Page 99 of Wild Hearts

"I can do that." Her brow furrowed. "What? You don't believe me?"

I wanted to believe her. But it was hard. I was used to being the one who checked in on Mom and Dad. Could I relegate that responsibility to someone else?

"Do you love him? Isn't that what this conversation is about?" Crystal asked.

"Of course I love him."

"Then you should be willing and able to move. There's no reason for you to stay here. His family lives here, so you'll be able to visit often."

Was I willing to move to Virginia? "I want to be with Walker and Dakota."

"Exactly. Problem solved." Crystal looked pleased with herself.

"What if he doesn't want me to come with them? What if this is his chance for a clean break?"

Her eyes narrowed on me. "Has he given you any indication that this is just a temporary fling? A friends-with-benefits kind of situation?"

I thought back to his pleas to give him a second chance. "I don’t think so.”

"Then I wouldn't worry about it."

She made it sound so easy. But that was because she was hiding her heart behind a fortress. I went into this relationship more vulnerable. I opened myself up to Walker despite our history.

Our food arrived, and we dug into the pasta dishes. We talked about her plans for the rest of the week, and I pushed my worries to the back of my mind.

After we ate, I hugged her and wished her a safe trip to Denver. She was eager to get back to her life in the city with her busy social calendar. But now I had nothing to distract me from Walker until he came home.

I debated how to fill my time and finally settled on cleaning my house. I slipped on headphones with some good tunes, and went room by room, decluttering and cleaning. It was cathartic.

When the house was done, I was hot and sweaty, but I had several bags of clothes to donate. Nothing felt better than clearing out clutter.

I took off my headphones and heard knocking on my door. Confused, I opened the door to find Walker. "What are you doing here?"

"I said I was coming home today." His gaze slipped down to where I wore a tank top and soft shorts. Appropriate for a dayat home but not for seeing him. I stepped back to let him inside. He was just here to break up with me. There wasn't a need to dress up and show him what he was missing. Apparently, I was easy to walk away from.

Why did my mind immediately assume he wouldn't want me to go with him?

"How was your weekend?" he asked me as he followed me inside, stepping around the donation bags.

"I spent a lot of time with my sister, and I cleaned the house."

He raised a brow. "I can see that. Is everything okay?"

"I'm just a mess from cleaning. What did you want to talk about?"

His forehead wrinkled. "Can we sit down?"

It was customary to sit someone down when you broke up with them. "Of course." I led the way to the couch and sat gingerly on the edge of the cushion. As soon as he was done with whatever it was he had to say, I'd usher him out before I broke down. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain. Not this time. I was older and more mature.

He sat next to me.

"How was your visit?" I asked politely.

"It was good. A little awkward at first, but I think Blanche and Dennis want the best for Dakota."

"That's good."

"I was worried at first they'd insist on some formal kind of visitation with the courts. But they didn't mention it. Dakota enjoyed seeing her friends again."

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