16. I Just Needed To
I JUST NEEDED TO
A spen
It had been two weeks since Rowan and I had lain on a blanket eating cheese and crackers, painting, and watching the stars shoot across the Colorado sky.
To say the man was perfect would be the understatement of the century.
I was truly just waiting for the other shoe to drop and something to be majorly wrong with him, because him being this perfect for me was just… unnatural.
He showed up at my work and brought me home, only staying the night if I asked.
He made sure I ate more than chips and soda while on the clock, bringing me food whenever he noticed I didn’t have any.
He took me to The Raven dancing with Ivy and Todd—who was back again and apparently here to stay.
We’d been on a few more dates, always something new and different.
Dinner, horseback riding, a local rodeo, and hiking through his family's ranch. He’d even shown me how he trained the bulls and the horses for the rodeos, which had no business being as hot as it was.
Rowan was sweet, kind, funny, and attentive, but not overbearing. Essentially everything I’d ever wanted in a man. I hadn’t met his family yet—I think he knew I was anxious about it, so he’d silently given me more time to adjust to the idea.
But his brother, Wyatt, had been able to confirm the calls were indeed Sam and blocked his number from calling me anymore. He also somehow updated my phone plan with a new name and address, so it wouldn’t be connected to me at all anymore.
I smiled to myself. I felt as if I could finally let myself relax for more than two seconds.
Rowan had helped me realize that I could take a few moments and just be happy.
Which was crazy, seeing as it really hadn’t been that long.
I tried hard over the last few weeks to remember if Sam had ever made me feel this way.
As if maybe, this was just the “ honeymoon ” phase—maybe it would all drop off, and Rowan would end up being just like Sam.
I shook my head quickly, rolling my eyes. In the five years I spent with Sam, he was never, for even a moment, anything like Rowan. It was hard for me to believe it was all an act, so I tried to shift my focus.
I took a sip of my coffee. It was my day off, and I decided to grab myself a treat from Buns of Delight.
Today’s happiness was brought to you by my favorite coffee with extra whipped cream and a raspberry scone.
The plan was to enjoy my treat, get in a couple of hours painting and laundry done, and then Rowan and I were having dinner at his place.
Smiling to myself, I unlocked the entryway to my apartment building and started up the stairs.
It was shaping up to be a really good day, and I couldn’t be happier.
I reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner toward my door, only to stop short.
There was a piece of paper taped just underneath my apartment number.
Walking forward, I pulled the paper down and opened it with one hand.
I read the note three times, my brain skipping around the entire thing over and over without fully comprehending, before it finally sank into my head what I was reading.
My entire body went hot, and I couldn’t seem to get a full breath in.
I looked up and down my hallway, not seeing anyone or hearing anything.
Hands shaking, I quickly crumbled the note and shoved it into my pocket, unlocked my door, and rushed through. I closed and locked the door, dropping my coffee on the floor, but I didn’t even care at this point. I just needed to—I needed?—