Page 113 of Untethered Heart
I continue driving through the landscape until I make it to the town’s centre. It’s a lot more built up than the last time I passed through here. That was maybe ten years ago now. I cansee restaurants, cafes, and a pub. There’s a library and a sign advertising a street festival.
My phone starts ringing through the Bluetooth, and Caleb’s name pops up on the screen.
“Hi, Honey.”
“Hi, baby. Where are you?”
“I took a detour through Trevally Falls. I can’t believe how pretty it is here. It’s been so long since I visited.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I wonder if we can do a weekend away here sometime. It’s honestly so beautiful. I’m stunned.”
“I know someone with a holiday house there. You should have a quick look, since you’re passing through. Do you want me to send you the address?”
“Yeah, send it through.”
I pull over so I can put the address into my GPS and then follow the directions. Seven minutes later, I’m pulling up to a big, rundown house. The driveway felt like two of those minutes.
“I don’t know if this would meet your star rating for accommodation, Honey.” I laugh.
“I think it’s got potential,” he says, just as I notice him standing on the front deck of the house, a smile pulling at the side of his mouth.
I quickly turn off the car and rush up to meet him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, launching into his open arms once I clear the small set of stairs.
He holds me tight, breathing me in for a moment before placing me back on my feet. Picking up a hand, he leads me over to a chair on the corner of the deck, overlooking the land in front of the house. The falls can be seen in the distance, and the crash of the ocean not far behind us tickles my ears.
Caleb sits down in the chair, pulling me onto his lap. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”
I nod, laying a hand on top of his, where it rests over my thigh.
“I know you’re feeling torn between living in the city and moving back home with your brother, especially with the baby on the way.”
“Yeah.” It’s true, I am torn. I love my family, and right now, it feels like I have two of them. More than I’ve ever had in my life, and I just want to hold them all close to me.
“So, what if we move here?”
My heart trips over itself before finding a steady rhythm again. “Move here?”
“Trevally Falls is halfway between the city and the bay. We could easily make a one-hour drive up or down, but we’ll make this our base. The land is big enough that we could build a guest cottage so our family could visit anytime.”
Thoughts hit me at rapid fire, problems and solutions shooting out like balls from a pitching machine. Could this work? No, it feels like far too much. All that driving. But one hour is a lot more manageable than two, and it’s not like we’d do it every day, and maybe we could alternate weekends in the city and here. I’d still be able to see my brother and nephew. I wouldn’t be giving up my life in Heart City completely, and I wouldn’t be letting go of my plans to move back home either.
“But what about your work?”
“I can set up an office here to work remotely and have scheduled days that I work from the city. Riley can help me figure it all out. A perk of owning the company, Siren, is that I can make the rules.”
“Your company is so important to you, though. Your family is.”
He places a hand against my cheek. “You’re my family, Lex.”
His thumb sweeps across my bottom lip. “Heart Assets and continuing the legacy my grandparents built are still things I’m passionate about, but they’re not the only things I have room for.I want to keep growing in life. With you. We can always change our minds later and spend more time in the city or more time with Dylan. But I think for the moment, setting up here, right in the middle of our two lives, would be a good place to start.”
As gentle tears fall one by one down my cheeks, I take a deep breath and look at the landscape in front of us. Life hasn’t taken the exact path I saw for myself, but every moment with Caleb has brought me happiness. He’s helped me find confidence without question when before, I used to sit and deliberate. He’s made me feel wanted instead of left behind, heard even in the silence. He’s made my world bigger, bringing a love with him that fills all the spaces.
“This does seem like the perfect yard for a dog,” I smile.
