Page 132 of Beautiful Exile

It wasn’t a storybook kind of love. It was a messy one, imperfect with jagged edges, just like my statue. Because that love had been through a war. But it was stronger because it had come out the other side.

Linc pulled back, searching my eyes. “Ready?”

I swallowed hard. “Ready.”

He waited for a moment as if making sure and then opened his door. I reached over Brutus to open mine, and he instantly jumped out. By the time I slid out, Linc was there, waiting. Just like always.

He pressed a kiss to my head. “I’ll throw a ball for Brutus.”

It was his way of giving me space and time. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

And I knew he would. It was a gift—one that still had a flicker of fear taking root. But it was a fear I knew I’d defeat. I wouldn’t give it the reins again.

Glancing at my watch, I knew I was more likely to find Nora outside than in. So, I started toward the barn. But a flicker of movement caught my attention.

The vegetable garden. I should’ve known I’d find her there. It took over a chunk of her days from April through September. From prepping the soil to tending the seedlings to harvesting and keeping the plants healthy, Nora did whatever it took to care for them.

Just like she had for all of us.

The lump in my throat twisted, and my eyes stung as I watched her move through the space. She’d memorized where each plant was and what they might need but didn’t let that stop her from taking her time to truly study them. Her hands were gentle and strong all at once, just like the woman herself.

Nora looked up, her green eyes flaring in surprise from under her wide-brimmed hat. “Arden.” There was a flash of panic. “You didn’t come over by yourself, did you? That’s not safe. I?—”

I lifted my hands. “Linc drove me. And Beth—sorry,DeputyHansen—followed. I’m being careful.”

The tension in Nora’s shoulders eased. “Good. That’s good.” A smile teased her lips. “I know it’s not easy for you to feel hemmed in.”

I chuckled. “Not my favorite to be bound by rules and regulations.”

“Never was,” Nora said wistfully. “But since you’re here, whydon’t you put those hands to good use? I’ve got more than a few weeds sprouting up.”

I doubted it, given how meticulous Nora was with her garden. But she was giving me a task, something to give me time to say whatever I needed without being rushed. Just like when I was twelve, and she took me to the barn to groom Sunny. She never prodded me with questions, just gave me a chance to talk when I needed it.

Crossing to the garden, I lowered myself to the grass rimming the bed. “You know I’ve never had a green thumb. Not like Rho or Fallon.”

“Oh, hush. You do just fine. You’ve kept those flowering succulents alive on your back patio for years now.”

“Nora, I asked you to recommend plants I could not kill even if I tried. I don’t think that’s exactly a victory.”

She grinned and lowered herself to a spot next to me—but not too close. “Hey, a win is a win. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Always pumping us up for every tiny success. God, I was lucky to have her. And I hadn’t let her know what I’d felt: that she’d always given that gift to me.

A burn lit along my sternum, and I didn’t shove it down this time. I let it come, let it mark me, and then, I let it pass. All the while, my fingers plucked minuscule shoots from the dirt that shouldn’t have been there, piling them in a bucket Nora had placed behind us.

I wasn’t sure how long it took before I was ready or how many weeds I’d plucked from the earth before the words made their way up my throat. “I love you, Nora.”

The words were barely audible, but Nora froze next to me, then slowly turned. The expression on her face was the softest I’d ever seen. “Oh, baby, I know.”

Tears gathered in my eyes. “But I didn’t tell you.”

“Didn’t need the words. You gave me the actions. Showed me time after time.”

“I was scared,” I whispered.

Nora slid over and took my hand, covering it with hers, top and bottom. “I bet.”

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