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When he handed it over to me, I unclipped the small strap and emptied the contents onto the bed. Thumbing through the papers, I saw they were images of some kind. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were maps of our property. “So, she really was here for alternative reasons. It was all a lie.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, Ryder.”

“How the fuck isn’t that the case, Colton? Look at these maps. They’re our entire property.” Picking up one in particular, I shoved it in his face. “This one actually has markings to indicate the best spot to drill for oil. The junk yard is marked right there for heaven’s sake.” I pointed at the marking.

“Chill out, man. If she truly wanted the property, she would have made her move when she was here, but she didn’t.”

“I suppose you’re going to tell me why she didn’t?”

“Well, since you’re too damn stupid to see it yourself, I’ll tell you. Her feelings for you trumped it all. She cared more about you than doing her job and that’s why in the end she chose to leave.”

“If she cared as much as you say she did, then explain to me why leaving was the best choice.”

His eyes rolled skyward. “She was protecting you, dumbass. She left because if she stayed, she would have had to choose between you and the job. She obviously wasn’t sure if staying was the right thing to do. Not when you couldn’t tell her you loved her.”

“How dare you!” I roared. “Get out of my room!”

“What? You’re going to take it out on me? I’m not the one who let the best thing that’s ever happened to him leave without doing everything in my power to keep her here. That was you. Did you prove to her that you meant every single word? No. Ry, even I know words are cheap. Actions mean something and speak much louder than words.”

“I chased after her, what else am I supposed to do?”

He picked up the paperwork from the bed and gave it to me. “You fight. You go to the city, and you show her what kind of man you are. What kind of man she fell in love with. Show her that you won’t ever let her down. That you’re a team. That she is it for you.” After a minute of silence, he left the room.

I didn’t know what to do. I looked at the bed and I knew I couldn’t stay here for much longer with the paperwork strewn all over it. I left the space and found myself in front of Wyatt’s old room. Her room.

The moment I entered, my eyes found where she slept. The bed was unmade, but that didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the complete lack of her left in this space.

It was like she’d been wiped from the house entirely. Besides the faint lingering of her perfume. The floral one I would recognize anywhere.

Deciding there was nothing for it, I headed to the bed, figuring at least I could do something productive. I grabbed the worn quilt and set to stripping the linens off. When I got to the pillows, I took the one that Sienna slept on, and held it close to my face. Maybe holding it a little longer than I should have as the smell of her shampoo wafted from it.

I tossed the pillow, now uncovered, to the floor and added the pillowcase to the dirty linen pile. As I moved to reach for the other pillow, something caught my attention. Something very familiar. My heart began beating faster at the realization in my chest at the realization that it was my shirt. The one I’d given her on that first day. The one I’d been told I’d never get back. I picked it up and held it for a few seconds.

Like a bloody teenager, I lifted it. When the fabric touched my nose, I inhaled deeply. That’s when another wave of emotion crashed over me. She was gone. I had let her go. And I hadn’t done everything in my power to get her to choose me and this life we could have together. The life I had imagined for us.

There was no other option than to go to Louisiana and tell her I loved her. To lay absolutely everything on the line. No more holding back. No more half confessions. I would tell her those three words and hold my breath that she felt the same way. That she would agree to come home with me.

Back in my room, I threw some clothes into my only suitcase and grabbed my toiletries. I had a few things to organize before I could leave, but once I did, I was going after her.

This time it was all or nothing, no more secrets. One way or another, she’d know I loved her.