AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Or maybe it was all those moments and a thousand more that had happened in the few months she’d been back in town. Even though I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the fall had happened, it definitely had. Tay was right. I was flat on my ass in love with Ruby Rhodes.
When I didn’t respond, Sam glanced in my direction and then did a double-take. “Holy shit. You really do. You love her.”
Yeah, I really did.
“Have you told her?” he followed up.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it doesn’t matter.” It was the same thing I’d told Taylor.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Of course, it matters!” Sam exclaimed. “It’s the only thing that matters.”
I glanced over at him. “Have you been watching The Notebook or something? Where is this coming from?”
Sam’s dating life was basically a rotating door of women. Unlike me, who refused to even dip his toe in the Wishing Well dating pool, Sam swam in it regularly. He liked to think of himself as romantic, and while he was well-versed in sending flowers, candlelight dinners, and long walks on the beach, but that did not make him a romantic in the true sense of the word. At least by my definition. Romance was a commitment. It was showing up for the person you loved. It was about sharing all of life’s ups and downs. It was creating a safe place for the person you love to land.
Sam didn’t know shit about any of that.
“It’s coming from someone who knows that you will regret it if you don’t say something to Ruby. You can’t just ignore how you feel.”
This discussion might be about Ruby and me, but it was clear that his words were coming from a very personal place. If I were a betting man, which I wasn’t, I would let it all ride on his being so adamant about my situation because it hit a little too close to home with a certain bartender who he claimed he was ‘just friends’ with.
Growing up, I’d never been particularly close to Kenna. I’d seen her around when she came to games that her brothers were playing in, but I never really talked to her. Over the past few years, I’d gotten to know her well through Taylor and Harper. I didn’t have to use my detective skills to see that Sam wasn’t the only one with feelings. Kenna was carrying a torch so bright for him that if she was in space, you could see it.
Whenever she saw him with another woman, which sadly was often the case, it was painfully obvious she wasn’t happy about it. She put on a brave face and definitely tried to project an air of indifference, but it was in her eyes. Like tonight, when Sam was dancing with Melody Turner, I could see how much it affected her. I recognized it because it was exactly how I’d felt when I’d seen Ruby on the dance floor with Brady Calhoun.
“Is this about Remi? Because you and Ruby are grown-ass adults?—”
“It’s not about Remi.” I sighed. It might have been at the beginning, but it was much deeper than that now. This was about wanting Ruby to be happy; to have everything in life that she deserved.
“Then what is it? What is more important than telling the person you love how you feel about her?”
“Ruby is more important,” I explained. “She doesn’t belong in Wishing Well. She belongs on a stage somewhere.”
Hearing that she was considering a job here should have made me happy. It hadn’t.
“Don’t you think she should be the one who decides where she belongs?”
“No,” I answered honestly.
Because even if she felt the same way about me, it didn’t matter. I knew what would happen if she decided to stay in Wishing Well. She might be happy now, but it wouldn’t last. One day… maybe not today, or next week, or next month, or even next year, but one day, she’d wake up and realize what she gave up. She’ll get restless and maybe even start to resent me for asking her to stay. Just like my mom had.
If it were just me, I would give up Wishing Well for Ruby. But it wasn’t. I had Grandad, Harper, and Taylor to think about.
Tay and I had decided that Wishing Well was the best place to raise Harper. She’d already accepted a job at Valley Memorial Hospital in Parish Creek and was in escrow on a house down the street from me, so Harper could easily go between the two. I couldn’t uproot everyone because I was in love. That wouldn’t be fair.
“So that’s it? You just decide you know what’s best for both of you?” Sam asked.
“Yep,” I confirmed, because I truly did love her.
Grandad always told me that love isn’t a feeling; it’s a verb. Your actions show you that you love someone. I loved her enough to let her go. She deserved to have the life she always dreamed of having, and I wasn’t going to ruin that for her.
“I think you’re wrong. I think you should tell her how you feel,” Sam said his piece as we pulled into the station parking lot.
The next thirty minutes went by in a blur. I changed into my uniform and protective gear. Hudson led a briefing to go over the plan, and then we all headed out to the location. I switched into work mode, and all thoughts of Ruby or how I felt about her were placed on the back burner.
