Page 131 of Don't Think

“Ana, come sit,” I say softly, patting the seat next to me.

I turn, watching her face shift into confusion.

“What’s going on?” she asks, taking slow steps toward us before sitting beside me on the couch.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The doctor told me I might never be able to have kids,” I admit quietly, my voice shaky.

“Oh my god, Allie.” Ana gasps and pulls me straight into her arms. She hugs me tight, and it’s everything I can do not to fall apart all over again.

“So wait. Does that mean Nora’s staying here?” she asks after a moment, slowly pulling back to look at me.

“Yeah. A few extra days with Gareth. They need to figure out some kind of plan.”

“Good,” she mutters under her breath.

My eyebrows lift. “Wait, why are you saying it like that? Why do you sound mad at Nora?”

She throws her arms up, then lets them slap against her sides. “Because, Allie,” she snaps. “If she hadn’t freaked out about you hooking up with someone, you guys wouldn’t have even gone to that damn diner.”

I shake my head. “Ana, you can’t think like that. It’s not on her. It’s on the asshole who ran the red light.”

I watch while tears fill her eyes, and suddenly, I don’t know what to do. Ana isn’t a crier.

“I just—” her voice cracks. “I need someone to blame, Al. I almost lost my best friend.”

I grab her hands, trying to hold it together while my chest tightens. “I’m still here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

She wraps her arms around me again, holding on tighter than before. “You better not.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Allie

“Are you sure you guys have to leave today?” Nora asks softly.

When I glance over, I see it written all over her face—she’s worried. She’s messing with the hem of her shirt, twisting it between her fingers like she’s trying not to say more.

I carefully place the folded shirt in my suitcase and push myself upright, one hand instinctively pressing against my side. I try not to let the wince show.

“I wish we didn’t,” I admit. “But yeah. We really do.”

She looks up at me, finally letting go of her shirt. “Promise me you’ll text the second you get home?”

The way her voice cracks makes my chest tighten. It almost makes me want to say screw it and stay—but I can’t.

Thing is, I’m scared too. My anxiety’s been in overdrive since the second I woke up. The idea of being stuck in a car for hours?It’s terrifying. But I need to go. I need to get home. I need space to have my own feelings, and I need to see my girls.

“You know I will, Nor,” I say, pulling her into a hug. “It’s gonna be okay.”

A soft knock at the door pulls us apart. It creaks open, and Jax peeks his head in.

“Hey, love,” he says gently. “Car’s packed whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll give you guys a minute,” Nora says while she stands up and slips out quietly.

Jax watches her go, then turns back to me with a little smirk and walks over, dropping down onto the bed next to me.

It’s wild trying to wrap my head around this trip being over. Packing up, leaving this house… this place that somehow became so much more than just a vacation house.