Welcome to Nashville, Part Two

As I walk through the Nashville airport, the Welcome, y’all sign causes a surge of emotion to rip through my body.

My pace speeds up as my excitement builds, and I push my enormous Louis Vuitton suitcase, which I have jammed to the brim.

I’m almost twenty-four, and my dad doesn’t agree with me being here, but who gives a shit? I’m a grown-ass woman and I’ll do exactly as I please.

He hates that I tell him straight, and he doesn’t want to fund me for the rest of my life. I don’t want him to fund me either, which is why I told him to shove his money where the sun don’t shine.

I have enough to live off while I find a job. I sold all my designer dresses and couldn’t believe people paid thousands of pounds for secondhand designer bags—who knew I was sitting on my own fortune all along?

As I wait with my passport and bag in the queue, an old man bumps into me and almost knocks my precious Vuitton over.

~Does he not know this is my insurance while I find a job?~ These cases go for ~over two grand on eBay.~

“Sorry there, darlin’,” he says as he regains his balance.

I’m about to give him a piece of my mind when he smiles at me and my cold heart melts.

“Don’t worry about it. Are you okay?” I ask.

He nods and proceeds to tell me about his granddaughter who, apparently, I remind him of. He’s sweet and talking to him helps my time in the queue pass quickly.

“So, what’s your take on cowboys, then?” I ask him.

He smiles. “The best kinda men I ever met.”

“Well, I’m here to get my cowboy back,” I beam.

“Good on you,” he smiles. “I hope that works out for ya.”

As I walk out of arrivals with a big grin on my face, I see the only guy here in a cowboy hat waiting for me. Antony’s tired face is still smiling, even though I know every day without his love is a struggle.

He waves frantically when he sees me approaching, and I start to jog into his arms.

Right here, right now, I feel happier than I have in a long time. If this was a movie, I would have clouds floating around me and we would break out into one of Taylor Swift’s upbeat songs.

“Ella,” Antony cries as he wraps his affectionate arms around me.

My eyes fill with the love he radiates. A sense of belonging overpowers me.

“Antony, I’m so glad to be back,” I can’t stop grinning as I take him in. He looks like he’s lost weight in the weeks I’ve been gone.

Tobias had said he was struggling after Frankie. It wasn’t surprising—he had been Frankie’s best buddy since the beginning of time, so it was always going to be a big blow to him.

“Have you been on a diet, old man?” I ask as I pull at his loose checked shirt.

He shakes his head and laughs. “Nope, just been a bit down in the dumps lately, but you being here feels like a speckle of sunshine starting to come through.”

I’d called Dawn and told her I planned to return. I needed a girl’s take on everything, check I was making the right choice. For all I knew, Tobias had replaced me.

But when she told me about him, about how much he was struggling to get over me, I knew I had a second chance—maybe my final chance to make it right—and I had to take it.

She arranged for Antony to collect me, but no one else is aware I’m here. It’s all been very top secret.

It’s nine o’clock now, so by the time we get to the ranch it’ll be late. I don’t need the heat put on because I plan to head straight to Tobias’s place.

“It’s cold in these parts now. I hope you have a thicker jacket than that,” he says as he looks at my thin coat.

“I’m well prepared, Antony. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m used to the bad weather in England.”

He looks at me and grins as his arms go around me again and he squeezes my shoulders. It’s like he can’t believe I’m here and he’s pinching me to check I’m real.

“My boy will be overjoyed that you’re home,” he glows.

“How’s he been?” I ask as we walk to the truck.

“You know, quiet. He tells me nothing, but Travis said he’s not been doing too great since you left. A broken heart is the worst. I should know.”

I feel a sense of guilt gush over me, to think I made him feel that way. I made myself feel that way, and for what?

“Well, I just hope he’s happy that I’m back. I couldn’t think about anything but him when I was in England.”

“Your youth is for making mistakes,” he comments. “Just learn from them and don’t be dumb by repeating the same ones.”

I nod in agreement. I fully intend to learn from my mistakes.

On the drive to the ranch, I watch as we pass all the things that were once so familiar to me. It’s like I’m looking at them with new eyes, noticing their beauty and charm for the first time.

I smile and feel warm and content as Antony sways and sings along to music in the seat next to me.

The ride goes fast, and before I have time to prepare my speech, we’re pulling up outside Antony’s place. It’s darker than I remember.

I climb out of the truck—the silence is comforting. I haven’t heard this kind of silence since I left here. Looking over at Tobias’s house, I can see his lights downstairs are off, but his bedroom lamp is on.

“I’m not going to walk in on him in bed with someone, am I?” I whisper to Antony as my eyes stalk the bedroom window.

Antony laughs and sets my bag on the gravel. “I sure hope not.”

“Well, that would be a bit of a disaster. I’m not so sure this is a good idea after all.”

He leans into me. “Ella, he loves you. Go make my boy the happiest man in the world.”

I wave as he watches me pull my bag toward Tobias’s house. I hesitate as my hand goes over the round doorknob.

I take in a deep breath and try to settle my breathing, which has become irregular with the increased anxiety.

“You can do this, El,” I reassure myself as my hand turns the cold metal knob. I drag my case in from the cold and leave it in the hallway. Then I quietly remove my jacket and shoes before tiptoeing toward his stairs.

As I think about what’s coming, I get the same feeling I had in New Mexico when I was about to bungee jump at the Rio Grande. It’s that nervous, excited feeling.

Someone once described having a frisson when we were there—a thrilling shiver you get when you’re about to do something exciting. I’m getting that right now.

The elevated heart rate and butterflies in my stomach go wild as I reach the top step. His bedroom door is ajar, so I quietly move to it and look in through the gap where the light of his lamp escapes.

He’s sitting up in bed writing, his head down and his hand moving diligently. My tongue licks at my lips as I watch him half-naked and looking sinfully gorgeous. The smell of his shower gel lingers in the air.

I just want to burst in and touch him. My adrenaline goes crazy as I start to push the door open.

His eyes come up from the pad he is writing on, and he freezes as I stand and smile at him from the doorway of his bedroom.

“Are you real?” he finally asks, and my smile gets bigger.

“Well, I sure hope so,” I reply.

He slowly pulls himself off the bed and walks toward me.

“What?” he says as he grabs both my hands and stands back, examining me. “What are you doing here?” he mumbles with a confused frown on his face.

I shrug. “I wanna be your endgame.”

“Are you here to stay?” he asks. His eyes look into mine while he awaits my response.

“If you’ll have me.”

As he nods and smiles, he moves toward me and lifts me off my feet. My legs wrap around his waist, and I breathe an enormous sigh of relief.

“You promise you will be mine forever?” he mumbles as his lips meet mine.

“I promise forever and ever, always and ever. I’ll never hurt you again,” I whisper.

“Everyone’s gonna hurt us at some point, but you’re one of the ones worth suffering for.” He smiles and smothers my face in kisses. “Let’s get married and make babies,” he says between tender kisses.

I pull away from his lips. “Wow, cowboy, I’ve got a photography course to start first. After that, a wedding and babies.”

He grins into me and rests his forehead against mine.

“Welcome home, princess.”

^The End^