Page 23 of Never Really Over

If anyone else would have said that to me, I probably would punch them in the face, but Dalton’s never been one to shy away from saying what’s on his mind and for some reason, it’s comforting. Everyone else around me right now placates me with words they think I want to hear but Dalton waltzes in here and doesn’t mince words. It’s a little refreshing.

“Sometimes, yeah. But she’s mine. Forever I’ll be here for her and be her everything. I would have been with her forever, anyway, I’m just in it a little deeper now. Not hard to love her. She makes it easy.”

“You’re…” he shakes his head and whistles, “you’re pretty awesome, Colt Samuelson. Now I see why your girl’s still hung up on you after all these years.”

I look at him with an odd look and shake my head. “She isn’t but thanks for the compliment.”

“Whatever you say, man. But remember what I said. Sometimes things are just never really over. Thinking this is one of those situations and when you two figure that out, I’ll be the first person to remind you that I said so.”

He walks over slowly and reaches out his hand like Poppy’s a dog who needs to sniff him as he approaches.

“She’s not a dog, man. Just touch her if you want.”

“I don’t want to spook her.”

“You won’t. He’s a nice guy, Poppy. You want to say hi?”

She nestles into me and I chuckle. “See? Even she knows the old Dalton.”

“You probably have my picture on a dartboard in your bedroom.”

“You got cameras in here snooping?”

He smirks and rubs a curl in Poppy’s hair between his thumb and forefinger and then pats me on the shoulder. “Got your number from Maureen. I’ll text you so you have mine. Don’t be afraid to reach out. If you don’t, I’m going to keep stopping by and we both know you don’t want that.”

With a small wink at Poppy, he makes his way back outside.

“Poppy, that was without a doubt the strangest thirty minutes I’ve ever spent in my life.”

She looks up at me with her big brown eyes and smiles around her thumb. I kiss her on the forehead and go back to the living room, sit in the chair, and rock her and I both to sleep.

That night, I sleep four hours straight.

And I dream of the girl who got away.

Chapter Five

Layla

Roots

“CanI get you anything else, Mom?”

“No, sweetie, I’m good. Ready for a nap.”

“Okay, well just holler if you need something, okay? I’m going to take a shower and start some laundry.”

Mom gives me a soft smile and closes her eyes. “You’re spoiling me. What am I going to do when you leave?”

Instead of answering her, I simply rub her forearm and quietly leave her bedroom, giving her time to take a nap.

The concussion she got from the accident has been knocking her down more than the broken bones. She gets severe headaches daily and is very sensitive to light and her tunnel vision is still causing her some issues. Two days ago, she fell down the stairs and thank goodness it was only the last few steps. She’s still wearing a cast on her left arm and I can’t imagine what would have happened if she’d have fallen on it. Besides all that, she’s been going through some major depression because of the accident. While she knows it wasn’t her fault, the fact that Colt’s sister and brother-in-law died and she lived is really weighing heavily on her. It breaks my heart to see her this way, and that’s part of the reason I’m sticking close by. Sure, her friends are stopping in and helping, too, but the feeling I had being five hours away and not being able to get to her quickly is something I never want to experience again.

So far, I’ve been able to work remotely with no issues and as it turns out, I love it. I know my boss, Stan, won’t allow it forever, but for now, it’s necessary. I can’t leave Mom and if I’m being honest, I don’t want to.

Dalton and Bridget are moving to Hollow Grove soon and it’s making me think about doing the same. I’ve been here with Mom for a month now and am happier than I’ve been in a few years. That has to mean something, right? It’s hard to imagine leaving her and Hollow Grove but before I make a permanent change, I want to make sure that the feeling isn’t only because I want to be near Mom.

After I shower, I fix my hair and apply a little bit of makeup because I have to log into Zoom for a work call with my boss. I throw a load of laundry into the washing machine, pour myself a cup of coffee, and get my computer set up just in enough time to start the call.

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