Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Teller
I sat on the cot in the back room of the bar, my elbows propped on my thighs. I pressed my fingertips together, alternating the pressure. My phone was going wild in my pocket, but I ignored it.
She was gone.
Just like that.
I had woken up this morning wanting to be there for her on a tough day. I was ending the day without her. A single man.
I’d thought I’d spend my life with her. I hadn’t told her, and maybe that should’ve been a clue. I’d seen how she’d been caged in, doing what was right by people she should owe nothing to. Deep down, maybe I’d known that if she had a chance to leave, she’d be gone.
Why had I never thought about going with her? Had I been just another asshole who thought she wouldn’t have a choice?
I heard the footfalls before Tate leaned against the doorframe. “How’s she doing?”
I’d come right in here after she’d driven off, and my family had given me a wide berth. Tate had taken care of the police report, and the others had cleaned up the food, swept, and wiped down the bar. The paint would be dealt with another day. If I got my way, those little fuckers who did it would be scrubbing it off—with their faces. “She’s, uh, gone.”
“Yeah.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I can imagine that she needed space.”
“She wants all the space, Tate. She’s gone .”
He scratched his beard. “Sorry?”
“She left Bourbon Canyon. She left me.”
He stepped back and peered down the hallway. He held a hand up. I didn’t know who was still here. Then he crossed to me and sat on the cot. “Will she be back?”
I shook my head and tapped my fingertips together. “She was going to use all the money on her mom and nephew. This bar and a house. Now the world is wide open to her.”
“Shit.”
Relieved I didn’t have to explain how epically hurtful today had been for her, I nodded. “She’s never had the chance to do what she wants. I asked her once, you know. If she could go back and do anything, what would she do? Her answer didn’t include Bourbon Canyon.”
“She doesn’t have the same relationship with the town that we do.” He stated the obvious, but he wasn’t lecturing. I kept my smart-ass retort to myself. “Why did she leave you though?”
I gave him a disbelieving look. “She doesn’t want to be in Bourbon Canyon.”
He studied me until I wanted to squirm, just like our dad used to do. “Is staying here worth giving her up?”
I could tell him she hadn’t given me a choice, but she’d asked a rhetorical question that meant the same. My answer had been instinctive. Instant. I was an important part of two different enterprises.
Was I a critical part? Why hadn’t I asked myself those questions? I was forty. My life was here. “What would I do?”
“Live off her?” he joked, but I scowled at him. “I don’t know. You have a lot of skills. What’d she talk about doing?”
“Pastry school. In Boston. Or London.”
Tate grimaced. Neither of us was a city guy.
“She’s selling Flatlanders,” I said. When she’d said that, a part of me had died inside. I’d put a lot into these walls. Flatlanders had character now. It was a trendy dive bar, and Madison would’ve run it well. A new owner might change everything. Cover up the history we’d made.
“Shit,” Tate said again. “Kind of hate to see this place go. You never know what kind of owner the next one will be.”
“Yep.” I gripped the edge of the cot. Memories flashed through my head. How she’d shut the door in my face when I’d first stopped by. Her coming out of the bathroom in a bra and underwear. The way she’d opened for me on this very cot.
We hadn’t even been dating for two months, but I couldn’t imagine my life without her. Even now, when I thought of waking up to an empty house tomorrow, there was nothing. Did I just get up and go to work? An ordinary Thursday?
Was there time off for heartbreak? I was the boss, there could be.
Then I’d be wandering the house like a ghost, lost and confused as to why I was haunting the place by myself.
I sank my head in my hands. I sensed someone at the door, but I didn’t look. The cot lifted as Tate got up. It dipped again and the smell of wildflowers surrounded me. Mama.
“You know,” she said, “when you and Wendi broke up, I was so relieved you didn’t try to win her back.”
My laugh was bitter. There’d been nothing to win back. Our relationship had been floundering, worse than I had thought apparently, and it’d been severed as soon as Wendi had touched another man. “The bullet I dodged hit Madison.”
“Mm.”
A minute ticked by. Then two. A cord of tension coiled tighter inside me. It wasn’t like Mama to be quiet during times like this.
“What are you still doing here, Teller?”
I lifted my head. “My life is here.” My answer was weak. How important did I think I was?
“You don’t think I saw how you felt at Tate and Scarlett’s wedding? Wynter and Myles’s? Summer and Jonah’s?”
“Mama.”
“Autumn and Gideon’s—their renewal, since I know you’re going to point out how none of us were there for the Vegas wedding.” She rested a hand on my shoulder. “You were especially melancholy at Junie and Rhys’s wedding. I think you started to write off any of that happiness for yourself. You’ve isolated yourself for so long. I worried about you when Tenor and Ruby got together.”
“There was nothing to worry about.”
“There always is when you have kids.” She patted me on the shoulder and ruffled a hand in my hair. “You got all the stubbornness from your father.”
“He said it came from you.”
She smiled, and the loss I often glimpsed in her eyes flared up before dying back down to a smolder. “You got his fierce love and loyalty. All you boys did.” She dropped her hand. “It’s biting you in the ass now. Go get her, Teller.”
“And what? Bring her back to the town that feels like a prison?”
“I don’t know,” she said simply. “But you can’t figure it out on your own.”
“What if she never wants to return?”
“She might not,” Mama said calmly. She rose and stood over me. I was back to being that five-year-old, getting a talking-to. “That girl rearranged her life for the people she loved. Even when they didn’t deserve it. I hope she finds someone someday who’s willing to do the same for her.”
Mama walked out, leaving me alone and feeling like an absolutely selfish dick.
Madison did deserve someone who was willing to sacrifice as much for her as she’d done for others. She deserved to have those millions and live out her dream. She didn’t deserve to do it alone.
But I had a life here. I had a home. I had two jobs that fit me to a T . Madison could go anywhere and do anything. Be with anyone. How much was I willing to sacrifice for her?
Madison
The airport was emptying out. Only one gate was open. The last flight leaving for the day.
I’d been here for hours, and I was on my third ticket. If I didn’t leave on this flight, I’d have to find somewhere to stay for the night. I stared at the destination on my boarding pass. I had three airline apps on my phone. When I’d woken up this morning, I hadn’t even had one.
Couples of all ages filled the seats around me. Older couples relaxed in their chairs and chatted with each other about cattle prices and crop rotations. If they weren’t discussing that, they were talking about the various trips they’d taken over their lifetime.
Then there were families with tired but excited little kids. My heart wrung like a dishcloth just when I’d thought there wasn’t more sadness to squeeze out of me. Growing up, I’d thought I’d be the parent who offered their kid everything I hadn’t had.
I clicked my screen off.
“Attention all passengers . . .”
I barely heard the announcement. I’d never flown before, but the last few hours had given me a whirlwind education in booking flights. All I had to do was get up and walk through the door.
The seats around me were empty as I slumped. My face was still red and blotchy, and at least once an hour, I spontaneously started crying. No wonder I was an oasis. Security hadn’t approached me yet, but if I cried one more time, the ticket agent might actually do more than side-eye me.
I massaged my temples. Fatigue hung on my shoulders and coaxed my eyelids to shut. I obeyed. At least I’d have a valid reason for missing the flight if I snoozed.
What was I doing? Where would I go? More importantly, was it worth leaving behind someone who’d become very important to me. Someone who was everything.
Teller Bailey had made me happy and wasn’t that ultimately what I wanted?
The answer kept me planted in this damn seat, watching travelers launch their adventures.
I loved him and he loved me. Could it be that simple? Would I really be giving up my dreams when kind, strong, handsome, bearded Teller Bailey was my own personal fantasy come to life?
What had leaving cost me? Could I even go back after fleeing Bourbon Canyon and him like they were death sentences?
What if I returned and he’d already moved on?
My brain tried telling me that was ridiculous. It’d been a half a day. But I couldn’t look at him, at those dark eyes that brought me so much comfort, and see that I had killed that affection that used to be there.
Or was I just being a coward?
Airline ticket number three said possibly.
Someone sat next to me and I was wrapped in a woodsy, citrusy scent. What torture was this? I dropped my hands and opened my eyes.
Teller.
He was sitting on the edge of the seat next to me, his elbows propped on his thighs, looking at me like I hadn’t just told him that the life he wanted sounded awful. Like I hadn’t left him and Bourbon Canyon with nothing but the clothes on my back, my ID, my phone, and a debit card.
“Phoenix, huh?” he asked.
I glanced around. No one was giving us the time of day. That wasn’t true. Some women were stripping Teller down with their eyes, no doubt making bets with each other about how many abs he had underneath that tight tee.
At the toe of his boots were two suitcases. One was mine from his house. The other was a simple black carry-on.
My confusion grew. “What are you doing here?”
He ran his thumb and forefinger over his lower lip. “Leaving with you.”
Hope leaped into my chest, beating back the fear that had invaded every cell until it’d been hard to breathe. I’d sat in this damn airport for hours, beautiful view and all, and ignored the planes coming and going. Indecision had rebounded through my head like a Ping-Pong ball that had no place to go, no hole to roll into because I’d closed off the only route I wanted. A path back to Bourbon Canyon. A way back to Teller.
Yet he was here. Right next to me. With his eyes shining just for me.
My gaze vacillated between him and the suitcases. Was that really mine? He’d packed for me and himself? Which was more shocking? “How can you leave with me? You’re needed back home.”
“Turns out I’m not as important as I thought.” He flashed a quick smile and the resulting shock of heat flushed away the cold from the last few hours. “I have a big family, and all of them are involved in both businesses in some way. They can cover for me.” His expression turned serious. “I should’ve left with you. I’ll regret it forever that I didn’t.”
“I wouldn’t have left.” Everyone might’ve blamed me for Teller giving up everything he knew, but I would’ve blamed myself more. He’d chased me down on his own. Sure, he hadn’t had to go far, but it turned out, I couldn’t go far either. “For how long?”
His gaze dipped to my lips, then lifted back up. “Forever, if needed.”
He was delusional. He couldn’t mean it. “You can’t leave Bourbon Canyon forever.”
“If I’m with you, I can.”
I put a hand on his strong forearm and the muscles twitched. “Your family loves you. They’ll miss you.”
“We can go back and visit. Or they’ll fly out where we are.” He pivoted toward me. “I love you, Madison. I said I wanted what my parents had, and guess what? I found it. It’s not the house, the jobs, or a cozy little town in the foothills of the mountains. It’s you and me. Together.”
This wasn’t true. None of it. I was dreaming. Made sense because all my dreams now included him. “How did you know I’d still be here?” I whispered.
“I didn’t.” He traced a thumb over my lips. “This was the last flight out for the day, so I’d take another one from Phoenix. I figured you’d either gone to Salt Lake City or Vegas.”
“I bought a ticket for each of them,” I whispered. “I couldn’t get on. I couldn’t quit thinking about you.”
His lazy grin made the anxiety of sitting through boarding calls and last warnings worth it. “Yeah?”
“I’m worried I’m on some watch list. I keep buying tickets and not boarding.” I hadn’t had anyone to talk to. I didn’t know Mae well, yet her face had flashed through my mind a million times. She’d know what to do. Same with Ruby. But Teller was theirs. I wasn’t. I’d had no one to call. I could go anywhere, but the few connections I’d made, the ones I treasured more than I thought, were in Bourbon Canyon.
Turned out I didn’t have nothing. Everything was in Bourbon Canyon.
The speakers crackled to life. “Attention all passengers. It’s my pleasure to announce the boarding of flight...”
My heart slammed against my ribs. I had to leave. I couldn’t return to the emptiness. But I hadn’t been able to leave Teller. Yet he had my luggage, and he’d said he was coming with me. Confusion swirled in my head.
He studied me, concern in his face. “I hear Phoenix is hot this time of year, but we can fly somewhere cooler from there.”
“What if I don’t want to leave?” What if I stayed? What if I betrayed everything I had wanted as a kid? What if Bourbon Canyon made me miserable?
What if the last two months in Bourbon Canyon were the happiest I’d ever be? I couldn’t imagine it getting better. Cooking in Teller’s kitchen. Going to bed and waking up to him. Being a part of his big and loving family dinners.
“Then we’ll come back.” He grabbed my hand. “We’ll travel and we’ll go home. You’ll do your pastry training, and I’ll live in whatever town you’re in or commute. You want to go to France and have a real croissant, I’ll get a passport.”
“I don’t have a passport.”
“We’ll both get one.”
“I love you, Teller.” More announcements crackled over the line, but neither of us listened. His focus was only on me, and my terrified attention was on him. “I love you so much.”
His smile grew wide. “Glad to hear it, Mads.” He cupped my face and kissed me, long and slow. Neither of us moved. He didn’t take it further. We were in the middle of an airport. The kiss was the punctuation to my declaration. I loved him. I couldn’t imagine not loving him. He showed me what I deserved, and I deserved him.
He gently broke the kiss and rested his forehead on mine. “I love you so goddamn much I would’ve scoured this country looking for you.”
“I’m right here.” I’d been waiting for him and hadn’t known it.
He rose and held a hand out. “Ready to board?”
No. But I was ready to go anywhere with him. “We don’t have to leave.”
“Maddy, you want to travel. We’re going to travel.” He winked. “And I’m not saying that because Mama and the others would kick my ass if I brought you straight back home.”
“They aren’t upset with me?”
“No, they were a little salty I let you leave alone.” He sobered. “My first priority was you and what you wanted. I only let you go because I want what’s best for you.”
The anxiety that he was doing something completely against his wishes died down. “You figured out you’re what’s best for me?”
“I’ll make sure I am. I’m selfish when it comes to you.”
I slipped my fingers into his warm palm. He pulled me up and into his chest.
People around us were gathering their luggage and forming a line, but he held me and I hugged him back. He was real. Solid and strong, he didn’t let go until it was time for us to board.
“What do we do in Phoenix?” I asked. I was so far out of my realm of experience, but the fear was gone. Only excitement remained, growing stronger the closer we got to boarding.
“Anything you want.” He bent to put his mouth close to my ear. “After we spend one full day absolutely naked in the hotel room getting room service.”
Desire hit hard, flooding my body and making me achy. How long was this damn flight? “That’s when you can do anything you want to me.”
He groaned, and I grinned the whole way to Arizona.