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Just where she belongs.
24
Present Day
What a day.
The water slowly drains from the gutters. The sun has begun to peek through the stormy clouds.
We’re sitting on the roof right outside Sean’s childhood bedroom window. It isn’t steep on this side of the house, but completely flat above the porch.
“This was my safe place growing up, now it’s yours too,” he’d said when we climbed out here.
We sit in the peace and quiet for a while.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“For what?” he asks delicately.
He’s holding my hand—a simple gesture but it gives me a sense of security. Like a child's blanket or favorite stuffed animal.
“Just for being here. Getting me through this day. And for letting me have some time to myself to reflect on all of it.”
Sean smirks as his gaze follows the two birds flying past the trees ahead of us.
His parents live in the sticks, but it’s only fifteen minutes from town—in the opposite direction of where the cabin is. It seems kind of silly when I think about how they have a cabin in such close proximity. The only difference between the cabin and their house is the river.
That’s what I love about Lakewood. It’s scenic, but you still have everything you need.
“I’m never going anywhere. I’ll be here.” He pulls my hand closer to him.
Anyone can say they are going to stay, but his actions have proved his words to be true time and time again. I wish I could say the same.
“Your dad was proud of you. Despite everything that happened,” he adds softly.
“You don’t know that.” I look up into the sky, hoping that my dad is looking down on me now. We lost so much time, but thank God that we had these last few months together. It’s the only way I can look at it.
“I do know, actually,” he says, twirling the ring I have on my index finger.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, your dad and I had coffee together not too long ago. After that day we ate pizza and watched movies together.”
I can’t imagine Sean and my dad ‘hanging out’ in any sort of way, not without me there.
“You did?” I ask, utterly shocked. “Why?”
The sun shines onto Sean’s beautiful eyes, as they shyly stare into mine.
“I wanted him to know my intentions. That I was playing the long game with you.”
This is why my dad was so adamant about Sean. It all makes sense now.
“He told me that the best day of his life was you coming back to him.” He watches me for a second.
I raise my eyebrows, gesturing for him to continue.
“He regretted a lot of things that went down between you guys.”
