Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
My eyes started to water. I shook my head. “No, you think you know me, but—”
“I know you,” he repeated. He stepped closer. My heart beat faster. “I know you like your eggs scrambled, but you’ll say over easy because you know that’s how I like mine. I know you cry over the same rom-coms every single time even though you know how they end. I know you feel everything—and I mean everything—fifty million times more than anyone else on this planet. I know you smile when you want to cry. I know you cry when you want to scream. I know you chuckle when your heart is breaking.”
I let out a small laugh.
My heart was breaking.
Theo stepped closer, his eyes still on me. “I know the different shades of brown that your eyes turn based on how the sunlight hits them. I know the freckles running across your cheeks. I know the birthmark shaped like an apple on your behind.” He released a breath slowly, and I inhaled it as my own. “I know you’re scared. Of me. Of us. Of everything. I know you run away when you really want to stay. And let me be very damn clear—I know you really fucking wanted to stay with me. But I also know that you aren’t meant to stand still. And I know you’re not meant to be caged or rooted in one place, but the truth is you’ve been stuck in the cage of your mind and guilt for decades. You’ve been buzzing around with chains attached to your wings, pretending you’ve been free. That’s not what I want for you, Willow. I want you to be really free to fly like you’re meant to. You’re meant for higher heights.”
Tears flooded my eyes as he continued to talk.
“And I might not always understand hummingbirds. I might not get why you buzz and need to move nonstop, but I respect it. I love it, even. I think that’s what makes you…you. The real you, I mean, not the one chained to grief. But I see sparks of your true self. Your true self is alive in a way I’ll never be. Your true self is what lights up this world. We’re different, you and I, but I think that’s why we make sense. I might not be built to flit around and chase the wind, but I’m built to stay. To stand still. To be rooted and sturdy.”
He stepped in closer, and his voice softened. “So I drove five hours to let you know that I’m still here waiting patiently, hoping that you keep buzzing around for the rest of forever. Keep being exactly who you are because that’s all I’d ever want you to be.” He locked his eyes with mine, and a tiny smirk curved his lips. “And when you get tired, or when the world gets too big and feels overwhelming—I’ll be right here. No matter how far you fly, I’ll always be a safe place for you to land.”
I couldn’t produce words. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I closed my eyes to breathe. I felt Theo’s lips fall against my forehead before he whispered that he loved me.
I pulled away from him, almost unsure of the words he said. “What did you say?”
“I said I love you,” he stated as clear as day.
“You love me?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Most ardently.”
Those words felt as if they’d come from Mr. Darcy’s mouth himself.
He then stepped away and started to walk back down the porch steps.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Back home. I just came to deliver you that message.”
“You drove five hours to tell me that, only to drive five hours back?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t even know it, but he was healing parts of my heart he never even broke.
“Theo?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, too.”
He smiled.
He already knew.
He started walking backward, still keeping his eyes on me. “You were right about one thing, though.” He held the piece of paper up in the air. “It was a lovely summer.”
Theo then climbed into his truck, put it into drive, and drove away, back toward Westin Lake. I stood there frozen for a moment before Avery walked out, holding Sterling as she fed him.
“Was that Theo I saw driving off?” she asked.
“Yes, it was.”
“Why did he leave so fast?”
“He came to tell me that he loved me, and that was all, so then he left.”
Avery arched an eyebrow. “He drove all the way from Westin Lake just to tell you he loved you? Then hopped in his truck to drive back home?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Oh. Hmph.” Avery finished feeding Sterling, then placed him over her shoulder to burp him. “You know what, little sister?”
“What’s that?”
“He loves you.”
I smiled a little even though my heart was breaking. “Yeah, he does.”
“And you love him?”
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I nodded and laughed. “Most ardently.”