did you decide if you’re going to tell Bria about us? Or do you think she already knows?
Those two stupid questions would be ingrained in her memory forever. Because, no, Eric probably wouldn’t have ever told her. And no, she was too blind, too stupid to have known without seeing the text.
But now, for the first time in a year, it didn’t matter as much. It didn’t weigh on her as heavy as it had before. She wrapped her arms around Knox tightly for another moment, breathing in his familiar scent. And then she remembered she wasn’t alone.
If she were, she might have pounced on him. She might have wrapped her arms and legs around him, letting him spin her around the grocery store parking lot. But there were two sets of little eyes that could see her, and although they understood that Mommy and Daddy weren’t living together anymore, they might not be quite ready to see Mommy draped over another man. Hell, they might not ever be ready for that.
But for the first time in a year, she was starting to feel ready.
“So, about that Jimmie Cone invite,” she said with a sly smile as she pulled away from him slightly. “The kids go to Eric’s on Friday. Are you busy?”
He looked down at her, another smile creeping over his face now.
“I’m not anymore,” he said. “I’ll see you then.” He turned to walk back toward the store, and she called out his name.
“Isn’t it funny?” she asked.
“What?”
“That after all this time, here we are, right back in Dalesville. Together.”
He smiled again, reaching back to gently scratch the back of his neck.
“I told you years ago,” he said, shrugging, “you’re it for me.”
She smiled, closing her eyes for a moment to soak in his words. When she opened them again, he was still there, that dangerous grin now spread across his lips. He winked at her. “See ya, baby cakes.”
Had it been any other man that she’d made plans with, she probably would have panicked. It had been almost a decade since she’d been out with anyone besides Eric. But this wasn’t just a random guy, or some blind date.
It was Knox.
The beautiful, tragic, wonderful, terrifying roller coaster of Knox. She could feel her stomach swirling with butterflies. The pain she’d been through when they had parted ways was something she had never fully rid herself of, even through the happiest points of her marriage to Eric. But if there was one thing those years away from Knox had taught her, it was that the pain was worth it. Even if there would always be a small Knox-shaped hole in her heart, the few moments when he was hers made it all worth it.
> And as she watched him walk away, suddenly, she was fifteen again, singing at the top of her lungs, her hands outstretched through his sunroof, breathing in the sun, the air, and him.
Acknowledgements
This book would still be just a document on my computer without the people who are always behind me, telling me to “just do it!”
Little, thank you for always kicking my butt into gear whenever doubt sneaks in. I’d be lost without you.
Will, thanks for sitting with me night after night, while I plowed through each chapter, waiting patiently for me to come up for air. Teamwork makes the dream work.
To my family, you are truly my rock.
Lizzy Bee, thank for you every minute you spent on this book. You put as much heart into your edits as I put into writing it, and I can’t tell you how much it means!
K&S, thank you for ALWAYS being there for every up and every down.
To Mr. & Mrs. B., thank you for being great sports and for putting up with all my poses. Little Blue is famous!
Anne, my mentor and my friend. Thank you for being with me every single step of this journey. I want to be like you when I grow up :)
To B, thank you for being my inspiration always. I love you.
And to all the bloggers, readers, and fellow authors who gave my debut novel a chance, I am grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you for loving love!
About Taylor
Taylor Danae Colbert is a romance and women’s fiction author. When she’s not chasing her toddler or hanging with her husband, she’s probably under her favorite blanket, either reading a book, or writing one. Taylor lives in Maryland, where she was born and raised. For more information, visit www.taylordanaecolbert.com.
Follow Taylor on Instagram and Twitter, @taydanaewrites, and on Facebook, Author Taylor Danae Colbert, for information on upcoming books!
Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
I can’t tell you what it means that you’ve decided, out of all of the books in Romancelandia, to read mine.
If you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, please consider leaving an Amazon or GoodReads review (or both!). Reviews are crucial to a book’s success, and I can’t thank you enough for leaving one (or a few!)!
Thank you for taking the time to read IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING.
Always,
TDC
www.taylordanaecolbert.com
@taydanaewrites
Table of Contents
ONE Now
TWO Then, Freshman Year
THREE Now
FOUR Then, Summer Before Sophomore Year
FIVE Now
SIX Then, Sophomore Year
SEVEN Now
EIGHT Then, In the Hospital
NINE Now
TEN Then, Knox’s Graduation
ELEVEN Now
TWELVE Then, Junior Year
THIRTEEN Now
FOURTEEN Then, Bria’s Senior Prom
FIFTEEN Now
SIXTEEN Then, Bria’s Graduation
SEVENTEEN Now
EIGHTEEN Then, Summer Before College
NINETEEN Now
TWENTY Then, Freshman Year of College
TWENTY-ONE Now
TWENTY-TWO Now
TWENTY-THREE Now
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR