I approached a ticket agent to confirm that the board was misinformed. “The arrival and departure board, is it always accurate?”

The agent continued pecking away on her computer for a few moments before she looked up at me with a sour expression painted on her face. “Sir, whatever those boards say,” she pointed to exhibit A, “is the most up-to-date information we have. Now if you’ll excuse me I have work to do,” she ended with an eye roll.

I walked away from the counter just wandering around aimlessly. How could Eden outright lie to me about the time her flight left? I had to physically palm my chest because I felt my heart breaking. Had the entire week just been a bit of fun for her? I was under the assumption that she felt the same way I did, but you knew what they said when you assume. I really hoped that I wasn’t the one to be made an ass.

Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I quickly fished it out and connected the call before bringing it to my ear. “Eden?”

“What? No, it’s Dean,” he replied.

“Dean, she’s gone. She left without telling me goodbye. I don’t understand it.” I found an empty bench and sat down while listening to Dean.

“Did she leave a note?”

Him asking that sparked my memory and I felt around for the note in my pocket and dug it out. “Yeah, she did.”

“Well, what does it say?”

Baylor,

Please let this count as our goodbye…

I had already read that part but I actually kept on reading until the very end.

I know you, Baylor, and I know you ended up running to the airport without reading the rest of this letter. I could’ve saved you the time. I want to admit that I did indeed lie to you about the time my flight left because I figured this would be easiest for all parties involved. I didn’t sleep much last night because my mind was constantly running in a million different directions. How would our goodbye go? Would you ask me to stay? Would you send me on my merry way? You might think that this wasn’t the right way to go about this, but in my heart it was.

This week was one of the best ones of my life and I’m so thankful that we were able to reconnect and explore each other in a more intimate light. You were my first love, Baylor Jenkins, and they say that the first is always the hardest to get over. If nothing more becomes of us I wish you a happy life with lots of laughter. Take care of yourself and Norah.

Love Always,

Eden

I finished reading the letter, more confused than before. “Baylor? Are you there?”

Focusing my attention back on Dean, “Yeah, I’m here. Listen, is there any way that Eden can get out of her contract at the radio station?”

“I don’t know, man, I’m not that kind of lawyer. You know that.”

“Well, don’t you have friends or contacts that can find out for me?” I snapped.

Dean replied, deadpan, “I can try. Listen, I’m coming over, I need to run something by you. I’ll be there when you return from the airport.”

I ended the call and quietly walked back to my car without my precious cargo in tow.

Noticing an airport security officer standing in front of my car and Norah’s wide eyes from inside I knew that I was going to be on the receiving end of a ticket. Rushing up a little faster, I raised my hands in surrender, “Officer, I’m getting ready to move.”

“Sir, is this your car?” He pointed his pen towards the Camaro, I nodded in response. “This isn’t a parking zone for your pleasure, it’s an unloading zone. Now I’ve already written out the warning,” he ripped off the paper and shoved it in my direction, “Consider this your lucky day.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I grumbled under my breath and then got into the car.

“Did you find her?” Norah immediately asked, the optimism apparent in her voice.

“No,” I was sad to burst her bubble because her face immediately fell, “Her plane had already left.” The sadness in my own voice was obvious and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I wanted to understand where Eden was coming from, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. She’d spent the week drilling into my head that she was under contract so this was just a visit, but I definitely didn’t expect to go falling even deeper in love with her. If I had known of there being even a remote possibility of her staying I would’ve begged every moment of every day. I wasn’t above begging, especially when it came to matters of our hearts.

When I pulled back into my driveway, Dean was waiting just like he said he would be. I couldn’t help it when my hand accidentally slipped and slammed the car door after I exited.

“You’re taking this hard, aren’t you?” Dean asked.

Norah spoke up first, “That’s an understatement. You didn’t have to sit the entire twenty-five minute return home in absolute silence.”

“Norah,” I warned.

“What, I’m just telling the truth. I’ll be inside watching TV if you happen to need me,” she waved a hand as she walked away from us and into the garage.

“Well, this may warrant some bad attitude from you, but you and Eden never were the best at communication. I’d think that after all these years it would definitely be stronger now, but by the look on your face I’d be wrong. So what’s your next move?”

That earned him a murderous glare and I was almost inclined to sucker punch him in the gut so he’d at least be feeling the same as me, but I decided to spare him. He seemed like he was in a really good mood and there was no reason to bring him down as well. I released a long drawn-out sigh, “I’m not for sure.” Placing my hands on my hips, “But I need to come up with something fast, I already miss her. She belongs here with me, with her family.”

“Speaking of belonging here, that’s what I initially called to tell you. Remember old man Baxtor?”

I looked at him quizzically, “The only lawyer in town?”

“That’s the one. Well he wanted to sell his law firm and retire, that’s the business I had while I was up here for the reunion. You are now looking at the sole owner and operator of Baxtor’s Law Office. I’m here to stay!”

This was definitely a turning of events and I couldn’t be more happy or proud of my best friend. Even in my state of emotional duress I couldn’t contain the smile that broke out across my face as I pulled him in for a hug and clapped him on his back.

“Congratulations, man! That is great news. Norah will be excited that her Uncle Dean will be sticking around.” We pulled away from our bro hugs and he arched a brow at me. I chuckled, “Yeah, well I can’t deny it, I’m pretty excited too.”

Dean clapped me on the back and guided me inside the house through the open garage and said, “Now, let’s figure out how you’re going to get your girl.”

Chapter 16

Eden

Three Weeks Later

Things were back to normal, for the most part. Only it was as if I was just going through the motions of life, completely void of any and all emotions, because it seemed as if my well of tears had run dry. I went to work and performed my job almost on full autopilot, came home, slept when I could turn my mind off and did the same thing over again the next day.

After I initially returned home, I cried my eyes out and had sobs torturing my entire body for an entire day, but after that I couldn’t will myself to shed another single tear. And it wasn’t for my lack of trying. I hadn’t heard from Baylor at all for the twenty-one days after my abrupt departure. I wanted to wallow in my self-pity and keep on force-feeding myself insane amounts of ice cream, but true to Julia fashion she put her foot down and quickly squashed any desire to remain in bed for days on end.

“You’re going to have to suck it up buttercup and pull up those ugly ass granny panties.” She raised a brow at my dirty laundry pile that had begun ascending up the wall, “And for Pete’s sake do some laundry.” She jutted out her hip and continued on with her rant, “At least you’re showering, because if not I wouldn’t dare come within a three mile radius.”