Page 66 of Homesick

Blake coughs, choking on the water he’s drinking. My brother shoots him a confused look, but I just laugh to myself.

Chris has no idea how much good it really did do. Little does he know forcing his little sister and best friend to spend time together led to some unsavory exploits that kept us up until all hours of the night.

I know we’ll have to tell Chris about us eventually, but something is telling me he won’t mind. The hard conversation is the one I’ll have to have with Emma. I need to understand why she chose not to tell me about Blake wanting to get back together.

There’s a pit forming in my stomach about all the possibilities, but mostly I’m worried that fixing things with Blake means ruining my friendship with Emma. I need some time, though.

I want to spend time with Blake before we add the complications of our past. I just want to be happy for a little bit longer.

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket, and I smile when I see Blake casually looking at his phone while talking to my brother.

Blake: Meet in the hay barn in five?

Blake smirks at me when my eyes meet his. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth in anticipation and make up a half-hearted excuse before heading toward the barns. I can still hear Chris’s loud voice the farther away I get, and my pulse quickens at the excitement of what could happen away from prying eyes.

As I walk into the large barn full of fresh hay from a recent cut, I think back to the night where a playful game turned into so much more. My hand grazes across bale after bale and I’m brought back to a simpler time when all I cared about was getting Blake away from my brother. Exactly like I’m doing now.

My steps echo against the tall walls of the barn as I anxiously wait for Blake. Soon I hear steps approaching and instead of turning around, I keep my back to him.

Goosebumps spread across my skin when I feel his breath feather the back of my neck. Every time he’s near, my heart races out of control, waiting for his hands to touch me again. My skin jumps when I feel a tender finger caress the back of my arm.

“Remember the last time we were in here, Campbell?” Blake whispers from behind. “This time when I press you up against the wall, I’m not going to stop.”

Soon his fingers are tangled in my hair and my nails are scraping against his back. He takes my mouth onto his, begging to be closer. All I can think about in this moment is I want a lifetime of this feeling.

CHAPTER 23

Two weeks. That how long Blake and I had together before he left for his veterinarian program at the University of Wisconsin. We were both worried about what came next, but this time it felt like we could make it work. We needed to try at least.

Anytime that I wasn’t spending with Blake, I was working with the visitor’s bureau. The director was impressed with my portfolio and asked me to plan a social media workshop for the local small businesses. It was a small step, but I was hopeful this opportunity would open the door for connections with other businesses in Honey Grove.

Sheila practically forced me to quit at the Rustic Inn, saying my talents were much better spent elsewhere. I was still running the bar’s social media accounts and website, but now I had more time to focus on growing my clientele.

It felt freeing to finally be excited about work again. Instead of dreading opening my computer to look at boring crap I didn’t care about, I was looking at my own boring crap I decidedly really cared about.

Blake and I were keeping our relationship a secret, but people were catching on quick. One day when I walked into the Rustic Inn, Sheila hugged me for a good five minutes for no reason and told me she was just happy to see me happy.

I also caught my brother staring at Blake and I suspiciously every time we looked at each other for more than five seconds. All he would do when I caught him staring was smile and shake his head in annoyance.

Today I couldn’t care less if I caught people’s wondering gaze. Gripping the steering wheel of my car, I pull my old sedan onto the beat-up dirt path of the creek. Blake and I had made the creek our regular meeting place, breathing some life back into our old stomping grounds.

I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach, but I can’t decide if it’s butterflies or whatever the opposite of butterflies is. Anxiety and desire are the two driving forces behind the time I spent with Blake and all my past insecurities are threatening to spill over into the present.

One of the main things inspiring my anxiety is Emma. I know I have to confront her about what happened six years ago, but I also have to come clean about Blake.

We’d hung out a few times since then, but every time I got up the nerve to talk about everything, I chickened out. I could tell something was weighing heavily on her heart and this time I wanted to be the one to be there for her like she’s always been for me.

I put my car in park next to Blake’s truck and let go of all the worries floating around in my head. This is our safe place, and I’m not about to taint it with the trials and tribulations of the road ahead of us.

Once I’m out of my car, I expect to be greeted by Blake, but he’s nowhere to be found.

“Blake,” I call out as I survey the area.

My breath catches when I hear a familiar tune begin playing from an unknown source. My smile widens when the lyrics to Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton weave their way throughout the small grassy area.

I turn my head and my heart goes into overdrive at the sight of Blake in his old Wranglers and a faded flannel. The man has worn the same combo of clothes for all our lives, yet today my heart skips a beat at the way it reminds me of our love story.

“Would you like to dance, Campbell?” Blake asks with a goofy yet perfect smile on his face.

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