Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Two weeks after high school graduation
Why won’t she come with me?
Colt shoved his last pair of jeans into the suitcase. He was angry at her, angry at himself, and filled with self-doubt.
When a knock sounded at his bedroom door, he growled, “Leave me alone, Mom. You and Dad were very thorough in telling me all the reasons I shouldn’t believe in myself.”
“I believe in you,” a sweet voice observed, making him whirl around.
Harper stood framed in the doorway. Out of his cherished circle of friends dating back to that first day of third grade, she was the one dearest to his heart. As much as he treasured Beau, Maisie, and Amber’s friendship, Harper had always been the one for him. He’d always thought they’d be together—until now.
“Did you come here to try to convince me not to go?” he asked angrily.
“No. I know you’re going. You’re supposed to go. I came to spend a few last minutes with you. I’m going to miss you so much,” Harper shared with tears in her eyes.
Colt shook his head, trying to maintain his resolve. He had to try this even though it felt like she was ripping his heart from his chest. He turned to grab some socks from the drawer and slammed it shut before turning to face her again.
“Then why the hell don’t you come with me?” he demanded.
“I’ll just hold you back,” Harper whispered.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. We’re supposed to be together. You’re supposed to be with me.”
“How sure are you that going to Nashville is your path?” she asked, coming in to sit on his bed.
Immediately, he sat across from her on the opposite side of the double bed. “Four hundred percent.”
“I believe you. I know this is what you have to do.”
“Come with me,” he asked, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently.
“I can’t, Colt. As confident as you are that you need to leave town and try to make it as a country superstar, I know my place is here,” she told him.
“You could open a daycare anywhere,” he pointed out.
“If only I could, but I need to be here. I’m not like you. I’m… petrified of being in a new place that I don’t know how to get around in, with no one I know to help me,” she shared.
“I’d be there,” he assured her.
“You would be. I know you’d always be there for me. Unfortunately, that will take your focus off doing what’s important for you to succeed. We both know I’m great at a lot of things, but I’m too gullible.”
“Kind-hearted,” he corrected her.
She smiled at his editing. “I don’t function well in crowds. My heart pounds and I want to cry. That won’t go well with performing in front of a stadium of people.”
Harper held her hand up when he opened his mouth to argue. “I might get better at being in public with you in time, but this isn’t my dream. It’s yours.”
Colt stared at her for a second and digested her words. She was right. This was what he wanted. Her path was completely different. “I’m sorry, Harper. I’m an idiot.”
“You are not. You’re focused. That’s what’s going to help you make it big. I can’t wait to see it happen. I am your biggest fan,” she told him.
“You’re so much more than that, Little girl.”
“I can’t be your Little girl, Colt. That’s why I always say ‘no’ when you ask me out. You’ll be a great Daddy to someone.”
“You are my Little girl. We’ve been together since before we even knew the name for this bond between us. I’m not going to forget you. When you’re ready to be mine, all you have to do is call. I will be there so fast there will be burnt rubber on the road into town.”
“I can’t count on you coming back, Colt. That’s not fair to you. You need to go explore and live your life.”
Harper looked around the room, seeming desperate for something as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Reading her mind, Colt bolted from the bed to snag a box of tissues from his desk and set it in front of her.
“I don’t want you to cry, Harper. How can I make this better?”
“Fast forward twenty years or so. My heart will have recovered by then,” she joked, wiping away the moisture under her eyes.
“You can always change your mind. I’ll come get you,” he promised her.
“Thanks. I’ll remember that. I won’t do it, but I’ll remember you wanted me with you.”
“Always. I’ll always want you with me,” he corrected her.
Harper dashed away a few tears and said, “You’re leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ll leave at eight in the morning. You can still change your mind and come with me. There’s still time.”
“I won’t change my mind, Colt. It’s not the best thing for me or for you.”