Page 65 of Unravel Me

Because damn, all I want is to be good for her. Audrey makes me want to be the best man I can be. She unravels me to my core, piecing me back together each time she shows me another hidden part of herself.

And when we are done, and she locks up the house again, saying goodbye one last time, I have nothing but respect for her.

Most people wouldn’t understand why she prefers my farmhouse with its small rooms and creaky floors, or the yard full of wild plants, but I understand it.

Chapter thirty-six

Rhett

Saying I love you didn’t change much between Audrey and I, not on the surface at least. We were both still busy with work, and the next weekend her car was parked in my driveway, her lightness filling my house. My kitchen had also been taken over by baking pans, and my freezer was now full of cookies. I could get used to this.

My dad always said love did things to a man, made him do crazy things. I used to roll my eyes, always a teenager who was too tough for feelings. But today, as I finished up a job early, I decided to do something that made no sense.

Being in love with Audrey Elson was the only plausible explanation as to why I slowed my truck down and pulled into the nursery on the corner of my street.

Blackburn Farms was a family run business that ran a U-pick berry operation and sold landscaping plants. I’ve passed this place every single day, only stopping once or twice over the years, but today, I stopped there with an idea that quickly rooted itself.

“Hi, can I help you find anything in particular?” An older woman beamed up at me with a garden hose in her hand. I knew it being mid-July meant the plant selections would be slim; you either already planted your garden, or you had to wait till fall. But I didn’t care. Love didn’t make sense, like my old man said.

Squinting against the sun, I chuckle, knowing she is going to think I'm daft. “Yeah, I am actually looking for hydrangea bushes.”

The woman’s sweet smile falters, but her voice remains chipper. “I think we may have a few left but I have to warn you, this isn’t the best time to plant them. You’d be better off to wait until September or October. They will probably die if you attempt to plant them now.”

I figured as much, but I shake my head, smiling back. “That’s alright, I’d like to give it a shot. Can you point me in the right direction?”

She led me down the aisle lined with greenery, her steps slow, hesitation practically radiating off her small frame. But I was determined to see this through.

Six small bushes with wilted blooms sat in plastic containers at her feet.

“This is what we have left. They are 50 percent off if you really want them.”

“I’ll take them all.” I was about to pull my wallet out when I remembered something essential. “Will these ones produce blue flowers?”

She pulled her lips to the side. “Well yes, they will, but only if your soil is acidic, not alkaline. If you’re not sure what type of soil you have, we sell testing kits in the store.” She sighed and pivoted to point to flowers on the riser behind her. “Sir, we also have loads of purple coneflowers which would tolerate being planted right now.”

“Thank you for the help, but I'll just be taking the hydrangeas. And throw in a soil testing kit.”

“Okay. The plants are final sale.”

I nod, my lips curling up. “Perfect.”

There’s no going back now.

Chapter thirty-seven

Audrey

As I was driving to Roseville, my Friday playlist on repeat, it hit me I hadn’t thought about Jackson for a while. Maybe it was the summer heat, the way it wrapped around you in North Carolina, making time still itself. Or perhaps it was all the baking. Every weekend I found myself covered in flour and sugar, dancing barefoot in the tiny farmhouse kitchen I'd inadvertently taken over. That had to be good for the soul. Or maybe it was the way I couldn’t keep my hands off Rhett, or my eyes. Maybe it was all of that which slowly erased Jackson from my mind.

Thinking of my past felt like watching a movie through blurry film, and I barely recognized it.

If I were truly honest with myself, I’d admit that each day, New York lingered a little less in my mind. I hadn’t opened an apartment listing alert for over two weeks now. And the document outlining the structural changes in my department —thanks to my new position— still sat untouched, unread.

Because somehow that future also felt foreign, a version of life I didn’t recognize.

Right here, right now, I didn’t have to be anyone but myself. This place and Rhett; it was enough. I knew I couldn’t put it off forever, that I had to figure things out soon, but I wasn’t ready. I just need a little more time. I need to make the right choice. I couldn’t risk making another mistake.

I parked the car, and sent Penny a quick text, telling her to have safe travels this weekend. She had a wedding to shoot in the mountains.