“Thanks,” I said flatly.
“Girl, I’m your best friend, not someone trying to kiss your ass. I’ve watched you be miserable for far too fucking long. So, if tough love and shit’s gonna get you off your ass and barreling toward what makes you happy, then I’m gonna dole it out. Wanna know why?”
“Because you love me?” I asked.
“That, and because whenever I can make you feel guilty, you buy dinner.”
“No, I don’t,” I said.
“Yes, you do,” she said. “Do you feel guilty yet?”
“No. Well, maybe…”
“I could keep going if you want me to,” she said.
“Oh, don’t do that. You’ll run out of guilt to dish out over the dinner I’m apparently buying.”
“That’s the spirit! Where we headed tonight?”
I shook my head and giggled at Gwen before I wrapped her up in my arms. One of the things I loved about her was the fact that she always told me what I needed to hear. It was never what I wanted and she was never there to stroke my ego. She was always a refreshing dose of humor and reality, all rolled into one.
“You know, if this business thing falls through, you might be able to have a career in comedy,” I said.
“Get me an audience that likes some tough love humor and I’ll show them a good time,” Gwen said.
“Barbecue and sweet tea?” I asked.
“My stomach’s already growling. And Whit?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s gonna be okay. It doesn’t seem like it now because you’re scared. You went on a vacation and experienced something not only traumatizing but new and exciting. You’ll settle back down and then you can answer the hard questions.”
“Promise?” I asked.
“I promise.”
CHAPTER 31
LIAM
She looked beautiful in her flowing white gown. Her bright white smile and the hanging bouquet of flowers. Butterflies surrounded us, all nestled in the bushes, while Paxton walked her up the aisle. I took her hand and, suddenly, we were screaming. Pushing and panting while sweat ran down her neck. Whitney’s legs were pushed to her chest and she was bearing down with all her might. Grunting about how I could never touch her again while I pressed kiss after kiss on her forehead.
I was taken by her strength while she held our little boy in her arms.
Then, suddenly, we were in the backyard. The snow was falling and gathering on our picketed fence while two boys and a silly little girl ran around in the yard. There were snow angels and promises of hot chocolate. There was a pie I could smell somewhere while a small hand slid right into mine.
I looked down and saw Whitney’s eyes twinkling up at mine and I could’ve sworn I could swim in them.
Suddenly, that was what I was doing. Swimming in the blue of her eyes while we all played in a pool. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but grass, trees, and hope. The kids were literally growing in front of our eyes and I could see Whitney’s hair changing from blonde to gray to white.
White, like her wedding dress.
White, like her smile while I held her hand on her deathbed.
“I love you,” she said to me.
I opened my eyes and a small tear slid down my cheek. My cheeks hurt from smiling and I could still feel her hand in mine. Her words echoed off the chambers of my mind while I slowly pulled myself from a sleep I never wanted to wake from and I knew what I had to do.
I had to chase after the one thing that still breathed life into my soul.
I was determined to get her back, no matter what form she took. I needed her by my side. I needed her in my life. I felt the cold, empty side of the bed next to me and I knew I never wanted to feel that again. I no longer wanted to wake up in this lonely cabin on the side of the hill and regret the decisions I’d made with my life.
I didn’t know if I deserved it and I didn’t know if things would pan out. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to her if she picked up the phone for me but all I knew was I had to try.
I had to give it another shot.
Rolling over in my bed, I picked up my phone and called her number. That beautiful nine-digit number she’d saved into my phone after worrying over my going out into the snow. She’d showered me with affection I didn’t even think she realized she possessed and, as I listened to the phone ringing in my ear, I took the time to reflect on that dream.
How beautiful she looked in her wedding dress and how fierce she looked giving birth to our children. How wonderful she looked surrounded by all that snow and how radiant she looked in her old age.
Images of those two buildings came flooding back to my mind the moment I heard the phone pick up. I prayed she wouldn’t think I was crazy. I prayed she would just hear me out. I hoped with my entire soul that she wouldn’t walk out on me the way I’d walked out on her because, if she simply listened, I would make sure I promised that it would never happen again.
I would never turn my back on her like I had that day.
“Liam?”
Her voice washed over me as I jolted upright in bed. She had picked up.
“Liam, are you there?”
“Whitney,” I said.
“It’s you.”
“It’s me. Listen, I… do you think that maybe…?”
Groaning, I ran my fingers through my hair. I noticed how dry my hair was. How dry the back of my neck was. I noticed my pajamas weren’t sticking to my chest and I couldn’t smell myself drenched in sweat.
This was worth it.
All of it was worth it if she agreed in the end.
“What is it, Liam? Are you okay?”
“You’re incredible,” I said breathlessly.
“What?” she asked.
“Listen, Whitney. I don’t know where you are right now or what’s going on—”
“I’m in Memphis.”
“Memphis?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s where I live.”
“You live in Memphis?”
“Yes,” she said.
“So, you’re not here?” I asked.
She was six hours away from me and I felt my entire plan slowly crashing down around me.
“Is there any way I could convince you to come back?” I asked.
“What?”
“To Gatlinburg. What would I have to do to get you to come back?”
“I… um… why?” she asked.
“Because I want to sit down and talk with you. Maybe over coffee?”
The silence on the phone was deafening and, for a moment, I thought the call had dropped.
“Whitney?”
“Yes? Sorry. I’m just… I mean… even if I got on the road or took a flight, I still wouldn't get there until tonight.”
“That’s fine. Anything’s fine. Whatever’s better for you is fine. Or I could meet you halfway. But there’s this place in downtown Gatlinburg that makes a wonderful cup of coffee.”
“I thought you never went into town?” she asked.
“Well, I did yesterday,” I said.
Silence fell on the conversation again. I knew I was asking a great deal from her. I knew I was tugging on ropes I had no business tugging on. But I didn’t have any other choice. The dream was swirling around in my head while visions of those two shops standing side-by-side rattled my mind and I was willing to do anything to get her back out here.
“I’ll pay for your trip,” I said. “However you decide to take it.”
“That’s not necessary. I mean, I guess I could come back. I don’t have a job yet or anything.”
“I promise you, it’ll be worth it,” I said.
“What’s all this about?” she asked.
“A future.”
I could hear her breathing before some shuffling started happening on the other end of the line. I listened carefully as I stood from my bed, pacing my room while Whitney did whatever it was she was doing. I felt my hands shaking while my heart pounded hard against my chest. I was more nervous than I could ever imagine in my life and, soon, I was wiping sweat from my brow before she spoke again.
“I have no idea why I’m doing this but I’m in my car now,” she said. “I’m about six hours from you, so I won’t even get into downtown Gatlinburg until around three.”
“So, you’re coming?” I asked.
I heard her car crank up and I couldn’t help the smile that sprang to my cheeks.
“I’ll see you at three. What’s this place called?”
“Coffee and Company.”
“I’ll pull it up on my GPS and get there,” she said.