"I can't believe you're leaving Nashville." I hug my cousin as my dad and I say goodbye to Scarlett.
"I know but we'll talk all the time and you can always come visit." I scoff.
"It won't be the same Scarlett. I know from experience." I tell her.
"Harper I'm sorry but I need to do this, for me."
"I know I just don't want you to go." I pull Scarlett into another hug. Why is everyone leaving me?
"I'll always be there whenever you need me Okay Harper but right now I need to hit the road so we'll talk later Okay?" I nod and slowly let her out of my grasp clinging to my dad instead. A few tears leave my eyes as I watch one of my best friends drive away. Scarlett is not only my cousin but one of the people I look up to most.
"How bout we head over to sprinkles for some cupcakes." My dad suggests as the phone rings from inside the house.
"Go. Answer it. I'll get ready. Cupcakes are my weakness."
————
I hear my dad talking to someone so I take out my earbud to try and figure out who it is.
"How you doing today?" The voice asks and immediately I know who it is. What is my mom doing here?
"I'm good just getting ready for that live thing we're doing at the Bluebird." My dad replies. "How are you? Don't do it Rayna. I know he's the safe choice but he's the wrong choice. Just like I said I'm not the man I was 20 years ago or even 14 hell even 1." My dad lowers his voice to almost a whisper probably so I don't hear so I stand up and tip toe to my bedroom so I can hear better.
"I know." Mom says.
"I've changed Rayna."
"I know. I've changed too. I have loved you and I'm sure imma love you for the rest of my life but I love him now and he's gonna be able to give me something that I'm just never gonna be able to have with you."
"And what's that?" Dad questions.
"A clean slate. No painful memories I'm always trying to forget. No addiction and hoping you're gonna stop all the time."
"I know what my addiction is Rayna and you can't deny my recovery, our recovery. Don't deny all the great times we've already had together and there's more to come. We've got two daughters."
"I know. I know. Our lives are always gonna be connected. We are gonna raise them up together."
"But there's more than that too. We also love eachother. We're in love with eachother Rayna that's just the truth no matter what you tell yourself or tell him."
"I need ya to listen to me."
"Rayna there's nothing we ain't been through I get that but we're through it and I have to believe all of it, every single second, it was meant to be so we could be right here right now at this place in time."
"The way things are right now. This is how we're gonna need to stay." There's a long silence until my dad speaks.
"Tell me you don't feel that and I'll let go or just come to the Bluebird tonight baby and just sing with me. And then you tell me you're gonna marry someone else." There's more quiet so I grab my stuff figuring that my mom must also here to pick me up since I let my car at home. As soon as I walk in my mom wipes her tears and my parents pretend nothing happened.
"Ready baby?" My mom asks. I nod and give my dad a hug goodbye.
"I love you dad." I try to comfort him without letting him know what I heard.
"Love you too baby." My dad replies.
—————
"Hey mom?" I question standing in the doorway to her room. My beautiful mother is looking at herself in her vanity mirror but still wearing the robe she's been in since we got back from my dads.
