Page 68 of Honey Bee Library
But she made it clear last night that she was never going to want me like I wanted her. Our relationship had an expiration date, and we’d gone well past it. Whether I liked it or not, we were over before we even began.
I waited for Willow and Jasper to make their way down the aisle of the plane before I stood, grabbed my small carry-on from the overhead bin, and followed after them. I decided that, for now, I would fly back and forth between Harmony and Miami if Gran needed me.
I didn’t anticipate hanging out in Harmony much longer. Either Mom was going to show up or she wasn’t, but I was tired of missing time with Gran while I was away. I needed to button up a few things at the diner and give notice for my rental in Harmony, and then I was going to go back to Miami for good.
My heart and head demanded it.
Willow and Jasper lingered along the far wall by the baggage claim while I waited in line for a rental car. Once I had the keys, I turned back to find Willow leaning against the wall, scrolling on her phone while Jasper was playing with his cars at her feet.
I paused as I allowed my gaze to linger. I hated that my heart swelled at the sight of them. I hated that they felt like my family even though Willow had made it clear she wasn’t interested in seeing me like that. I had been shoved into the outskirts of Willow and Jasper’s life, and it broke me that what we had was about to end.
I didn’t want to leave. It was like our time in Miami had been a dream and it was time for me to wake to reality. A reality where Willow hated me and I was alone.
This sucked.
I sighed as I walked toward them and held out the key. “Got the car,” I said as I stood a few feet off, not wanting to invade her space.
Willow glanced up at me and then down to the key and nodded. “Perfect,” she said as she slipped her phone into her purse. She turned her attention to Jasper. “Come on, bubba. Let’s go.”
Jasper complained but picked up his cars and tossed them into Willow’s purse. I grabbed her suitcase that Maddie let her have and was relieved that she didn’t protest my help. Once Jasper was standing, Willow took his hand, and the two of them followed after me as I led them through the sliding doors and out to the rental car lot.
The drive to Harmony was quiet except for Jasper’s soft humming in the back seat. Willow sat next to me with her arms folded, staring out the window. We were back to being cold and distant, and I hated that.
I just wanted…her.
But she was making it clear she was never going to want me in the same way, and I was a fool to keep trying to make us a thing.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I stared out the windshield at the road in front of me. If I was going to survive my stay here, I needed to block Willow out of my mind. I needed to stop letting my imagination run wild with thoughts of the three of us as a family and focus on why I’d come in the first place: to find my mother so I could talk to my grandmother once more.
Thatwas my one and only goal.
As soon as we pulled into the garage of my rental, Jasper climbed out of the car and hurried to the house. Willow didn’t try to stop him—she must have given up trying to police his behavior. Instead, she slowly unbuckled her seat belt and then hesitantly turned to me. I wasn’t sure what I saw in her gaze, but I didn’t like it.
She seemed like she was drifting away, and it took all the strength inside of me not to reach out and pull her back.
“I…um…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to find a place for Jasper and me to stay.” She gave me a weak smile. “We’ve disrupted your life enough. I’m sure you’re ready for some peace and quiet.” Her gaze had slipped down, so she brought it back up to meet mine.
I stared at her, trying to understand why she was doing this. I’d been on the receiving end of her kisses. She’d felt something. Iknewshe’d felt something. Why was she pretending like nothing happened? I just wanted to share my life with her. Had that scared her off?
I couldn’t hold these questions inside any longer. They bubbled over, and I blurted out, “Did I do something wrong?” My gaze turned pleading. I needed to know what had happened.
Tears brimmed her eyes as she studied me. Her bottom lip was pinched between her teeth as she shook her head. “No,” she whispered. She took in a deep breath, and I couldn’t help but study her lips as she gently blew it out. “I just can’t do this anymore. I need to move forward. I need to focus on my future.” Her gaze was downturned like she was studying her hands, which were clasped in her lap.
“Willow…” I whispered. There was so much that I wanted to say, but from the way her shoulders tightened, I knew that whatever had happened between us in Miami was over. If I cared about her as much as I claimed, I needed to let her walk way and not try to pull her back.
I needed to set her free.
“Okay,” I said. “Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
She flicked her gaze to me. She held it for a moment before she nodded. “Thanks.”
I forced a smile as my fingers felt for the door release. I pulled on it and climbed out. I didn’t look back as I made my way across the garage and into the house. Jasper wanted to talk fish facts, so I obliged him and ignored Willow when she came in.
I was going to focus my attention on this kid because our conversations were easy. They weren’t weighted like my talks with Willow.
The house grew quiet after Zoey picked up Jasper. Once he was gone, I moved to my bedroom to shower and get ready for the diner. Willow was sitting at the bar in the kitchen when I walked in. I was rolling the sleeves of my shirt, and my gaze fell on her for a moment before I forced myself to look away.
I distracted myself with opening the fridge. “I’ll be heading out in a few minutes.” I glanced over at her. “Need a ride?” I hated how badly I wanted her to say yes. I didn’t want the time between us to be over. I wanted to spend every last second that I could with her while she’d let me.
