Wasted

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Taylor

S tanding on the front porch of the home my parents built, I watched as the black Chevy Silverado drove down my dirt driveway, pulling to a stop at the end.

My gaze shifted to the open field as the purr of a four-wheeler got louder.

"Is that the realtor?" Cole asked, easing to a stop and killing the engine.

I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. My gaze shifted back to the end of the driveway, and a tall older man got out of the truck and pulled a for sale sign out of the truck bed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I lied. I was anything but okay, but there was no need to drag him down with me.

"Maybe this is a good thing, Tay." He smiled. "A fresh start somewhere new."

I forced a smile. Maybe he was right, but it didn't feel right. It felt like my heart was breaking into a million pieces, but I was so used to the feeling that everything was just numb. Everything in my life for the past two years had been nothing but heartbreak. One right after the other until last night when Cole kissed me. I forgot about everything else except us in that moment, but even though he was right there with me, he still felt so far away.

"What are you doing here?" I changed the subject. Last night, after what seemed like a huge breakthrough, he'd brought me home, and I'd asked him to stay over, but he declined. He didn't explain why; he just said no. My feelings were still raw this morning from the rejection, even though I knew they shouldn't be. He needed time, and I needed to respect that.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go for a ride?"

Clearing my throat, I smiled before shaking my head. "I actually need to start packing things up. Realtor said there's already been a ton of interest in the place, so it will sell quickly." I had no idea how I was going to pack up centuries of memories and where I was going to put them once it was packed.

"Well, how about I go grab Bailey, and we'll come to help you."

I really didn't want help. I wanted to be alone to mourn the loss of my home, but I knew Cole wasn't going to give up, and even if I didn't want it, I needed help. "That sounds great."

He cranked the four-wheeler and zoomed toward the road. He eased to a stop next to the black truck and killed the engine. It appeared the two were having a conversation, but they were too far away to hear anything. Sucking in a deep breath, I turned and went inside.

Bailey and Cole showed up at the house about thirty minutes later, which was oddly enough alone time. We all worked our way through each room of the house, starting with mine, since the majority of that room would be going wherever I did, and before we knew it, the sun was getting ready to set.

"I'll head over to the bar and get it opened up tonight," Bailey said just before sunset. "You take the night off."

"I took last night off," I said, following her out the front door and onto the porch. "You should take the night off."

"Nope." She laughed. "I got this. You have," her gaze flicked to Cole, who was sitting on the front porch swing, and then back to me, "other things to take care of." She wasn't referring to packing my house up. "I'll come by tomorrow and help."

I would normally protest and tell her no, but I was too mentally exhausted. "Thanks, Bailey."

I strolled over to the swing, and Cole slid to the right, and I dropped onto the seat. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with all this stuff."

"You should probably figure out where you're going to go?"

Sucking in a deep breath, I exhaled slowly. "For now, I'll stay at the bar and maybe get a storage unit, but long term, I don't know yet." The truth was I'd never seen myself leaving Bridgewater permanently. This was my home, and I loved it, but now I didn't know what I wanted.

"I'm actually heading back to Nashville in a few days, and I was hoping you would move back with me." My head snapped up, and my gaze met his. "We could find you a place in the city." The city? I'd never once in my life thought I wanted to live in the city, but I would be closer to him.

"So you're not moving back here then?"

His gaze dropped, and he shook his head. "No, my life is in Nashville."

"What about Kylie and River?"

"Kylie and I are still working that out, but it looks like she wants to stay closer to her family here. Wyatt and Kylie are discussing getting a piece of land out here."

It never crossed my mind, even though I knew Cole lived in Nashville, that he would be leaving and what that meant for us. It made more sense for me to go there. Other than the bar and Bailey, I had nothing left in this small town. His entire life and career were still in Nashville.

"So you want me to move to Nashville with you?"

"I don't think the long-distance thing would work at this point in our relationship."

"Are we in a relationship?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "But I know that we'll never figure it out if you're here and I'm there." I nodded, understanding what he was saying. "I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Are you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"So you'll think about it?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "I still have the bar..."

"If you'll come with me, I'll make sure the bar is taken care of."

I forced a smile and nodded, but I didn't want him to take care of the bar. It was literally the only thing I had left, and leaving it to move to Nashville for something neither of us was sure about seemed wrong, but when I was with him, it also felt right.