Page 62 of Harmony Island Gazette
I nodded again.
She said goodbye, and thankfully, I managed out a goodbye as well. She smiled as she made her way over to her car and climbed inside. I waved at her as she drove down the road. I lingered outside my truck until her car was out of sight.
Now alone, I pulled open the door and climbed inside. My body felt like dead weight as I sat in the seat and stared out the windshield. I was grateful that Mrs. Godwin came. At least now, Juniper’s reaction yesterday made sense. I’d felt so confused with her standing there looking so hurt and broken.
I wanted to rush to her. I wanted to explain what had happened. But I feared the trust between us was already broken. Would she open herself up to me again?
Did I deserve that?
I stared at Mom’s house. I knew the truth before I could even think the words. Juniper deserved someone better than me. I was too broken for her. If I truly loved her like I told Mrs. Godwin I did, then I would walk away. I would let her find someone who could give her more than I could. I didn’t want her to have to carry my baggage.
She was pure and perfect, and I was a beast.
I shook my head. Once I made sure she was safe, I was going to leave and never look back.
If I confessed everything to her and she asked me to stay, I would never be able to leave. Even though I knew leaving was better for her. Keeping my distance was the only way I was going to survive.
I not only needed to keep her safe from Kevin, I needed to keep her safe from me. I’d fulfill my promise, and then I would leave. Even if it broke me, I would leave.
I had to.
23
JUNIPER
I didn’t expect Kevin’s rental house to be as big as it was. The front door was massive with a giant ornate window in the middle of it. I felt dwarfed as I stood next to it. My confidence waned as I raised my hand and knocked a few times on the solid oak.
Thoughts of my conversation with Mom floated through my mind before I forced them out. Mom didn’t want me to come. She feared what Kevin would do to me. Of course, there was always a chance things would go south, but I was going to be stronger this time. Plus, I needed this closure. I needed to tell Kevin to his face that we were over. I needed to take control of my life or I was always going to feel powerless around him.
The sound of a truck driving past drew my attention as I waited for the front door to open. I squinted in the dim evening light to make out what looked like a black truck. I wondered if it was Boone but shook my head. I needed to stop thinking that Boone was going to show up. I needed to get him out of my mind, or I was going to go mad.
Boone wasn’t the only guy in Harmony who drove a black truck. For all I knew, he was long gone from this small town. Even though I regretted how I left things with him, my life was a mess, and the last thing I wanted to do was drag him into it. He deserved to find happiness with a woman who wasn’t pregnant with her soon-to-be ex-husband’s baby.
Just thinking those words made my stomach lurch.
My life was in shambles.
I turned my focus back to the door and knocked again. I peered through the clear glass sections to see if there was any life on the other side. I contemplated texting Kevin to let him know I was standing outside, but before I could reach for my purse, I saw his head pop out from another room.
I waved as he walked into the hallway and headed toward me. The sound of the lock disengaging filled the air around me, and I was met with the cool, conditioned air of his rental when he pulled the door open.
“Hey,” he said as he moved to the side so I could enter.
Worry washed over me, but I pushed those thoughts aside as I stepped into the foyer and turned to smile at him. “Hey.”
He glanced over at me as he shut the door. “Were you waiting long?”
I shook my head. “Not terribly long.”
He stood in front of me, his gaze drifting over my body. “Good.” He smiled down at me. “I hope you came hungry.”
“Famished.” I offered him a small smile, but my nerves were going haywire. It made my stomach feel like I was on a Tilt-A-Whirl. Eating was the farthest thing from my mind. But I didn’t want to tell him that.
Suddenly he was stepping toward me. My entire body tensed as he lifted his arms and pulled me into a hug. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to step back and break his hold, but my body wasn’t responding to the screaming in my head.
“I missed you,” he whispered. His voice was deep and his gaze intentional as he held me close. Then he was leaning forward and his lips were inches from mine.
My body suddenly caught up with my mind, and I turned just in the nick of time. His lips landed firmly on my cheek. He pulled back, and I could feel his stare on me. I wasn’t ready, so I took a moment, making sure to ground myself, before I turned to face him.
