Chapter sixteen Willow
Chapter sixteen
Willow
“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Clutching my phone to my ear, I grab my cup of coffee and quietly shut the front door behind me. I lean against the railing on my front porch, staring out at the ocean as I pull my robe tighter to my body.
“I have a newborn, Willow. I’ve been up for two hours already.”
“Aw. How is my sweet little nephew?” Shauna had her baby boy two weeks ago after going a week past her due date, and I promised her once the house was done, I’d be flying straight out to visit.
I offered to be there for the birth, but she assured me that between Forrest’s family and her own, she’d have too many people to worry about, and wanted our visit to be just about us spending time together.
“He’s perfect. Doesn’t understand the concept of sleep yet, but we’re getting there.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while—”
“Nonsense,” she says, cutting me off, “I’ve been busy, Willow, and I knew you’d call when you needed me. So, to what do I owe the honor of this phone call?”
Sighing, I stare down into my cup of coffee. “Shauna, I think I’ve done something bad…”
“Oh God. What?”
“But it felt sooooo good,” I whine.
Her laughter fills the line. “Quoting Taylor Swift? I like where this is going already.” She grows quiet, and then says, “You slept with the restaurant owner, didn’t you?”
“I did. But that’s not the problem.”
“First of all, having sex with whomever you want isn’t even a problem to begin with. You’re a grown ass woman and deserve to get off when and with whom you see fit.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“No problem. Now, what’s the issue you’re concocting in your head?”
“I’m not just speculating, Shauna. This is serious.”
I hear the baby cry in the background. Shauna tells her husband to bring her their son, Hudson, so he can eat. I wait for her to get situated and then she replies, “Sorry. Mom duty calls.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me.”
“I’m just a human milk factory now.” She chuckles, sighing in contentment. “Anyway, please continue.”
“Well, remember that the man that left me this house said he knew my parents?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it turns out that man was Dallas’s dad.”
“And Dallas is?”
“The restaurant owner, Shauna!” I hiss, lowering my voice instantly because I don’t want to wake up the man in question.
I left him sleeping alone in my bed when I opened my eyes far earlier than I wanted to, especially because he kept me up until almost two in the morning, giving me some of the best sex I’ve ever had.
It’s been years since I’ve stayed up that late, but I guess when you’re sleeping with someone whose business doesn’t close until midnight, late nights are par for the course.
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I wish I were. Believe me. He came over earlier this week to keep me calm during a crazy storm that blew through, and then some stuff happened that night, which led to him asking me out.”
“Holy crap.”
“And last night he took me out and we ended up back at my house.”
“And he has no idea about the connection?”
“No. The worst part is, he wants this house, Shauna, and his dad owned it the entire time, saving it for me.” I yank on my hair. “What am I supposed to do about all this?”
Shauna blows out a breath. “This is a lot. But why is it a problem if you’re just gonna leave and sell it to him anyway?”
“I…I don’t know if I want to sell anymore.”
There. I said it—the thought that’s been on my mind for the past week.
“Are you serious?” she asks through a whisper.
I set my coffee cup on the railing and brush my hair behind my ear. “Being here for the past six weeks has made me realize that my life has been so lonely. And I don’t know what it is about this town—”
“Small towns will suck you in and never let you go, Willow. Hence why I’m back in Newberry Springs,” she cuts me off, saying out loud what I’ve been afraid of.
“My mind is a mess, Shauna. And now my heart is involved too, even though that’s the last thing I wanted.”
“You can’t avoid feelings, Willow. You can try, and lord knows that you have for years, but eventually they’ll catch up to you. Trust me on that.”
“But this isn’t just my feelings, Shauna. This is my life. My business is in D.C., my apartment is there. But down here, I feel…”
“Like someone new?”
“Like me,” I whisper, afraid to say it louder because it scares me how true those words are.
For most of my adult life, I feel like I’ve had to be strong because that’s what people expected of me, especially once they heard my story—the two-year-old girl who lost both of her parents, had no other family to speak of so was taken in by their best friends, and still managed to turn into a successful businesswoman, building a multimillion-dollar advertising business from the ground up.
I wasn’t allowed to fall apart, to be angry about the fact that I was robbed of a life I could have had if my parents hadn’t died. I was still so fortunate, grew up in a loving home, never went without, and experienced financial success on a level that most people only dream of.
But I always felt like some part of me was missing—real roots, a foundation—a place where I belong. Sometimes I feel like the life I’m living isn’t the one I was supposed to have.
“That’s a good thing, Willow.”
“It is, but it’s also complicated. This man, Shauna…
” I groan out loud. “He’s stubborn and cocky, but he sees me, he’s thoughtful even when I’ve given him plenty of reasons not to be, and he makes me feel safe.
He listens, doesn’t shy away from the fact that I’m successful, and the way he touches my body.
..” I shudder at the memory. “In fact, he overheard me on a call last night and told me the way I handled the situation was a turn on.”
“Sounds like he doesn’t mind a woman in control.”
“That’s the thing…in bed though? He’s the one in control, and it’s so fucking hot.”
Shauna laughs. “Sounds about right.”
“What do I do? I’m completely out of my depth here.”
“Honestly, Willow, it depends on what you want for the long term. Do you see a future with this guy? If this is just a vacation fling, then there’s no reason to bring up the past and rattle his life with unspoken secrets if you plan on leaving. But if you want to stay, is it for you or him?”
“I don’t know. Part of me gave into him because I thought this would be temporary, but after last night…”
“You want more.”
“I think I might.” Biting my lip, I lift my coffee cup and take another sip. “Oh, shit. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you the worst part.”
“Jesus, there’s more?”
“The night I found out about the connection between Dallas and his dad was the night of the veterans’ dinner.”
“I remember you telling me about that.”
“Yeah. Well, later that night after I left in a hurry, I had a visitor. And you’re never going to believe who it was…”
“There you are.”
I spin around so fast, I nearly fall over as Dallas walks out the front door, shirtless and in nothing but his boxer briefs. The muscles of his torso glisten in the sunlight, highlighting the scar on his ribs I noticed last night, sending a flood of heat right between my legs.
We had sex three times last night, but apparently that wasn’t enough for my greedy vagina, and she’s ready for round four.
“Hey. I didn’t want to wake you so I came out here to make a call,” I say, still awestruck by the mouthwatering specimen of a man standing in front of me.
He runs a hand through his messy hair—his sex hair—and damn him, it makes him look even more appealing. “I appreciate that. Is there more coffee, though?”
“Yeah. Let me end this call and I’ll be right in.”
He takes a few steps toward me, tilting my chin up before gently pressing his lips to mine. “Take your time, Goose.”
I wait for him to go back in the house before remembering that I’m on the phone with Shauna.
“Hello? Earth to Willow. Are you still there?” her voice calls out to me.
“Uh, yeah. I’m here.” I clear my throat and continue, “Look, I’ve got to go.”
“You’re going to leave me hanging like that? Who showed up at the house? And why did he call you Goose?”
I lower my voice and turn my back to the house again. “I can’t have this conversation with Dallas around, okay?”
“Willow, you need to decide what you want to do.”
“I know…”
“And honestly, I say go for it.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“You can do whatever you want, Willow. It’s your life. The question is, do you have the guts to make a choice for yourself? One that isn’t tied to your job or what you think people expect from you?”
“Get right to the point, why don’t you?” I reply sarcastically, even though I know she’s right.
“That’s what I’m here for. But I will tell you this, coming from my own experience—secrets will come out eventually, so the most important thing is that he hears the truth from you and not someone else.
Trust me. If you want to explore this relationship with him further, you need to be prepared to tell him everything. ”
“What if he can’t look past it?”
Shauna sighs audibly. “That’s just a chance you’re going to have to take, but trust me, you can’t have a relationship built on half-truths.”
I close my eyes. “Okay.”
“In the meantime, enjoy the sex, and keep me posted.”
Chuckling, I say, “I will. And you’d better keep sending me pictures of my nephew.”
“I have about five hundred I could send to you right now.”
“I expect them all within the hour.”
She laughs, making me feel slightly better. “I love you, Willow. You’ll figure this out. I know you will.”
“Thank you. Talk to you soon.”
As I end the call, Dallas comes back outside, holding his own cup of coffee. “Everything okay?”