AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
Liam
I crouch down and run my fingers across Tex’s back flank. With his tail wagging and body wiggling, Tex licks my face and tries to grab the leash from my hand with his teeth. His joy is in stark contrast to my current mood.
When my time serving in the military was coming to an end, I counted the days until I would be home. But when I finally got home, I isolated myself and struggled to relate to family and friends. Even though I told them I was fine, they knew I wasn’t. I’m so grateful my siblings, Sean and Evelyn, never took that for an answer.
Sean contacted the owner of BattleBron Tech, a company that provides all types of support and career opportunities for veterans. With their help he was able to get me a fully trained emotional support dog.
Luckily, Tex is helping me to find my peace again.
“Stay still, boy.” I hook the leash on his harness before standing up. I glance at my phone, see it’s already two o’clock, and sigh. Going out this late in the afternoon is not ideal. A peek out the window confirms that it’s hot.
Tex barks and wags his tail as if warning me not to change my mind. This isn’t usually our walk time, but today is an exception because I need to get out of the house and quiet my mind. My thoughts are overwhelming me.
I go to the kitchen to grab some extra water for my backpack and head out. As we move, I look down at Tex trotting along and can’t help but smile at how he just enjoys the moment.
My smile falters as we pass by a church. A vision of Penelope Miller standing at the altar smiling at my old high school friend Andrew West crosses my mind. My stomach flips. My heart squeezes in my chest, and I take a deep breath to relieve some of my body's tension.
The knowledge that my high school sweetheart, the only woman I’ve ever been in love with, is marrying someone else today hurts me in a way I didn’t think possible. At almost twenty-seven, I had imagined myself married with children by now, and that picture always included Penny.
I remember when I first met her in elementary school. We were in third grade, and Penny had just moved to town. From that moment on, we were attached at the hip. She was my best friend and then my first girlfriend. I adored everything about her. I even planned my life around her—until the day I decided to join the Army.
I knew Penny would be upset, especially considering that her father died in combat. But I never imagined that she would end things. I remember the heartbreak in her eyes when she told me it was her or the military.
I honestly believed that she would change her mind when she calmed down. I wrote to her every day during boot camp, but she never responded.
Bootcamp is hard enough as is, but everything felt harder without Penny in my corner. Thankfully, training kept me so busy that I had little time to think about much else.
I made my decision, and it haunts me to this day.
Eventually, the sadness at her loss became more manageable. So much so that I only thought of her every once in a while. I honestly believed I was over her until the first time I saw her after almost a decade.
I was picking up a special treat for Tex at Bake My Day, my sister Evie's bakery, when Penny approached the counter. She looked radiant. My heart raced and my spirit lifted when I saw her again. Her smile was like a punch to the gut, and I was left speechless. Penelope Miller had always been beautiful, but now, she was stunning.
The girl I fell in love with had become a woman who took my breath away.
Seeing her again brought old feelings rushing back like a tidal wave. I felt hope and joy that I hadn’t experienced before leaving town. Before leaving Penny. Reconnecting with her again was a dream I thought impossible, yet here we were.
When Penny told me she was getting married and Evie was baking the wedding cake. Any hope I had of a reconciliation died with its first breath.
“I’m sorry, whose wedding?” I asked, hoping I had misunderstood, and prayed it was for her sister Stacy.
“Mine,” she replied with her trademark smile. She waved her left hand. I felt the floor fall out from beneath me. I thought what I saw in battle was devastating. It turns out it was nothing compared to the emotional brokenness this news left me in. I was an empty shell before, but now I’m barely functioning. If not for Tex, I’d be in serious trouble.
I ran into her again twice more after that. The last time was at the library. I dropped the book in the return slot and Penny decided to turn up at that exact moment. Our eyes met, and my entire body zinged with energy.
“Liam?” My name on her lips was like an arrow to my heart. “How are you?” The sound of her voice had been a memory I ached for, and now, to know that I would only ever have her talk to me as the wife of another man shattered me.
“Good,” I said with a tight smile. “You look great. I have to run. Tell Andrew I said hi.”
I could have sworn that I saw her smile falter, and a hint of sadness cross her eyes. I brushed it off as something that I wanted to see but not what was truly there. She was happy with Andrew, and they were getting married.
We finally reach the trail, and Tex glances at me with his tongue hanging to the side. “Go ahead, boy.” I watch as he picks his pace up to a trot.
When I first came home, I avoided this trail, overwhelmed by memories. But then I got Tex. His need for physical exercise and my love of the outdoors had me rethinking my avoidance of one of my favorite places. Now, like me, he knows every nook and cranny of it.
However, I haven’t gone to our spot. I’m not ready, and I'm not sure I’ll ever be. Luckily, the mountain is big enough for me to avoid that area.
