Perfect Storm

Chapter 15

"No. Hell no. You're not quitting and you're not going back to Alva." Ross argued adamantly.

"Don't try and talk me out of this Ross. I've made up my mind." I replied, continuing to stuff everything into my suitcase.

"What happened Bree? Talk to me."

"She's pregnant. We were going to get back together, but then he found out she's having his baby so he's not going to leave her." I sobbed.

"Ryan?"

"Of course Ryan." I snapped, and my sobs turned to near hysterics as I recounted the events that had transpired over the past few days starting with the Morgan Wallen concert, up until this present moment.

"I'm so sorry Bree." Ross put his arms around me and hugged me as my sobs eventually turned to small whimpers.

"I waited too long. I should have told him sooner. Please don't say I told you so." I sniffled into his shoulder, the tears that had finally let up then started falling again.

"I wasn't going to. Please don't quit Bree. You will regret it if you do. This is your life now. What are you going to do without this?" Ross pleaded with me.

"I don't know. Maybe help my dad on the farm. I really haven't thought that far." I admitted.

"So you're going to trade unhappiness for misery? You know you are going to be miserable back in Alva. The farm life was never for you." Ross replied.

"Then...I'll just find a job." I argued.

"Doing what? You love PR. You love NASCAR. You love North Carolina. You will not be happy doing anything else."

I sighed. "I don't know Ross. I just know that I can't stand seeing him, knowing I fucked up and lost him for good. I especially can't stand to see her, knowing she's giving him the one thing I can't. It doesn't even matter that he doesn't love her because she has a piece of him that I will never have." I then started sobbing again.

"Bree, you are the strongest, gutsiest person I know, and you need to stay and fight. Be the badass I know you are and reclaim your life. If you leave, she wins. You can't let that happen."

"She's already won." I sighed in resignation.

"No she hasn't. You said so yourself that he doesn't love her. Now this is me being completely selfish and begging you to stay for me, if you won't do it for yourself. I'm having a breakout year and I don't want to do it alone. I meant it when I said you are the best in the business. We started this journey together and everything is finally falling into place. I just want to share in this success with my best friend. Please don't leave me Breezy. Don't make me have to find a new PR girl. If I do, will constantly compare her to you, and she will never measure up to you and that just wouldn't be fair to her, whoever she is."

Between Ross calling me Breezy and the endearing crooked grin he shot me, I felt myself caving. So what if he claimed to be selfish. It was working. The last thing I wanted to do was let him down after all the times he was there for me.

"Fine." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" He grinned again.

"I said fine. I'll stay. For now at least." I said.

"Good. You won't regret it, I promise. We're gonna make it deep in the playoffs, maybe even championship four and I'm always gonna give you all the kudos you deserve for keeping me grounded." He vowed.

"You and me against the world." I chimed in, feeling the corners of my mouth turn up in a smile.

"Yep. The way it was always meant to be. No matter how many feathers I've ruffled, and there's been a lot, you always have had my back." He added.