I might not have the future I dreamed of, but I’ll always have a piece of him in my heart.
Holden’s words from the last night we were together rushed into my mind.
“No matter what happens. I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I will never love anyone like I love you. Please never forget that.”
Me: You’re probably back in California, but I wanted you to know I never forgot what you said to me, Holden. I’ve always loved you too, and I will forever love you. You will always own my heart.
I hit send but an error message came up.
Damn. No signal.
I saved the text and made a note to myself to send it when I got back down into town.
“Em?”
Glancing up, I smiled when I saw Carter sandwiched between his parents.
“Mom, Dad, this is a good friend of mine. Emylie Sanchez. Em, these are my parents. Ron and Carrie Davis.”
Reaching my hand out, I said, “It’s a pleasure meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Davis.”
Mrs. Davis smiled warmly. “Please, call us Ron and Carrie.”
With a nod, I replied, “Ron and Carrie it is.”
“Carter told us you’d like to do some fly fishing?”
Smiling as big as my cheeks would let me, I answered Ron, “Yes, sir. I don’t have a rod with me, but Carter promised to let me use one of his.”
Carrie turned to Carter and Ron. I could practically see the happiness flowing from her body. “How about I pack up some food and supplies and we head up to the cabin for the day?”
Carter looked at his father. “You feeling up to it, Dad?”
Ron grinned from ear-to-ear. “There is nothing more I’d rather do than that, son.”
My eyes misted over as I watched Carter and his father. Whatever had happened in the past was truly buried there. I hardly knew this family, but somehow I felt like I could relate to them.
“Carrie, please let me help you get things ready.”
With a nod, she replied, “Yes, please. It’s so nice to have another woman to talk to.”
With a giggle, I followed her into the house. After a quick tour, we headed to the kitchen and got busy making sandwiches and packing up snacks.
As we filled the two large picnic baskets, Carrie moved from small talk to hard core.
“Emylie, I want to thank you for being here with Carter. I know it was hard for him to take the chance and come home. I had a feeling the moment Ron saw his son, he would get over the silliness of being angry about the Marines.”
With a gentle grin, I replied, “Don’t thank me too much, Carrie. The moment Carter gave me an excuse to run a little further from my own reality, I jumped on it. My father would be pretty upset with me if he knew I took off in a guy’s car whom I’d only known less than twenty-four hours.”
Her mouth dropped. “You did what? Oh Emylie, do you know how dangerous that could have been? Thank goodness it was Carter, but don’t you ever do such a thing again.”
Placing her hand to her heart, she gasped. “I mean to say, if I was your mother I’d put you over my knee right now!”
I couldn’t help but giggle, but the moment she shot me a look, I stopped and began chewing on my lower lip in a nervous fit.
“I don’t normally do that kind of thing, it’s just Carter is best friends with Jax, and I know Jax and I felt safe with him and … well … I um.”
That’s when it hit me. I slowly sank down in the chair. “What was I thinking?”
My heart started pounding and my hands were so wet from sweat I had to run them over my shorts.
What in the hell was I thinking? And why did it take me this long to realize how stupid I was?
“Emylie, darling look at me.”
My gaze lifted and I saw the most beautiful gray eyes staring back at me.
“Whatever it is that made you run off, it won’t get any better, sweetheart, the longer you’re gone.”
I nodded my head. “I’m sure he’s gone now. Back to California with his fiancée.”
“Oh. I see. Love is a crazy thing, isn’t it?”
I nodded in agreement. “May I ask you something, Carrie. It’s about Carter.”
“Of course.”
“When we were down at the end of the driveway, a beautiful girl pulled up. Her name was Tori. You could feel the chemistry between her and him immediately.”
Carrie’s face lit up as she smiled. “Tori and Carter dated in high school. I’m not sure what happened between the two of them, but they broke things off. From what I could gather, it wasn’t something either of them wanted. I never pried and asked Carter why, but I see regret in Tori’s eyes every time I run into her.”
“I wasn’t meaning to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, it’s just, the connection between the two was unmistakable. But I think I’m the only one who caught it.”
Laughing, she stood. “Oh, I believe that. Sometimes what’s right in front of our eyes is the hardest thing to see.”
My heart dropped as I took in her words.
Holden breaking up with me. Staying gone for all that time. The way he looked at me.
He was trapped and unhappy, and I saw it the moment he gazed into my eyes that first day he was back.
“He doesn’t love her,” I whispered.
“What was that, sweetheart?”
Jerking my head to look at Carrie, I shook it. “Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Carter walked into the kitchen with eyes bright as the sun. “Who’s ready to get their fishing on?”
I couldn’t help but simper. Carter was re-writing his future, and I was about to be a co-writer for part of it.
I PULLED UP the address to Jamie’s house again as I stood in the National Car Rental line. Emylie was less than an hour away from me. My heart sped up in my chest as I thought about seeing her again.
I had stopped by her parents’ house yesterday. Not really knowing what to expect, but knowing I needed to be truthful with them.
Telling Mario and Kim everything, I still didn’t expect them to welcome me back into their world, let alone their daughter’s world with open arms. But they did just that.
My chest felt light as I thought back to what Mario had said to me.
“We all make decisions, thinking they are the right ones at the time. Sometimes they are, and sometimes they send us into a tailspin of bad choices. It’s life. It’s lessons. It’s the way we learn.”
I didn’t deserve their forgiveness or love. They were like second parents to me, and I vowed to do whatever it was I needed to do to not only win back Emylie’s trust, but theirs as well.
They didn’t tell me where Emylie was. I told them I knew she was with Jamie. They had tried to call Emylie with no luck, but when they called Jamie she told them Emylie had gone fly fishing and probably had no signal. I was going to ream her ass for going alone.
“Sir? Do you have a reservation?”
Pulling me from my thoughts, I flashed a grin to the girl behind the counter. “Sorry, was deep in thought.”
She chortled and said, “I see that. Reservation?”
“Yes. For Holden Warner.”
“Here it is. I show here you’ll be dropping the car off at our location in Park City.”
With a nod, I replied, “Yes, if that’s okay. My girlfriend … I mean … a friend of mine has her car up there and I’ll ride back with her.”
Lifting her brow, she gave me a funny look.
“She used to be my girlfriend, then we broke up. I’m trying to get her back. You know, all that win her over by flying-up-to-Utah-to-tell-her-how-much-I-love-her stuff.”
“Right. Well good luck with that, Mr. Warner.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I need all the luck I can get.”
Once I got the keys in my hand, I set off for Park City. My hands were shaking and my heart was racing. The faster I got to Emylie, the better. The sinking feeling of dread in my gut was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Driving u
p to Jamie’s place, I grinned when I saw Emylie’s car parked there. She was still here.
Thank God.
Getting out of the car, I started to make my way up to the house. A guy came walking around the side of the house wearing a kind smile.
“Hey there. How can help you?”
Before I could say anything, the screen door on the porch opened and Jamie came out. I’d met her a few times when I came to Texas A&M to surprise Emylie.
When her face turned white as a ghost and she stopped walking, my heart dropped a little.
But I didn’t start to panic until she said, “Oh holy fuck. Holden.”
“What? This is Holden?” The guy said as he gazed between me and Jamie.
Jamie lifted her brows and nodded. “Yep. This is Holden.”
The guy looked back at me and said, “Shit.”
I let out a gruff laugh. “Seems like everyone knows me, but I’m not going to lie, y’all are freaking me out a bit with the holy fucks and the shits.”
Snapping out of his moment of shock, the guy walked up to me and reached his hand out for mine. Shaking it, he said, “Sorry, dude. So sorry. I’m Jax, Jamie’s boyfriend … no wait … fiancé.” He lowered his voice so only I could hear. “I recently asked her and I keep forgetting.”
I nodded and laughed. “No worries. I’m Holden. But then again, you know that.”
He gave me one of those oh shit you’re about to get bad news looks. “Yeah, I got that. Why don’t we head on in and get some tea? It’s hot out here.”
As we walked toward the house, Jamie swallowed hard and then quickly turned and hurried inside.
Was Emylie hurt? Something was wrong. What in the hell was going on here?
The screen door shut and Jax motioned for me to head on into the kitchen.
“Have a seat, I’ll get some iced tea for us.”
“Thanks,” I said as I looked directly at Jamie. “What’s going on? You seem nervous as hell, Jamie.”
“Um. Well.” She let out a nervous chuckle. “I wasn’t expecting to see you. I, um … it’s great seeing you. I think. Well you’re here, which I think is good.”
I shifted on the stool. “I hope it is too.”
“You’re here for Em … right? You came for her? Like to tell her you love her. Please tell me that’s why you’re here?”
With a smile, I nodded. “That pretty much is why. I need to ask her to forgive me for some stuff first and hope like hell she does. Then I have some serious making up to do.”
Jamie covered her heart and tilted her head. She gave me one of those looks women usually give to a puppy when they see it.
“Oh my gosh, that’s so sweet! Isn’t that so sweet, Jax?”
Jax, on the other hand, gave me a you’re fucked dude look. “Yep. So sweet.”
Taking a drink of the iced tea, I set it back down. “Um, where is Emylie?”
Panic washed over both of their faces. “Where is she?” Jamie asked.
She was stalling.
“Yeah. Is she around?”
Jamie glanced over to Jax. “Um, Jax?”
He looked at her with a stunned expression on his face. “Don’t ‘um, Jax’ me. This one is all yours.”
She placed her hands on her hips and shot him a dirty look. “Me? How is this all on me? He’s your best friend.”
He?
“She’s your best friend and left with him!”
Left with him?
Standing, I glanced between the two of them. “Wait. Emylie left with someone?”
Jamie turned to me. “She’s with Carter.”
My heart dropped and I felt sick to my stomach.
Glancing back over to Jax, Jamie pointed to him. “Hey, I tried to stop her.”
I reached for the counter as the room spun.
“Where are they?” I demanded.
“You didn’t try hard enough. The only thing you did was piss her off and practically forced her to get into Carter’s truck.”
Holy fuck. Emylie’s with some strange guy and it’s all my fault.
Mario and Kim are going to kill me.
My head was pounding as Jax and Jamie went back and forth arguing whose fault it was.
“Can y’all stop arguing and tell me where in the fuck they went?!” I shouted, getting both of their attention.
Jamie jumped and Jax stared at me.
“Sorry. Um. Well hell, I don’t know where to start,” Jax said as he took a seat at the bar.
“The beginning would be nice.”
“Carter is my best friend. We went to college together. He comes here often when he’s on leave.”
I arched my brow. “On leave?”
“Yeah, he’s in the Marines.”
“Wait. Emylie is with some guy she doesn’t know. He’s in the Marines. And he’s your best friend from college. What in the fuck was she thinking leaving with a guy she hardly knows?”
Jamie sat next to Jax. “Well, they met the first night Emylie was here. Then the next morning they went on a hike together. Emylie had broken down on the trail and Carter brought her back here. They talked for a bit more and went on another hike up to the lake. Then they got the bright idea to go fishing. Carter was heading home to see his parents. His father has cancer and they were at odds with each other. I really think Emylie went to get further away from whatever it is she’s running from. Or … whoever.”
Okay, I deserved that one.
“Where did they go?”
Jamie glanced down at her hands.
“Jamie, I love her. I at least deserve the chance to tell her that and try to get her back.”
Jax cleared his throat. “I don’t think they’re together together. Carter called me and said they were at his parents’ place. He talks about Emylie like she’s just a friend. More like a sister.”
My hand ran through my hair and I took in a deep breath. This was my Karma. It wasn’t the hell Daphne put me through, it was the knowledge that Emylie could very well meet another man and move on without me. That’s probably what she deserved. All I ever did was bring her hurt.
Jamie walked up to me and put her hand on my arm. “I can see the wheels turning in your head, and if you think for one second you should go back to Texas, I’m telling you that is not what you should do. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t think you are the biggest asshole on the planet, but I also don’t know the whole story. I’m guessing since you’re here, this other girl is out of the picture? What about the baby?”
I shook my head. “She wasn’t pregnant. It was all a lie.”
Jamie gasped. “What? She lied about being pregnant?”
Nodding my head, I replied, “There is so much more to the fucked-up story. But yes, she knew I was planning on going back to Texas and she came up with a sick plan to try and keep me with her.”
“Wow,” Jamie and Jax said at once.
“But, maybe if Emylie is with this guy, I should back off.”
“Or you fight for her because you love her,” Jax said with a grin.
My phone beeped in my pocket. Pulling it out, my stomach twisted when I saw it was a text from Emylie.
“It’s a text from Emylie,” I said opening it up.
Em: You’re probably back in California, but I wanted you to know I never forgot what you said to me, Holden. I’ve always loved you too and I will forever love you. You will always own my heart.
Jamie hit me on the shoulder and giggled.
“I think you have your answer, Holden.”
Glancing up from my phone, I looked between Jax and Jamie and landed my gaze on Jax. “I’m going to need to know where this Carter lives.”
“IS THAT BACON I smell?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I grinned when I saw Carter. “It is.”
He walked up and opened up the refrigerator and took out a Gatorade.
“What are you cooking bacon for?”
“BLTs,” I answered, glancing up at the clock.
He push
ed off the counter and walked up next to me. “So, did you send the text?”
My chest tightened as I thought about how Holden would react to my text. “Yes. But I haven’t had a signal since. I was going to see if your mom was heading into town later so I can check my emails and such.”
With a simple nod, he smiled from ear-to-ear. “Did you have fun fishing yesterday?”
I chucked and replied, “Yes. Your parents are amazing, Carter. I’m really happy you and your dad got things worked out.”
He sighed. “Me too. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I also decided on something.”
I took the bacon off the stove and put it on a paper towel. I was cutting it close getting everything ready in time. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I’m not going to re-enlist in the Marines.”
The flutter in my chest caused me to gasp. Turning to him, I couldn’t help but grin. Oh, this is perfect! Yes, this works nicely with my plan!
“Really? That’s amazing!”
“Well damn, if my mom is half as happy as you are with that news, I’m in for my favorite dessert since I’m already getting my favorite lunch.”
Carrie walked into the kitchen and gave me a slight nod. “Everything is ready.”
My heart dropped. This could go two ways. One, Carter would be super pissed at me for sticking my nose in his business, or two, Carter and Tori would realize that they are both still hot for each other. It didn’t take me long to figure out what had happened between them when I accidentally ran into Tori in town last night. When I saw her walking across the street into a book store, I told Carter I was in desperate need for a book.
“Ready for what?” Carter asked, taking a bite of an apple and ripping me away from my thoughts.
Pulling it from his hand, I shook my head. “I’m making an amazing lunch. Don’t eat an apple.”
He frowned. “It’s like we’ve known each other our whole lives.” Glancing over to his mother, he asked, “Is she like a long-lost sister or something?”
Carrie shrugged which made both Carter and I look back at each other and then back to his mother.
“This is where you say no, Mom. Not leave it open like you had some kind of affair or something.”
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