Page 4 of Trying Not to Need You

“I can’t believe Nate is the man you fell in love with. We went to school together all those years, and the two of you never once dated.”

“I know.” She nods. “He was always just Nate, the funny, flirty guy who played football. It’s weird how life works out sometimes,” she muses.

“Yeah, kind of like me packing up and moving home—oh, and let’s not forget quitting my job and leaving my five-year relationship. Can’t forget that.”

“Are you ready to talk about it yet?” she inquires.

“I probably should,” I say, before I word vomit everything that happened since getting home from work yesterday.

Compassion is written all over my best friend’s face. “Damn,” Sophia mutters.

“Yeah. So, here I am.” I hold my arms out at my sides.

“You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Thanks, Soph, but once Ellison knows I’m here, I’ll go back and stay in my old room. It’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing, but I’m not cramping your space with Nate.” I wag my eyebrows, and she laughs.

“We’re happy to have you.”

“And I appreciate you more than you know,” I say, covering a yawn.

“Do you want something to eat before you nap?”

“No. Right now, I just need a soft place to land.”

“Come on,” she says, standing from the couch. “I’ll get you something more comfortable to sleep in so you don’t have to dig through your bags, and we can deal with everything else after you’ve had some rest.”

“Thank you, Soph. I love you. I’ve missed you,” I tell her.

“Love you, girl. I missed you, too, and selfishly, I hope that you’re home, here in Magnolia Ridge, to stay.”

I nod, but honestly, I don’t know where I’m going. I have no plan, but I’m comforted knowing that my sisters and my best friend have my back. I can take the time I need to figure it out, and that is priceless.

I follow Sophia to the spare bedroom and sit down on the bed while she goes to her room to grab me some clothes. Fifteen minutes later, I’ve changed, burrowed under the covers, and am drifting off to sleep.

My hands are full of gifts for my baby niece as I step into the inn. The familiar smells of Alice’s pies hit me as soon as I walk in. There’s a girl at the counter whom I’ve never met, which makes me sad. I feel so disconnected, even though I talk and text with my sisters every day. I visit as often as I can, but today feels different.

I’m home.

I don’t know how long I’m staying, or what happens next, but stepping inside the inn, a place that harbors so many great memories, and some painful ones, it feels right. In my heart and in my gut, I know that I made the right choice walking away from New York and everything there that I left behind.

“Hi, are you here for the shower?” the girl greets me.

“Hi, I’m Baylor.” I smile at her. “This is my best friend, Sophia.” I nod to Sophia, who is standing next to me with a much smaller load of gifts in her hands. I can’t help it. This is my first niece, so I went a little overboard.

“Oh! The New York sister. I’m Kara. It’s so nice to meet you. Everyone is in there.” She points to the double doors that close off the dining area. The doors are never shut, but it makes sense because this is a surprise baby shower, after all.

It hurts my heart that I’m the “New York sister.” There was a time I longed for that, but somewhere along the way, that’s changed. Maybe I’m the one who’s changed. Who knows, but I hate that I’m the “New York sister.” When I graduated from college and headed off into the unknown, that would have made me smile. Now, it just makes me sad. “Thank you, Kara. It’s nice to meet you.” I give her a finger wave and a smile because my hands are full, and that’s all that I can manage.

As soon as I open the door, I hear a screech. I look up to see my baby sister, Courtlynn, rushing toward me. Her smile lights up the room, and when I hear “Baylor,” I know it’s Leighton, my second youngest sister. I barely have time to place the gift bags on the floor before they’re both wrapping their arms around me in a hug.

“I missed you so much,” Leighton says, pulling away first and wiping under her eyes.

“You need to come home more. In fact, just move home. Todd can deal,” Courtlynn tells me, as she also pulls out of our embrace and wipes at her cheeks.

I laugh off her words, not wanting to get into everything right now. “I missed you both so much. This place looks great,” I tell them, taking in all the decorations.

“Thanks. Copeland’s mom, sister-in-law, and niece helped, as did Kinzie,” Leighton explains. “It was a group effort.”