"I'll always love you..," I started to say then broke off feeling stupid. I just didn't do speeches like this. Jace laughed a little to cover up the awkwardness that my unfinished sentence produced. We both knew just how that sentence went.
"I took a long time to get over you. Each time the Milsons' daughters came over ... it just tore me up inside. I couldn't see you with anyone but me. I couldn't seem to let go of you. It was only when I met Eric that I slowly begun to let go of my childish infatuation over you. I stopped comparing every man I met to you. I think its safe to say Eric became all obsorbing. First in a purely work related way and then... I started to feel more for him. I seemed to have lucked out in the common sense department, especially when it comes to my choice in men. I seemed destined to always pick on those I could never really have a future with.
"I think for now I must simply refrain from men altogether,' I muttered feebly.
"I find it disheartening that you would replace you affections for me with someone like Eric. It doesn't really say much for what you think of me," Jace said with a bemused grimace.
I could only shake my head at that for he had it right in a nutshell. Erick and Jace were nothing alike .. and yet they were both the same... solitary and strong men.
I spent the rest of the journey bemusing over their differences and Jace himself had fallen silent no doubt lost in his own thoughts and worries. I haven't seen him for years there is so much I didn't know about him. I did know he'd broken up with his last girlfriend, curtesy of the irregular updates Nikki bombarded me with. She'd unwittingly continued on feeding my infatuation with bits of information on his doings. I'd never stopped her. Even after I got over Jace and hooked on Erick, I'd still listened with interest to anything she'd said about Jace.
"We're here!" I all but screamed out as he turned off the dirt road onto yet another more familiar dirt road. We were finally here.
I gazed at the sprawling landscape and then an hour later at the house itself.
Home!
The thought hit me like a mack truck slamming into a brick wall. I stared dazedly at the spralling brick and timber veneer house and knew this was undoubtedly home. My heart had formed as much an attachment with the brick and mortar as it had with its owner. I felt my face split into an ear to ear wide grin. I threw the beaming look at Jace's twinkling grin then with a whoop of joy I gave him a quick squeeze before throwing the door open as soon as he switched off the engine, and leaping out like a maniac.
I lifted my arms and laid back my head taking a deep breath and doing a twirl. The blue hues of the dusky sky shone down at me.
