Hometown Love

Callie

I woke the next morning with a vengeance, needing to free this heavy weight from my chest.

After my and Colton's conversation last night, I had been up most of the night, absorbing what he said and flipping between being willing to forgive him and irrationally angry at him.

I tossed on a sundress and drove over to the farmhouse. My tires screeched as I came to a halt in the gravel, and I stormed into the guest room, yanking open the door and letting the light flood in.

Colton woke suddenly, his eyes squinting in the light to make out my form.

Shit, he looked good. He was only in his boxers, his tanned and taut muscles on display and I could see the outlines of his tattoos from where I stood.

Stay strong, Callie. Do what you came here to do.

"I feel like you keep saying what you need to say, but I haven't gotten to say what I need to say."

He nodded, silently urging me to continue. I wasn't sure I could keep my resolve. The man he used to be— the man I had known— had been my whole world, and he ripped me to pieces when he left me without thought.

"Have you ever wondered why no one in this town has ever said anything about you or your life here to the press? Why no one has taken an interview or allowed your privacy to be invaded? Because we're a family here, Colt. We look out for one another. We are there for one another through the lowest lows and the highest highs."

He looked down, ashamed.

"When you left, you didn't just leave me. You left every single person in this town that has rooted for you to succeed since you were a kid. Despite that, everyone still displays their Rams flags out alongside their Packers flags. Which is outrageous, by the way. You made it feel like you were ashamed of this town when you up and left, leaving us all in the dust for your new glamorous life in LA. You decided that this town wasn't enough for you anymore."

He shook his head slowly, absorbing my words, but knowing there was more.

"You decided I wasn't enough for you anymore. You didn't even call," I hated that my voice cracked at that last part.

"Do you know how hard it was to watch everyone in this town asking around, wondering if anyone has heard from you, slowly giving up hope that you'll call? Do you know how hard it was for me, thinking, 'well, I'm his best friend. Surely, he'll call me? He wouldn't forget about me like that.' And clinging to the hope that you would come home and I wouldn't be alone anymore. That everything could go back to how it used to be. Colton, everything in my life revolved around you. Everywhere I go in this town reminds me of you, of us, and then it reminds me of how badly you hurt me."

I didn't realize I had started crying until I tasted the salty tears. I looked at him, hurt written across my face, "How could you leave after that night? After that kiss?"

Colton didn't say a word, he strode over to me and cupped my jaw with his hands. When he lifted my jaw to meet his eyeline, his eyes shone with unshed tears.

"I'll never leave you alone again, Callie. I'm so sorry, and I'll regret it every second for the rest of my life. I'm trying to fix it, I'm going to fix it. You deserve so much more than what I did. And everyone else deserves better too. But don't you ever say I think you're not good enough for me, Callie. It's the complete opposite."

I looked at him with doubtful eyes, yeah right.

He took a deep breath, like he was getting ready to get something off of his chest.

"Look, I came back because no matter what I've done for the last three years, I can't get you out of my head. And I left because for the previous 17 years, I couldn't get you out of my head either. I didn't know what to do. I have been in love with you since I was 5 years old and watched you throw that cat clear across Route 12. Everything that I do reminds me how much I need you, Callie. And as for the night before I left, I got scared, because I knew that if you had asked me to, I would've stayed. For you."