Page 60 of Ruined
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Never in my wildest dreams had I expected to feel this free, this excited. When I’d left Eli’s this morning, it felt as if the anvil had finally been lifted off my chest, allowing me to breathe. A part of me regretted that I hadn’t come clean earlier, because nothing could compare to that feeling the moment I realized he still wanted me, even though he knew all my dark parts.
There were a lot of things that I still needed to figure out, but what I felt for him wasn’t one of them. I could say with absolute certainty that I wanted to stay in Willow Creek. I wanted to be an important part of Eli and Molly’s lives.
If this weekend was anything to go by, he wanted that, too.
A loud bark pierced through the air, causing me to look up from where I was rinsing my mug. A smile tugged at my lips as I watched Kenzie and Brett walk toward the cabin with Blue bouncing excitedly next to them. Brett bent his head and said something to Kenzie that had her smiling even wider.
Looking at the pair of them made me realize that everyone deserved a happily ever after, no matter how broken or ruined they thought they were. I also concluded that I wouldn’t change a thing about my past if Eli was the one always waiting for me at the finish line.
The front door opened and closed. I set the mug on the drying rack while I waited for my friends to walk into the kitchen. Of course Blue was the first one to come barreling in, her nails clicking against the wood as she picked up her pace the moment she spotted me standing by the sink.
“Hey, girl,” I cooed, my fingers disappearing into the thick fur behind her ears. “Did you have a good walk?”
“She had a good time chewing on all the sticks and barking at the birds,” Brett sighed heavily. Tucked in beside him, Kenzie aimed a stern glare in Blue’s direction while shaking her head.
Still scratching the pup’s ear with one hand, I straightened a bit and laughed. “She can’t help it if her gums are itching or if those silly birds are squatting on her land.” I looked down to see Blue was clearly enjoying my fingers in her fur; her eyes were almost shut while her tongue lolled happily over the side of her mouth.
Brett placed a kiss on his wife’s head, then disappeared down the hall to get ready for work. I knew Kenzie was probably dying for details, so it didn’t surprise me when she stepped further into the kitchen instead of getting ready herself.
“So?” She slipped onto a stool and rested her folded arms on the counter in front of her. “How was it?”
Blue flopped onto her side and released a dramatic sigh. I took it as a sign that I could join my friend. I took a seat opposite her, barely managing to contain my grin. “It was good.”
“Just good?”
Shaking my head, I conceded, “Okay, it was amazing.Heis amazing…and I think I’m staying.” I chewed on my lip while Kenzie triedreallyhard not to squeal. “I mean, there’s nothing left for me in TC. My parents aren’t there anymore, and neither are you. The gallery is gone—” The familiar pinch of sadness that always accompanied that sentence settled in my heart. “It makes sense, right?”
I knew it was coming; still, I flinched when Kenzie’s excited squeal filled the air. “This is the best news ever!” She jumped up and sprinted around the island, almost tackling me off my stool as she flung herself at me. “I’m so excited.”
Smiling into her shoulder, I hugged my friend right back. I knew that I wanted to move to Willow Creek, but actually saying the words out loud filled me with a sense of peace. Like I was doing the right thing, that I was finally taking control of my life.
It was an amazing feeling.
“You know I love you,” I drew back and eyed Kenzie. “But I really need my own place…one that doesn’t have paper-thin walls. I don’t need to hear the neighbors go at it all night.”
Her hands flew to her mouth while her cheeks turned the brightest shade of red. “Oh no, you couldn’t have…We were quiet…” She seemed mortified.
“Relax, I’m kidding.” I wasn’t, but my friend looked like she was about to die of embarrassment, which was silly considering she’d found me in a few compromising positions on more than one occasion. I reached for her hand. “I really appreciate you and Brett opening up your home to me.”
Her eyes glittered, the same emotion shining in them lodging itself in my throat. It was so easy to focus on the bad things and lose sight of all the good in my life. It took me a while to figure that out; now that I knew, though, I was more than ready for my fresh start.
