Page 17 of Carter

Change of plan. Driving home. Need to calm down. Cancel the plane.

A little over three hours later, I crossed the Arizona state line, and my body relaxed. The more distance I put between Savannah Prince and me, the more tension left my upper back and shoulders.

I turned the rock music down and dialed my best friend. The need to hear her voice was strong.

“Hey, Dah.” Exhaustion sliced through my words.

“Ohmygod, Carter, are you okay?”

Moisture filled my eyes. The sound of Dahlia’s voice had never sounded so good as it did at the moment.

“I’m coming home. Alone. On my way. In Arizona right now.”

A beat passed.

“Is everything fine? Should I worry?”

“Not anymore. I finally got out of this. I’m done. For good this time. I’ve missed you and Jack so much—”

“We’ve missed you too, Cart. What do you want me to say?”

“That it was time I grew some balls and left Miss Hollywood to her own antics. That you’re proud of me—”

“I’m relieved you left, Cart. It was about time you realized this whole fake-turned-real-then-fake-again relationship did you no good. You were drowning there. I’m sorry I didn’t pull you out of it myself. But I knew you’d come to your senses eventually. You had to do it on your own.” Dahlia’s voice cracked. “I’m so happy this chapter of your life is over. I’m proud of you. I’m always proud of you. Are you coming to Green Mountain, or are you staying at your penthouse in Nashville?”

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

“I’ll be in Nashville for now. I need to fix my life. Get it back on track. Figure my next move. Shit, I don’t know. I need to talk to Riley and June. And get rid of anything linking me to Savannah forever.”

“It’s okay. We’ll be there when you’re ready. I’m sorry you’ve got mixed into this, Carter. Really. Your PR team was wrong. If you need anything, we’re here for you.”

“I know. Thanks for being in my corner.”

“Always—”

“Dah, give me some time and I’ll come to Green Mountain. I refuse to be away from you guys ever again. You’re my family.”

“Call me when you get to Nashville. I need to go, but if you want me to go to LA and kick Miss Evil’s ass myself, just say the word.”

A chuckle left my mouth. It felt good to smile again.

“I’d pay a lot of money to see you teach her a lesson the Southern way. Tell Jack I love him.”

“I will. Be careful, Cart. We’ll wait for you.”

We hung up, and my heart floated in my chest, lighter than it’d been in a long time.

Now I could breathe. Like really breathe.

Savannah Prince was a bad decision. A bump on my road.

Being free had never felt so good.

A small smile peeked out.

Yeah, I could be happy again. I’d make it happen. One day.

Even if love wasn’t in the cards for me.

Perhaps being on my own wouldn’t be so scary this time.

Perhaps I could do this.

The days where I belonged to someone else were over.

For good.

I inhaled my newfound freedom, enjoying every tingle up and down my spine.

The knots strangling my stomach loosened.

The giant rock sitting on my chest fractured a little.

My heartbeat evened out.

Yeah, I could do this.

Carter Hills against the world. This could work.