Chapter Seventeen
Ellie
I t’s crazy how drastically life can change in such a short amount of time. One moment you could be living out a dream far more beautiful than you ever imagined, only to have it cruelly shattered the next. All because you foolishly let your emotions get the best of you.
My throat tightens as I suppress the bitter regret that has wrapped itself around my heart, intertwining with the profound ache of longing I feel without Gunnar and Bear by my side.
These past few days have been absolute torture. I miss them terribly, but know I need this time to pull myself together. Not just for me, but for Gunnar too. He doesn’t deserve to deal with me being such a basket case.
Right when I thought things couldn’t get any more complicated, fate throws me another curveball, this one offering a glimmer of hope in the form of a home pregnancy test. Despite being certain I had gotten my period.
Turns out it may have been spotting, which can happen early on. Or mother nature just wants to screw with me and it’s a wacky period because of the roller coaster of emotions I have been on the last few days. Obviously, I’m hoping for the first possibility, but I’m preparing for the latter because the last thing I need is another blow to the heart.
Fortunately, I have my three closest girlfriends by my side for it. Harlow, Penny, and Hollis huddle around me in my living room, their expressions a mix of concern and unwavering support. I reached out to them earlier, needing help to sort through all these emotions and they didn’t hesitate.
As we impatiently wait for the results of all three pregnancy tests I took, I recount every detail of what happened at Gunnar’s the other night.
Their expressions fluctuate through a range of emotions: first shock, then anger, and finally, a deep sadness at how it all ended.
“I’m so sorry, Ellie,” Penny softly murmurs, her slender fingers enveloping my hand in a gentle squeeze. “I can’t imagine how much that hurt to see.”
I swallow hard, trying to fight back the fresh wave of tears. “It did, but I should have handled it better. I reacted so badly, you guys,” my voice fades away at the admission as guilt consumes me.
“Of course you did,” Harlow inserts firmly. “We all would have. Any sane person would.”
“Definitely.” Hollis chimes in with a nod of agreement, her brown messy bun bouncing on top of her head.
“Maybe, but it wasn’t Gunnar’s fault. He didn’t invite her there.”
Though, I do wish he had responded to her damn messages. Honest mistake or not, it could have spared us all, especially my heart because the image of that night will forever be etched into my memory .
“It’s not like I was na?ve enough to think he hadn’t been with other women,” I continue. “But seeing it hit different.”
It more than hit. It tore me to pieces.
“She was stunning too,” I add, grumbling bitterly as I think about every voluptuous curve. “Lush hair, sultry eyes, huge boobs.” I punctuate the description with my hands. “Pretty much my opposite in every way.”
And that just makes it cut all the deeper.
“Which is exactly why he isn’t with her,” Hollis counters.
My gaze meets hers, confused by the response. “What do you mean?”
“Her being your polar opposite is exactly why he has no interest in being with her. Think about it, if that’s what Gunnar truly wanted, he would be with her, Elle, but he wants you. He chose you. He always chooses you. Know why?” She barrels on without pause, making it a rhetorical question. “Because you two share something that no one else can compete with. A bond that dates all the way back from childhood. Memories that span decades. And that is worth more than any physical attribute this Maxine has.”
Her words wash over me like a soothing balm, easing the raw ache nestled in my chest. I shift my gaze to the large living room window, savoring the sight of the velvety star-studded sky, its gentle glow outlining the very mountain that has long bound Gunnar and me. A mountain that I had begun to believe in again with my whole heart and soul.
“Do you guys ever think about the legend?” I ask softly, changing the topic as my gaze clings to the moon-kissed peak. “That maybe there is some truth to it after all?”
Hollis is the first to answer. “I do, and I wholeheartedly believe in it.” The steadfast conviction in her voice has my gaze pulling to hers. “Whenever I think back to the day I met Mike, I’m convinced that mountain had a part in it.”
I inch closer, intrigued by that statement. “What makes you think that?”
“Because the gust of wind that blinded me that snowy day was unlike any other that morning. It came out of nowhere, almost like a perfectly timed whisper that was specifically for me…” She shakes her head with a laugh, a blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “I know it sounds absurd—I can’t explain it—but that’s how it felt, and after hearing the story behind the legend, I think there’s some truth to that too. I believe all legends hold fragments of the truth somewhere within them.”
A sense of validation envelops me like a warm embrace, spreading warmth through my chest.
A soft smile graces my lips, betraying the secret I’ve harbored for years. My gaze shifts between all three of my friends before I confess something to them I never have before. “Gunnar and I kissed on that mountain when we were kids.”
Penny gasps her surprise, her eyes flaring wide.
Harlow’s reaction is more visceral. “Shut the hell up,” she shrieks. “When?”
“When I was eight,” I reveal, the memory etched vividly in my mind. “I convinced him to sneak out with me and test the legend. We waited for the church bells to chime and kissed at the stroke of midnight. At the time, we thought nothing happened, but looking back now, at where we are…maybe it did work its magic. Just not the way we envisioned it.”
“I bet it did.” Hollis smiles, her wistful expression reflecting what’s in my heart.
Until Harlow shatters our moment. “Yeah, sorry to burst both your bubbles, but as sweet as these stories are, good ol’ Heart Mountain sure as hell didn’t work for me.”
My eyes snap to hers in surprise. “Who did you kiss there?”
She waves my curiosity away with a flick of her hand. “Just someone from out of town. No one you know.”
Suspicion begins to form at the way her gaze avoids mine, but I don’t get the chance to question her about it because Penny cuts in with her own thoughts.
“It didn’t work for me either,” she says, her voice solemn. “Dawson and I did more than kiss at that mountain and just look at how that ended.” Her tone is light but there is no denying the pain hidden beneath the exterior.
“Or maybe your story isn’t over yet,” I hedge gently, not wanting to overstep.
She barks out a mirthless laugh, but it dies quickly. “Trust me, it’s over.”
I let the matter drop, not wanting to cause further pain but sadness for my friend lingers. By her reaction every time he is near or mentioned, it’s obvious there are still feelings there.
Solemn silence settles over the room before Harlow breaks it, shifting the topic. “Well, are you ready to see these results? It’s been long enough,” she adds, looking down at the time on her phone.
My heart stutters nervously in my chest, bracing itself for the rejection I’ve already mentally prepared for. Swallowing hard, I manage a nod.
“I’ll do it,” Penny volunteers, rising from her seat.
I release a long breath as she disappears into the bathroom, my clammy hands trembling as I rub them up and down my legs .
Harlow and Hollis each take a hand, offering silent support.
Penny returns moments later, holding all three of the tests I took, bringing my heart to a screeching halt.
“Well?” Harlow prompts impatiently. “What’s the verdict?”
Penny’s gaze fixes on mine, an array of emotions playing across her face. “Positive.”
I tense, every muscle in my body going rigid with shock, and I fear I just misheard her. “What?”
A radiant smile lights up her entire face. “They’re positive. All of them.”
I leap from my seat and snatch the tests from her hands, struggling to comprehend it all. My heart swells at the sight of the two pink lines on each test. A mixture of disbelief and elation crash over me before we all dissolve into celebratory screams, jumping up and down and embracing each other tightly.
“I can’t believe this,” I cry, wiping away tears as I become overwhelmed in the best way.
“I’m so happy for you,” Penny whispers, her voice choked with emotion.
“For both you and Gunnar,” Hollis adds with a smile.
“Gunnar,” I gasp, reality crashing down on me. “I need to see him. I have to tell him the news.”
“Yes, you do,” Harlow insists, already ushering me toward the door. “Go. We’ll see ourselves out. Just make sure to call us later.”
“I will, I promise.” After one last hug, I dash out the door, rushing out into the moonlit night in my slippers, refusing to waste time with shoes.
On the way to my car, I come face to face with Heart Mountain. Its imposing figure looms proudly in the distance, taunting me with the memories from that night so long ago.
For a fleeting moment, that sad eight-year-old girl resurfaces, her young broken heart healing with hope and knowledge. “Sorry I ever doubted you.”
With a smile, I settle into my car and pull out of my driveway, my heart guiding me toward the one place I belong—beside my best friend, the man who holds my entire heart and soul in the palm of his hands.