Page 60 of Harmony Island Gazette
Kevin:I’m so sorry for yesterday. I had a meeting I couldn’t get out of. Can we meet for dinner tonight? I really need to talk to you.
And then, a moment later, another text came through.
Kevin:Please?
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Mom kept glancing at me, and I could feel her question in her gaze.
“Mom, I need to talk to him,” I said. I knew that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. I glanced over at her. “He deserves to hear about the baby, and I can’t tell him over text.”
“Juniper, no. That’s not a good idea.”
Mom’s voice had turned desperate now, but I was going to stand my ground on this. “I’ll be fine,” I said as I turned my attention outside.
“Juniper.”
“Mom!” As quickly as my voice rose, I brought it back down as I turned to her. “Please, I need to do this.” I held her gaze as she lingered at a red light. “I will be fine.” I needed her to know that I had to do this. If I didn’t, I would never be able to fully move on.
I needed to prove to myself that I was stronger than Kevin had led me to believe. I was ready to take my strength back. Besides, the broken heart that Boone gave me hurt worse than anything Kevin could do to me. I needed to stare Kevin in the face and tell him that we were over. That I was moving on without him.
He could have Boone. I was done.
Mom narrowed her eyes, but I just held her gaze with all the strength I could muster. “I’m going, Mom,” I said as I folded my arms across my chest and stared out the windshield. “And there’s nothing you can say that will stop me.”
22
BOONE
The afternoon sun beat down on me as I sat in the driver’s seat of my truck. I was mindlessly scrolling though a social media app on my phone as I tried hardnotto think about Juniper. I’d made the stupid decision to drive by the lawyer’s office earlier to see if she was there, only to see her standing on the sidewalk with her mom.
I prayed that she didn’t see me as I took the first available right and drove down some residential streets until I was certain she couldn’t find me if she wanted to.
I’d been worried that she was doing this alone, so when I saw Mrs. Godwin I felt both relieved and worried. They were home, which meant Juniper had told them I’d disappointed her. I couldn’t only imagine what they thought of me now.
I sighed as I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. I’d slept in my truck last night, and my body ached. I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew my broken heart was the cause of most of that pain.
I missed Juniper and worried about her at the same time. It was a circle of hell that I never knew existed. But I’d stay here if it meant Juniper was happy.
A soft knock on my car door had me sitting up and glancing over. I half expected to see one of the neighbors coming over to see if I were alive. Instead, I was staring into the eyes of Mrs. Godwin. Her eyebrows were drawn together as she studied me.
“Mrs. Godwin?” I asked as I sat up straighter before peeking over at her once more.
“Boone.” Then she frowned. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she glanced around.
I hurriedly opened my door. Thankfully, she must have anticipated what I was going to do, because she stepped out of the way. I jumped to the ground and slammed the door behind me. I pushed my hand through my hair and glanced over at her once more.
“This is my mom’s house,” I whispered, hating that she was standing here, staring at me. I felt raw. Like my entire history had been exposed in an instant.
She ran her gaze over the house before she turned back to me. “Oh,” she said softly.
I frowned as what was happening finally caught up with me. “What are you doing here?” Then I paused. “How did you know where to find me?”
Mrs. Godwin waved away my comment. “Honey, this is a small town. Secrets don’t stay secret for very long.” My look must have told her that I didn’t believe her. A moment later, she sighed. “I was at the post office, and I overheard Ewin asking Patty if someone had bought Hannah Grimes’ house down the street. He said that there was a black truck parked in the driveway overnight.” She waved to my truck. “I knew it had to be you.”
“Oh.” I shoved my hands into my front pockets and shrugged. I should have known my presence would draw the attention of the residents in Harmony Cove.
We stood in silence for a few moments before she turned her attention back to me. “What happened, Boone?”
I closed my eyes as I fought the emotions that rose up in my chest. I didn’t know how much truth to tell her. I didn’t want yet another person to look at me like Juniper had last night.
