Page 43 of Forgetting Rafe Thomas
Dad winces, and this is the moment I realize that my mother had no clue that I wasn’t in Ireland alone. It’s a lot to unpack right now, but since I have nowhere else to be, there’s no reason not to dive in.
“You know the trip I took to Ireland? Well, I wasn’t exactly alone. Luna was in a cottage next door, and we spent the time rekindling what we had. I think. It’s still a little shaky, but I’m almost positive we’re going to be fine.”
Mom’s eyes go wider with each word until finally, she smacks my father’s arm…repeatedly. “Why. Didn’t. You. Tell. Me. That?”
“Because it’s none of our business,” he whimpers and rubs his now sore arm.
She huffs and refocuses her attention on me. “Still, that’s a flimsy reason to want to buy a whole business, Rafe. What if it doesn’t work out with Luna? You’re stuck with a bakery you can’t run.”
I shrug. “Veronica is pulling the heavy lifting on this app at the moment. I have time to figure it out.” My awesome partner, Veronica Reynolds, lives and works in Denver. The game we’re developing together has been a lot of fun, but I’m glad this portion of it is in her hands. It gives me a solid month to figure out my life.
My family members look at each other like I’ve grown a lizard tail and they don’t know which one should tell me it’s there. Finally, Dad speaks up. “Can we have a moment?”
I scratch the back of my neck again, nervous. “Sure. I need to go check on the house, anyway. I haven’t been by in a while, so I need to make sure it’s still standing.”
“Okay. I’ll call you in a little while. This isn’t exactly what we planned, so we need to discuss it and see what we can work out,” Dad says.
It’s fair, so I grab my keys and nod on my way out the back door. “Talk soon,” I say, hoping it doesn’t take them long to discuss it. I’m not sure what there is to discuss, but since I have some free time, I jump in my car and head over to the house. I’m sure it needs dusting, and maybe I should think about what I want to do with it if Luna decides she isn’t interested in it anymore.
That thought settles in my stomach like a pile of rocks, right beside the next thought—what do I do with the bakery if she doesn’t want any part of it either? I’m making decisions again without consulting with her. I need to stop that. It’s part of what got us in this mess in the first place.
The best I can do at this point is send her a message that I need to talk about some things once I get to the house. The drive across town and into the outskirts is a little slow given the Saturday morning bustle, but it’s a good time to think about things. Veronica is perfectly capable of handling her end of the project, no doubt about that. She’s not going to need me toput my two cents in for a while. If Luna wants me to move to Chatswain City, I’ll have to sell the house. As for the bakery…Yeah, this is definitely why I should learn to discuss thingswithLuna before diving in.
I turn down the narrow road that leads to the two-story farmhouse I’ve owned for months, but haven’t even spent a single night in. I can’t, not without Luna. When I pull up to the house, my breath catches.
Luna’s car is parked in the small paved drive beside the garage. She’s not in it, so I can only assume she’s inside or has wandered around to the back. I did give her a key, after all. I’m not sure why I’m surprised to find her here, especially since she said she’d be back in town today.
There I go, making assumptions again instead of getting out of the car and asking her. I summon a little bravery, because if I’m honest, I’m not sure how this is going to go. I’ve made my parents an offer without consulting with Luna. One can argue that I did tell her I’d buy it for her, but there is every reason to believe she didn’t think Iactuallymeant it.
I climb the front porch steps and check the door. It’s unlocked, so I push it open and step inside. Luna isn’t in the immediate area, so I wander around a little. She’s nowhere to be found downstairs. I head up and check the first few rooms before following the hallway to the last bedroom. It’s smaller than the others and gets astonishing amounts of sunlight all day. To me, it was the most logical place to make Luna a studio. She could paint, draw, whatever she wants in natural light.
The door creaks because I haven’t had a chance to fix all the little dings and dents that come along with owning a century-old home. All I’ve been able to do is hire some contractors here and there to fix the major issues.
I find her staring out the window. It overlooks the driveway, so she must know I’m here. Still, she doesn’t turn around or sayanything. I can’t decide if I should speak, ruin this slice of quiet she’s made herself, or keep my fat mouth shut.
She makes the decision for me. “What is this room?” Her dark hair swishes over her shoulders when she turns her head, and I see she’s been crying.
“Luna, what’s wrong?” I cross the room and she meets me halfway.
“What is this room, Rafe?”
I look around, sure the easels and storage bins with art supplies explain theintentof the room. “Uh…a studio? I haven’t gotten around to unpacking and organizing everything, so maybe it doesn’t seem like it. There’s so much light, I thought you’d like it.” I’m still looking around the room when she grasps my chin and forces me to look down at her. “I mean, I thought you would…before the breakup, I mean.”
“Yes,” she says.
“Yes? You like it?”
“Yes, I will marry you. I will move back home, live in this house with you, and raise a dozen little Thomas kids.”
“Oh gosh, a dozen? Can we agree on half a dozen and go from there?” I wrap my arm around her waist and bring her closer.
She giggles. “I don’t care. As many as we can, as long as you’re their father.”
I can’t contain my smile. It aches at the corners of my mouth, begging to burst free. “I love you so much, Luna. I want everything you just said, but are you sure? We can find a house closer to Chatswain so you don’t have to drive so far for work. Can you even do that? It’s easily an hour and a half without traffic and—”
“Rafe…” She presses her fingers to my lips, stemming my train wreck. “Your mother called me.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” I’m not sure when my mother called or what she discussed with Luna, but I’m beginning to think maybeI’mthe one who is out of the loop.
