Page 49 of Every Single Broken Piece
“Do you feel better after the rough day?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she sighs. “But I’m going to have to move. I can’t keep living across the road from Colby’s family. It will be awkward.”
“Have you ever thought about leaving Verona?”
It takes a few seconds before the answer bursts from Kelcie. “I can’t.”
I glance over my shoulder and see the panic tightening her features. “Is your medication at your place?”
She nods as she focuses on taking deep breaths.
I turn off the gas, and not caring that I’m barefoot, I hurry over to her house. Finding the back door open, I make a mental note to talk to Kelcie about locking it behind her whenever she comes over.
I find the box in one of the cupboards and rush back to her. By the time I burst into the kitchen, Kelcie is calmer and giving me a sheepish look.
“We should keep some here,” I say as I set the box down on the table.
“You’re right,” she agrees.
I turn on the stove again and get back to work.
“Jordan’s asked me a hundred times to move to Naperville so I’m closer to him, but I just can’t bring myself to leave my family behind.”
When the steak is done, I set the pan aside and get to work on making the cream sauce.
“You can move to one of the other towns in the Sugar River Valley area and still be close enough to visit them daily,” I mention.
“I never thought of that,” she murmurs. “Maybe I should get a farm. I can milk cows for a living.”
“Yeah? You think you’ll like living on a farm?”
She lets out a chuckle. “Hmm ... all the space. No neighbors right across the road.” She’s quiet for a moment. “I think it would be awesome.”
I glance over my shoulder at her. “Then why don’t you?”
Kelcie shrugs. “I like living next door to you.”
“I’m not attached to this house. I can sell and move as well.”
The idea of living on a farm with Kelcie sounds heavenly.
“All jokes aside,” she mutters. “I hope this nasty business with Colby and his family is over.”
I wasn’t joking. I would follow Kelcie to the ends of the earth if she let me.
When the pasta is ready, I drain it and mix all the ingredients together. Letting it rest in the pot, I lean back against the counter and cross my arms over my chest.
“If they come looking for trouble, let me know and I’ll handle it.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t expect that of you. You hate talking to people, and I’ll never forgive myself if you get in a fight because of me.”
“Kelcie.” I wait for her to look at me. “I’m not going to sit back and let people walk all over you.” Needing her to understand what she means to me without saying the actual words, I admit, “You’re important to me.”
Emotion washes over her face, and her voice is soft when she replies, “You’re important to me too.”
“You would stand up for me, so let me do the same for you.”
She nods and climbs to her feet from where she’s sitting by the table. When she comes toward me, I uncross my arms and open them. We hug, and she rests her cheek against my chest, letting out a sigh.
