“So do you,” I told her. “I’m really excited for you and Reid.”

“Who knows,” she said, releasing me. “Maybe we’ll be planning two weddings.”

“Let’s not put the bride before the proposal,” I countered. “Seems a bit presumptuous.” I waited for the guilt to wash over me. The guilt that seemed to remind me that I’d already promised myself to someone else. It didn’t come. I didn’t feel anything but grateful for my memories of Jamie. But, it was the past and I was ready to move on. Possibly to the guy I was watching out the window. He must have felt me staring, because he turned and grinned over his shoulder when our eyes locked.

“I don’t know. I saw the way he looked at you. I don’t think that boy has any intentions of letting you go.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. Part of me hoped she was. The thought of letting him go didn’t sound too appealing either.

* * *

Brett had agreed to give Reid and Nora the cabin for the rest of their stay in Halstead, which was fine by me. The idea of getting to spend all day and night with him was more than enough to sway my vote. We’d driven up to the new house and said hello to Reid’s parents before heading back to town. They were so grateful for our help in getting their new home all set up.

“They really loved the house,” I said to Brett as we drove along the winding backroads toward Halstead. I didn’t even have to give him directions. He’d been here long enough to know his way around. I wondered if there was even a little part of him that wanted to stay here. With me. “Did you see the look on Mrs. Travers’ face? I didn’t think she’d ever stop crying.”

“She was definitely surprised.”

“I’d love to build a house in the country someday,” I told him, hoping to spark a conversation.

“Me too. Big house, big track. The whole nine.”

“Is that a stipulation in home construction?” I asked, snorting back a laugh. “Room for a big track.”

“Absolutely. I gots to ride.”

“Oh honey,” I said with a playful shake of my head. “Please don’t say ‘gots’.”

“Too cool?”

“Something like that,” I teased, a laugh slipping out. “So where exactly would you want to build this big house and big track.”

“I don’t know.” He pulled to a stop at the first four way on the edge of town. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. Probably Texas,” he added without much thought. “Weather is good. Land is affordable.”

“Oh.” I nodded my head. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Nothing is set in stone,” he said, taking my hand in his and drawing it up to his lips. “I just said Texas because that is my home. All things are negotiable.” He winked before placing a kiss on my knuckle. “Especially where you’re concerned.”

“Good to know.” At least he was open to the possibility of living somewhere else. But, with him open to compromise, I knew that I’d be expected to do the same. Sure, I could be a nurse anywhere, but I’d never pictured myself anywhere but Halstead. “Is it silly for us to even be discussing things like that?” Less than two months of kind of dating and one day of being an actual couple. I was as bad as my sister about jumping to the future.

“No. I think it’s better to get logistics out of the way.” He pulled onto my street. “I’d rather know now what your hard limits are before we get any deeper.”

“I’m not sure,” I confessed. “About my hard limits, I mean. I’ve never really needed any. Everything has always pretty much been here.”

“Well, think about it. We can talk about it anytime you want.” He pulled the car onto the driveway and turned off the engine. “Everything is so up in the air with my knee and when exactly I’ll be back to work that I think we have some time to hash out all the details,” he added when we met outside the car. “I just want to enjoy every second that we have together until then.”

“Me too.” His lips found mine as soon as the words were out of my mouth. My pulse raced as his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me against his body. The heat of our bodies against one another seemed to melt away the worries that I had when it came to us functioning as a couple. All I knew in that very moment was that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

* * *

I had to admit I was kind of digging this lazy Saturday thing. Brett and I cuddled up on the couch and started flipping between HGTV and ESPN. Somewhere between watching home renovations and making out, Brett had dozed off. I knew he was tired. I hadn’t told him but I’d felt him toss and turn against me all night. I’d hoped it wasn’t regret that was keeping him awake—regret that he’d agreed to start an honest to god relationship with me. When I had woken up and felt him touching me, I was relieved that he hadn’t bailed.

I knew that whatever it was that had kept him up that night he’d eventually tell me about. It was one of the things that I loved about our relationship. The honesty part. I think that each of us had our concerns about being together. I believed him when he said that we’d figure it out. For now, I would let him sleep.

When I’d left him on the couch that afternoon, I’d had every intention of running by the store and picking us up some snacks and something for dinner, but there was something that had been weighing on my mind that led me to the opposite side of town.

I pulled into the Shaws’ driveway, unsure of exactly what I was going to say to Iris. A week ago seemed like a month ago. So much had changed. I knew that it was going to painful—probably more for her than me—but I needed to tell her. I needed to tell her that I was moving on with my life and I wouldn’t be stopping by for monthly dinners or feeling guilty about it anymore.

“Well this is a pleasant surprise,” she said when she opened the front door. “Come in.” She wrapped her arms around me as soon as I was in the house. “I’m glad you stopped by. You’ll never guess what I found in a box from the attic,” she paused. “Jamie’s notebook from his freshman year. It’s got all kinds of great scribbles in it. I think there’s even a note from you tucked in the pocket inside.”

“I...” I tried to think of the nicest way possible to pull off this BandAid.

“Come in the kitchen. I’ll show you.” She grabbed my hand and started to pull me through the living room toward the back of the house. I knew if I made it to the chair at the kitchen table I’d be there all night looking through items from the past.

“I can’t.” I said, stopping in my tracks and slipping my hand from hers. “I don’t want to see it.”

“What do you mean? You’ll love it.” She said, shaking her head. I could hear the “tsk-tsk” coming off her lips. She took another step.

“I didn’t come by to reminisce, Iris.” I crossed my arms over my chest and took a deep breath. “I came by to tell you that I can’t do this anymore. No more Sunday dinners. No more memorabilia. It’s too hard and it’s not fair.”

“Don’t even talk to me about what’s not fair,” she said, the jovial expression she’d had on her face when I’d walked through the door was long gone.

“I’m not here to make you mad. I promise, I’m not. I just can’t keep coming over here and reliving losing him. It was hard enough the first time,” I paused. The pain in her eyes was exactly what I’d envisioned. In her mind I was giving up on her son. I was trying to forget him. “I love him, Iris. More than you probably even know. I just think it’s time for me to move on.”

“Is this because of that guy in the grocery store?”

“Not exactly.” I was being honest with her. I’d thought about this moment long before Brett came along. Maybe a little more since he’d shown up, but this was still something I needed to do. “It’s not healthy for me to keep holding onto him. I can’t be in a relationship that is one-sided anymore. I need a living person in my life.” I took in a deep breath. Everything that I’d wanted to say seemed to be coming out in a way that wasn’t registering with her. “And his name is Brett.”