𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬.

Chapter five.

Tessa

Stepping inside my house, I turned on the lights and let my eyes travel from the living room to the kitchen. Calmness washed over my body. I loved my house. It was built in 1898 and the most recent owners had moved out ten years ago and left it to fall apart. When I stumbled upon it for sale, it felt like we had something in common.

We'd been left alone and broken.

With the help of my daddy and a few friends, I had gutted and remodeled, bringing it back to life. In the process, it had brought me back as well. The entire first floor was open with the exception of the formal dining room and downstairs half bath.

Kicking off my shoes, I slowly made my way up the stairs. The second floor consisted of two guest bedrooms I'd yet to decorate, a guest bath, and the master suite. I walked into my bedroom and smiled.

It had been the first room in the house I'd painted and decorated. The calming tones of gray were evident all over the room, from the dark gray curtains to the lighter shade of gray on the walls. The custom chairs were the same color as the walls but finished out in a blue trim. The bedding was a mixture of blues and silver. At the time I picked the colors, I hadn't even realized what I was doing. Now...now it all came back in one giant memory, seizing my heart and causing me to drop to the floor and bury my face in my hands.

"Some day when we get our own house, how do you want to decorate our bedroom?"

Hardin laced his fingers with mine. "Well, you like the color blue, and I like gray. I think we should mix the two together."

I nestled against his body and watched the Trinity River meandering by as we sat in our favorite spot. "I like that. Maybe add in a touch of silver for some glam."

The rumble in Hardin's chest made my body warm.

"It could be lime green and banana yellow for all I care. As long as I get to wake up in the morning holding you and kiss you every night."

The ringing from my back pocket pulled me from the memory. Wiping my tears, I took my phone out.

Blair.

Hitting the button on the side of my phone, I sent it to voicemail. I needed to be alone so I could figure out my game plan.

I walked over to the large silver dresser and pulled open the top drawer. Pushing my clothes out of the way, I pulled out the black velvet bag that held the memories of my past with Hardin. I clutched it to my chest while a new round of sobs shook my body.

. . .

Taking in a deep breath, I blew it out and waited for the kids to arrive. The first day of school was always stressful for both the kids and parents. But today I was the one stressing out.

It had been four days since I saw Hardin. He never called, which didn't surprise me. I hated that I even let myself get worked up over it.

I smiled when the first kids started walking in.

"Good morning! Moms and dads, give your goodbyes at the door and then boys and girls please go to your seats. There is a fun coloring activity waiting for you." I repeated the greeting about every three minutes or so.