Page 55 of Wild Hearts

Mom joined us in the kitchen. "Are you two seeing each other again?"

"You know I'd never go there." Except I already was, wasn't I? I was just fooling myself that I wouldn't fall back in love with him all over. "I'm his daughter's social worker."

"I thought your work was done. You only have to follow up occasionally."

I sighed. "That's right. He asked me to go to the market. He probably wants to make amends, assuage his guilt. It's not any bid for my affections."

"That's a shame. Doesn't he know how great you are?" Dad asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, he broke up with me. I wasn't the right fit for him."

Mom waved a hand. "You were kids back then. But now, you're adults. You're more settled. He has a teenager?—"

"So you're saying a relationship is possible?" I asked cautiously.

Mom nodded. "Is that why you're spending time together?"

"I don't know, honestly. He wants to talk about what happened, but I don't see the point."

"Closure. Healing. You haven't really dated anyone seriously," Mom said.

"In college, I dated Ian. Remember?"

Mom grimaced. "He didn't have much of a personality."

I laughed. "He was boring."

"He was the opposite of Walker. He preferred video games to exercise, books to outdoor activities," Dad said. "I never liked him."

"Gee, Dad. Tell me how you really feel."

"We liked Walker. He was a gentleman, even in high school. He always walked you to the door and held doors open for you."

"That's not enough for a relationship." And he was not a gentleman when we were alone, unless you counted giving me an orgasm first.

"Keep an open mind. That's all we're saying," Mom said as she set the table.

I moved to help her, not feeling entirely comfortable discussing this with my parents. They meant well, but I had to work through this on my own.

"We want you to be happy," Mom said softly.

"I am happy." I was content with my life in Telluride. I had a fulfilling job. I made my house a home, and I was close to my family. What else did I need? Sure, I wanted kids eventually, but I could always foster or even adopt. There were so many possibilities.

We sat down to eat. "Is Crystal coming for Christmas?"

"I think so," Mom said. "But you never know with your sister."

Crystal was flightier than I was. I was more responsible. Or at least it felt that way. I hadn't felt reckless since I dated Walker. When he'd broken up with me, the pain had been so acute; I vowed to be more cautious going forward. The thrill of risk wasn't worth the inevitable pain.

"It will be nice to have her home for a bit." We were close, and she'd be a good person to talk to about Walker. She'd been there for me when he broke up with me. My parents hadn't quite understood how devastated I'd been. How serious we were. I had illusions of forever, but I was merely a way for a teen to pass his time.

I was going to be cautious going forward with Walker. I couldn't forget the pain of him leaving the first time.

I helped my parents clean up, then watched some TV with them before I headed home. Maybe my life was a bit dull. I hung out with my friends whenever possible, but as we got older, everyone was busy with significant others. My life wasn't as full as Walker's.

I missed him and Dakota when I wasn't with them. Seeing them together made me long for something else for myself. I wanted more than going home to an empty house.

In order to prove to myself that I was capable of having a social life outside of Walker, I coordinated an outing with my childhood friends, Noelle and Tori, and my coworker, Amber.

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