Chapter 15 #2
Her hesitation was understandable. Trust had been broken, and my change in behavior was sudden. “What about the ranch?” she asked practically. “You can’t just abandon it indefinitely.”
I nodded, having anticipated this concern.
“Waylon can manage it effectively. And I can stay involved from here. Remote work has its limitations, but there are ways to keep oversight without physically being present all the time. It’s not ideal, but our operation doesn’t need my daily presence to function.
What it needs is for me to get my priorities in order and start making decisions that align with those priorities. ”
“And if I tell you that I need more time before making any decisions about ‘us’?” she pressed, testing my resolve.
“Then I’ll take that. And I’ll keep coming here, not to pressure you, but because I’ve discovered I belong here in a way that makes sense to me.
Whatever happens between us, this connection to the rescue work, it’s become part of who I want to be going forward.
” The realization was fresh but felt undeniably true.
Larkin’s expression softened, the wall between us lowering incrementally. “You can continue to volunteer. Just don’t expect special treatment or for this to speed up the process.”
“I wouldn’t want it to. Whatever we rebuild, if anything, it needs to be on a foundation of respect for the space you needed to claim for yourself.”
I sank down onto a nearby bale of hay, exhausted from the physical labor and emotional intensity of the conversation.
After a moment’s hesitation, Larkin sat down beside me, close but not touching, our bodies aligned in an echo of easier times.
For a long while, neither of us spoke, comfortable silence settling around us, punctuated by the occasional whicker from a horse settling for the night.
“There’s still so much between us, Ephraim.” Her voice was quiet, but her words carried through the still barn. “So many things that need to be addressed.”
“I know. And we will, when you’re ready.” I finally looked at her profile, memorizing the way her hair caught the last light filtering through the open barn door. “But can we just sit here for a few minutes without talking about any of it?”
To my surprise, a small smile appeared on her lips, the first genuine one directed at me since this entire journey began. “That might be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”
I chuckled, the tension between us easing another degree. “Clearly, my bar for romance was set embarrassingly low in our relationship.”
“Lower than a snake’s belly in a ditch.” She leaned back against the rough wall of the barn, her shoulders finally relaxing. “But you’re raising it now, slowly but surely.”
The quiet contentment of that moment felt like a victory of sorts, not just for our relationship but for me personally.
I wasn’t the man who needed to orchestrate every outcome or control every narrative anymore.
I could simply be present, waiting for the future to unfold without forcing it, without manipulating circumstances to my advantage.
For the first time in as long as I could remember, I was okay with not knowing exactly where we were headed, as long as we were moving forward together.
And yet, it felt like there was an object burning a hole in my pocket.
Her wedding ring. I knew this time wasn’t right to give it back.
She would never accept it under these circumstances.
But it was not an object that belonged in my pocket.
It belonged on her finger. And I felt the need to get rid of the evidence of my promise that was still there, even if that promise was unspoken at the moment.
It was a promise I wanted to be true, not a lie.
“Larkin,” I whispered her name in the silence.
Her eyes were half closed, and for a moment, I thought she might have fallen asleep in the comfort of the barn.
But I saw the faint twitch at the edge of her lips and her eyes opened.
“Yeah?” She hadn’t moved, still looking so relaxed, like a completely different version of the woman who was so stressed when I showed up uninvited at this very same location.
“Can you...” I reached into my pocket, my hand curling around the smooth metal that I had carried with me every day.
I held out my hand and opened my fist, showing her the gold circle in my palm.
Her wedding ring. Her eyes flicked to my open palm, and she looked back up at me in an instant, her face giving nothing away.
She wasn’t angry, she just didn’t look surprised.
I hadn’t been subtle when I stopped wearing it on my hand and stuck it in my pocket.
“Can you keep this for me? I want it to stay with you, even if it is not on your finger right now.”