1. Hadley
CHAPTER ONE
Hadley
“Home sweet home,” my older brother, Grayson, says from behind the wheel of his truck.
My head jerks up and, sure enough, we’re already pulling into Aspen Springs.
The last few hours of driving up into the mountains since Grayson picked me up from the airport in Denver have been a bit of a blur.
I haven’t been back to Colorado in three years, and even then I was only here for forty-eight hours. My mom and Grayson were the only people I saw.
He turns the truck onto Hickory Avenue, which cuts through the middle of town. My eyes track over all the familiar buildings lining both sides of the street, a mix of new and old.
I can almost feel the history of this tiny mining village that turned into the town I grew up in seeping into my bones.
For the first time in five years, I feel like I can finally take a deep breath again. I moved to New York because this town, and even the state, was suffocating me, but now I feel the complete opposite.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m older now or if I’m having a crisis, but the peaceful nature of this town is instantly setting me at ease.
Grayson turns the truck again onto the street we grew up on, and I am smacked in the face with the breathtaking view of the Rocky Mountains. Were they always this big?
Suddenly, there’s no air in my lungs. All I want to do is pull out my camera and capture this image, an image I grew up seeing but never truly appreciated until this moment.
Maybe that’s what you could do. Be a photographer. There’s no way. Right?
“You’re quiet over there,” Grayson says, side-eyeing me.
“Just thinking.”
“About?” He pulls the truck to a stop in front of the light green house with pots of purple and pink flowers lining the porch.
“How gorgeous it is here.”
He swings his door open. “You’re just realizing it?” he teases, pulling my suitcases from the bed of the truck.
I glance again to the west, taking in the peaks that jut up into the crystal blue sky. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
His much larger frame steps beside me, his arm slung over my shoulders. “Good to have you home, sis.”
I lean my head against him. How did I not realize how much I missed him?
“Hadley, is that you?” I hear my mom’s voice through the screen door.
“I’ll get your stuff. Go see her,” he says.
With a smile on my face, I hurry down the small sidewalk and up onto the porch. Opening the door, I’m hit with a smell that is distinctly my childhood, this house, my mom.
“Hey, Mom,” I say, crossing through the living room and wrapping her in my arms. She leans on her cane with one hand but holds me close with the other.
She’s still the same gorgeous woman I’ve known and loved my whole life, with brown hair pulled back into a clip on the back of her head, but the pain is evident on her face.
Her MS has gotten drastically worse over the last few years. Thankfully, her hip surgery is in just a few weeks, and that should help with some of her pain.
I help her over to the couch, cuddling beside her as Grayson carries my bags upstairs to my old room.
“So, how long do we get you for?” she asks.
“I don’t know yet,” I say honestly. “I guess I’ll figure it out.”
I rinse the dishes from dinner, handing them to my brother to put in the dishwasher.
“It’s gotten a lot worse,” I say, my heart aching from seeing my mom in so much pain.
He sighs, leaning against the fridge. “Yeah, it’s progressed quickly.”
“I think we need to make some changes to the house before her surgery.”
“I know. I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while. Mom’s just….” he trails off.
“Stubborn,” I finish for him.
He huffs out an almost-laugh. “Yeah.”
“It still needs to be done,” I say, handing him the last couple of plates.
“I’ll call Austin. I’m sure he and the guys can get it all done.”
It’s a good thing I’m facing away from Grayson because I freeze upon hearing his best friend’s name.
His best friend that I had the biggest crush on growing up. His best friend that I haven’t seen in years.
He starts the dishwasher, then leans in, giving me a hug. “I’ll see if he can swing by tomorrow before my shift starts at the firehouse.”
A nervous feeling settles in my gut. I guess I’m going to see Austin again. Not that I’d be able to avoid him in this small town.
Better to get over it now. Rip off the Band-Aid. Maybe he isn’t attractive anymore? Doubtful, it’s Austin Reed. He’s probably aged like fine wine—or no, in his case, expensive whiskey.
Grayson pauses by the front door. “It really is good to have you back home, Hadley.”
Despite the mix of emotions swirling through me with all the unknowns, I can’t help but agree with him. I’m finally where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be here.