Where We Call Home (Faircloud #2)

Chapter 40

Forty

Theo is 37 weeks pregnant

Baby is the size of canary melon

L ife has been a whirlwind. Days and nights blur together, tangled up in hot, breathless moments of passion or wrapped in quiet comfort on the couch.

The holidays came and went in a flash, a joyful blur of laughter, stolen kisses, and the kind of peace I didn’t know I’d been missing. For once, I wasn’t just surviving the season with my mom and Rob—I was living it, showering Theo and the baby with gifts and soaking up every second of having her close.

Now, January settled in and the baby countdown was shorter every day. It’s been weighing on Theo; I saw it in her tired eyes and in the way her shoulders tensed under the pressure. She needed a break, even if I had to push her to call Penny and Aspen for a girls’ night.

So here I am, parked at The Tequila Cowboy with the guys, a beer in my hand and my thoughts still wrapped up in her.

Mac was tending the bar while Boone, Logan, and I took up a few barstools. Conversation flowed, discussing the newest development in the return of Boone’s sister, Ellie. She’d been gone for months, missing out on a lot of news that had happened over the last eight or so months since she left Faircloud.

“I’m kinda surprised she didn’t come home for the holidays,” Logan said, taking a sip of his beer. “I mean, she’s never missed a holiday.”

“She FaceTimed us on Christmas. It was nice to see her face,” Boone said, a small smile playing at his lips. “She looks good—healthy and happy.”

It’d been hard for him when she left, especially with how long she’d gone without keeping in touch. Everyone worried about her.

“Any update on when she’s coming home?” I asked.

“Apparently, she’s ready. Plans to come back for good in a few weeks.”

Logan’s head snapped up, his attention suddenly glued to the conversation.

I couldn’t help feeling there was more to Logan’s interest than just hoping she’d return home safe. That kid had followed her around like a puppy dog most of their childhood. With Logan’s parents hardly ever around, he spent more time with the Cassidys than his own family. And since he and Ellie were close in age, they were practically inseparable back then. It wasn’t until Logan hit working age that he started tagging along with us guys instead. Let’s just say, if he’d ever confessed his love for her, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

“Good. I’m glad she’s not letting that dickhead keep her away forever,” Mac said with a grin, leaning his hands on the bar top. “Still stands, if she wants, I’ll egg his house.”

“Me too,” Boone muttered, exhaling a deep sigh as he leaned back on his stool. His attention dropped to his beer bottle.

“What does that mean for Aspen and the farmstand?” Mac asked, following up.

Boone shook his head. “Ellie made it pretty clear she doesn’t want to go back to all that. She wants to, what was it?— ‘move on and find something for herself.’”

We all nodded, letting the words settle. I hoped, for her sanity, she found something worth settling down for.

Conversation flowed easily between us, and it felt good to catch up with my friends. My fingers itched to text Theo, to check in on how her night was going. Aspen and Penny were coming over to watch a new reality show, something about finding love, while doing face masks and other "girl things."

I pulled my phone out, staring at the screen after Boone had rushed off to the bathroom, leaving me alone on a stool. A space separated me from Logan, who was deep in conversation with a local. My finger stopped over Theo's contact, trying to convince myself that I didn’t need to hover. I’d done enough of that. Still, the urge was there—I couldn’t help it.

“Hey, Rhodes. Long time, no see.” A familiar voice cut through the noise, sending a shockwave of tension through my body. My heart raced, a spark of recognition short-circuiting my thoughts. There was no way I was hearing this right.

I turned slowly, praying I was wrong, but my face immediately stung with the realization. The one person I didn’t want to see again, the one person who’d done so much damage, was sitting next to me.

Jess.

I swallowed hard, forcing my attention forward as I brought my beer to my lips, taking a long swig to calm the knot in my stomach.

“Hi, Jess,” I muttered, not meeting her eyes.

My ex-girlfriend—the one I’d cried over, drunk myself stupid over, nearly lost myself over—was there, casual as ever. Anger boiled inside me, simmering at first, then growing with each passing second. My body was tense, radiating fury, and I knew she could feel it. There was no way she couldn’t.

“Not to sound rude, but why are you sitting here?” I asked, my voice colder than I intended. The bar was practically empty—plenty of seats, yet she chose to sit here, knowing full well how much that simple action would hurt.

Jess scoffed, arms crossing over her chest as she leaned back. She looked bothered, as if my question had offended her.

“I didn’t want to sneak around and avoid you. This is my town, too.”

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “Your town? Rich,” I replied, taking another long pull of my beer, staring straight ahead.

I caught Mac standing on the opposite side of the bar, filling a pitcher. His eyes flicked toward me, trying to remain casual. I could see the worry in his gaze. He wouldn’t intervene—he would watch from a distance, keeping himself far from the tension brewing at this end of the bar.

“Come on, Rhodes. Are you still not over it?”

Her words hit me like a slap, though this time, I didn’t hesitate. I turned to face her, leaning forward on the bar with my elbow, my voice a low growl.

“Over it ?” I spat, the words dripping with venom. “You have no idea what you did or how much it destroyed me, do you? I kept my mouth shut, let you go because I thought you needed space. But me? I went through hell, hit rock bottom after you left, and your first comment to me is asking if I’m ‘ over it ?’”

Her face was unreadable now, lips pressed tight as I finally let out everything I had kept inside for so long. I’d never said these words to her before—hadn’t given her the satisfaction of knowing how much she’d broken me.

And in that moment, something shifted. I realized I wasn’t affected by her anymore. The anger, the hurt—they were real, but they weren’t for her. They were for the guy I used to be, the one who had lost himself because of her.

“To answer your question,” I said, my voice steady with a sharp edge, “I am over it. But that doesn’t mean I have to be okay with you sitting next to me and acting like you deserve forgiveness.”

Jess’s jaw tightened and she didn’t flinch. “I did what I had to do, Rhodes. You weren’t going to leave with me, so I made a choice.”

“Just like I made a choice to give up a full-ride football scholarship for you,” I shot back, the words cutting through the air like glass. “Every decision I made, every single one, was for you , Jess. And what did you do? You threw me away. Years together, gone. For what?”

We had never hashed this out, not like this. We’d never sat face to face and said all the things that burned inside us. Maybe now was the time. Maybe now was the only time.

“It was high school, Rhodes,” she said, her tone dismissive as she shifted in her seat to face me head-on. “It wasn’t that deep. Did you really think we’d stay in Faircloud forever once we graduated?”

“Yeah, I did. After I gave up my dream for you, I thought that would be enough to show you how serious I was about us.”

She didn’t answer. For once, Jess had no snappy comeback, no sharp retort. She just stared at me, her mouth slightly parted, utterly speechless.

“You destroyed me,” I said, my voice quieter now, but no less firm. “It’s taken me all this time to love myself again, to find myself again. You know what? Things happen for a reason. I’m healing with people who actually care about me. I hope you’re happy, Jess, because while I don’t feel for you, I respect what we had.”

I brought the beer to my lips, taking a long pull as the words settled between us like smoke in the air.

Jess leaned back, her expression unreadable, though a flicker of something—curiosity, maybe amusement—sparked in her eyes. “Hmm,” she murmured, tilting her head. “So, is the talk around town about you and Theo Matthews true?”

I froze, the bottle still pressed against my lips. When I finally lowered it, my voice came out low, sharp as steel. “That’s none of your damn business.”

Jess stood, a slow, knowing smirk curling at the corner of her mouth. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And what does it matter to you if it is?”

She shrugged, feigning indifference. “I thought we could have a civil conversation, but clearly, you’re not ready.”

I let out a dry laugh, sharp and humorless. “Oh, cut the gaslighting bullshit. I’m not gonna sit here and play nice. I haven’t said a single thing that isn’t true. If it stings, that’s on you.” I waved a dismissive hand, already done with her games.

I was letting her get under my skin, giving her exactly what she wanted—a reaction. Exhaling slowly, I closed my eyes and counted backward from five, forcing myself to let it go.

“Look, I truly hope you’re happy with whatever life you’ve built for yourself,” I said, my voice calmer now. “But leave me the hell out of it.”

Jess’s expression twisted, her eyes flashing with something almost cruel. “Good luck with your mundane, monotonous life stuck in this town,” she bit out. “You and your friends have no clue what real life even is.”

“Alrighty,” Mac cut in, his voice firm as he planted both hands on the bar top. “Time for you to take your tantrum somewhere else. My bar is off-limits to people like you.”

Jess shot me one last scathing look, her gaze sweeping over me from head to toe like she was trying to find something—some weakness, some crack in my armor. Finding none, she huffed and spun on her heel, storming out of the bar.

The second the door swung shut behind her, Boone reappeared like he’d been waiting for the coast to clear. He slid onto his seat, eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. “Well, damn.”

“Do you want to share?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

I shook my head, taking another sip of my beer. Seeing Jess in person and watching her walk away again gave me something I hadn’t expected: closure. I thought trashing her things, our memories, was enough but this was what final felt like. As angry as I was, it wasn’t about her anymore. It was about the guy I’d been—the one who’d stayed stuck in his own head for too long.

“There’s really nothing to say. She came in, sat down, we exchanged a few words, and she left.”

“I heard,” Boone replied with a raised brow. “She hit a nerve with Theo.”

Mac stood and waited as Logan leaned in, both of them waiting, their eyes focused on me.

Rolling my neck, I let out a slow breath. “Fine,” I said. I told them everything. I told them about the moment Theo and I shared in the basement, how I’d confessed my feelings to her. I talked about how I couldn’t imagine my life without her, how she and the baby were becoming part of my world. I spoke about how lost I had been after Jess, and how, for the first time in a long time, I was finally feeling like myself again. It was as if the universe had conspired to bring Theo into my life, and I into hers.

The guys listened quietly, nodding, their faces lighting up as they celebrated my happiness. Mac bought a round of shots, and we all toasted to the journey ahead.

By the time the night had stretched on longer than expected, I left and headed home, eager to find Theo waiting for me. I expected everyone to be gone, and Theo wrapped up in my bed, naked, but when I walked in, I found three women asleep on the couch, the TV blaring.

A smile tugged at my lips as I took in the scene. This was us now. We’d grown together, through the mess and the chaos, into something real.

I leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Theo’s forehead before turning off the TV and heading to bed.

She’d hear about Jess tomorrow. I know she would laugh, maybe even roll her eyes and come up with something witty about the ridiculousness. I did want to tell her, because she deserved to know, but that chapter finally closed. For now, I just wanted to bask in the peace of knowing I’d finally found my way home.