Sadie had pursed her lips. “If that was the case, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t keep calling you every single day.”
“I don’t know if I can trust him, Sadie,” Gabby had told her in response. “After what my parents did. After this whole thing with my aunt. How can you trust anyone?”
Sadie had propped her elbows on the counter. “Did he actually lie to you?”
Gabby had flicked through her memories. Lie directly to her? “Not exactly.”
“Who did he lie to, then?” Sadie had asked.
“Well, to his mom, and everyone else every time he claimed I was his girlfriend. Except…”
Her mind had wandered. Adrian hadn’t really lied about that. After calling her honey in front of his mom, he’d been completely upfront about it, explaining his reasoning. It’d been in part to protect her from his mother’s scrutiny after being found in their family’s cabin.
The moment had flashed in her mind. He’d been completely straight forward. He’d asked her to be his girlfriend, and after some deliberation, she’d willingly agreed.
All this time she’d been simmering over his dishonesty, but had he really been dishonest? Something inside of her had started to puddle then. For all intents and purposes, she had been his girlfriend. He’d found excuses to hold her hand, to hide away in the barn, to give her the most mind-blowing kiss she’d ever had. They’d gone on dates and shared parts of themselves they’d never shared with anyone else. If that wasn’t boyfriend-girlfriend material, she wasn’t sure what was.
With dawning realization and a nugget of guilt in the pit of her stomach, Gabby had met Sadie’s expectant gaze. “It wasn’t just some fake claim. I think he really did see me as his girlfriend.” Which meant…
He cared about her. The sly, pensive gazes, the playful banter and requests for hugs, the hand-holding and confidential conversations. They’d all been real.
“See?” Sadie had said, reaching for an apple in the basket on their counter. She’d taken a large bite and smiled. “He’s not as bad as you were thinking.”
Her heart had banged against her ribs in an unprecedented way. All this time, she’d been so confused, so sure it’d been an act. Could it be true? Could Adrian really have been interested in her?
He’s not as bad as you were thinking.
Not bad, Gabby had mentally agreed. Not bad in the slightest. A strange tingling had started in her toes, prickling its way up her legs and to her spine.
“You’re right,” Gabby had said. “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to at least talk to him. Get things sorted out.”
“If you don’t do it now, you’ll always wonder. Look at how long your aunt-mom waited. Look at all that lost time.”
Sadie had been completely right. Lost time was the perfect way to put it. Gabby had considered calling Adrian back, but for some reason, this wasn’t something she wanted to do over the phone. It just so happened the job interview coincided perfectly with her new-laid plans.
Plans which included heading to Chicago and baring her soul to the man she was pretty sure she was falling in love with. She hadn’t been looking for a relationship or having a man in her life long-term, but now that she’d experienced all of that, now that she thought she could trust Adrian—really trust him—she was desperate to give it a try.
She glanced at the clock above the door. Three more hours until her flight. She’d been communicating with a high school principal in a Chicago suburb. A principal who knew her by her real name. He was optimistic that she was perfect for the position and needed only to meet with her before finalizing the offer.
With bees in her stomach, Gabby had agreed and booked her flight the next day. Even though it was only about a five-hour drive, she wasn’t ready to tackle another road trip any time soon. If she’d gotten lost in Montana, she could only wonder what would happen in a city like Chicago.
So, flying it was. She intended to leave just as soon as she could. She would find out where Bear Financial Investments was located, land herself on his doorstep, and explain everything. Explain the way he made her feel as though there was a balloon in her chest, and the way he’d inserted himself into everything that she was.
A pinprick of uncertainty walked hand in hand with those thoughts. After the way she’d left, and how she’d been ignoring him, would Adrian want to see her?
There was only one way to find out, and that left her with even more buzzing in her stomach. She had one stop to make before retrieving her bags from her apartment and heading out.
Gabby hadn’t returned to her parent’s house since the day she’d come home over a month ago, but a nagging voice inside wouldn’t let her leave without seeing them. She packed a few final things from her desk into her bag, made her way to the teacher’s lounge to say goodbye to her fellow teachers, and then she was leaving Baldwin behind.
It was time for her to get lost on purpose.
The trepidation she expected to feel wasn’t there. Gabby strolled into her parents’ home to find her dad and mom sitting in their recliners watching TV. Her dad muted the show when he saw her.
“Hey,” he said as though it was normal for her to be there. “How was the last day of school?”
Gabby paused long enough to realize that he knew it’d been her last day. Her dad had always shown more interest in her life than her mom did.
“Refreshing,” Gabby said.
Her mom rose from her recliner. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too.” The minute the words left, she realized they were true. She was glad to see them both. “In fact, I’m glad you’re both here. I was hoping we could talk.”
“We’d love that,” said her dad. “Come sit down, sweetie.”
Good old Dad, always making her feel special and important. Her mom stood in the room’s center as though she didn’t know what to do with herself. Gabby took a few steps farther in but didn’t sit.
“I’m not going to stay and visit,” she said. “I wanted to tell you both, I understand why you did what you did. I’m still trying to forgive you for it, but I want you to know, I understand it.”
The last six weeks had given her plenty of time to reflect on everything. She’d been in contact with Bethany and was learning more about her situation as well. A seventeen-year-old girl with a tendency for rebellion, a boyfriend who had left; it hadn’t exactly been a stable home for a baby. Bethany had finished school after Gabby was born. She’d been able to get an associate’s degree, buy a house, and manage her life better than she would have under different circumstances.
Gabby had been excited when Bethany began texting her randomly about things the way Sadie did. The way a friend would do. She was beginning to feel like a friend. It was Bethany who suggested she make things right with her mom. She explained that Jacey had always been a little prickly, but even a cactus had blossoms, and she loved her.
You don’t know how hard things must have been for your mom, Bethany had texted. It takes bravery to do the right thing for your kids. She was doing what she thought was best for you.
It had been just what Gabby had needed to hear, to see things from her mom’s perspective as well.