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“Yeah, of course.” My phone rings and I instantly prop it up in front of me. “Hey, beautiful.” He shoots me that perfect smile and I hate that what I’m about to tell him, will probably cause it to fade.
“So…” I rub my forehead. “Emily dropped a pretty big bomb today.” I sigh. “She’s moving to Chicago. Her husband got transferred and he has to be there the first of the year. They’re moving after Thanksgiving.”
He must know where my head is at because he winces but nods.“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t want to leave him here alone. Especially after a heart attack…” I run a hand through my hair and put my head in my hands.
“What if he moved?”
“He’s not going to want to leave this house,” I tell him, and part of me doesn’t blame him. Not only did he live with his wife and raise his three children here, but it’s a gorgeous three-story Victorian house in a prime location that has been paid off since before Eden was born. The number of offers he’s received and turned down over the years is a little crazy.
“You can’t put a price on memories,” my dad would always say.
“Do you want to move back to Ohio?” Rowan asks.
“No…not really. I…I’ve grown to love Maryland, but I feel like I don’t have a choice. I mean I do…I know I do. But…the right choice doesn’t have me leaving him here alone.”I ramble because I’m still not sure what to do in this situation.
“I get that.”
“I haven’t made any decisions though.” I shake my head. “It’s just a shitty situation.”
“I could move,” he says softly, and of all the things I thought he would say, that was not one of them.
“What? No. What about your job? And you’re going to uproot Margot during her senior year of high school? God, she’d really hate me.” I chuckle darkly.
“I meet most state requirements; I can probably waive into Ohio, and if I can’t, I’ll take the exam. I am pretty sure I’ll pass…” he chuckles. “and Margot will get over it.”
My heart squeezes thinking about how much this man must care about me because I can’t believe what he’s willing to do for me. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking.”
“Okay, well, like I said, I haven’t made any decisions.”
He nods slowly. “We will figure this out together. Okay?”
The next morning, Eden and I are sitting in the kitchen having breakfast before visiting hours at the hospital begin.
“God, I forgot how well you cook,” Eden says as she bites into the French toast I made knowing it’s her favorite. “Elles,” she says when I don’t respond and I look at my youngest sister who really could be my twin. “Don’t feel like you have to move back.”
“Eden…”
“Don’t do it. Not if you’re happy in Maryland. You know Dad wouldn’t want you to.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “We’ll talk to Dad and it’ll be three against one. We’ll make him go to Chicago.” She says before taking a bite.
Our doorbell rings and I frown wondering who that could be.
“Emily has a key, doesn’t she?” I frown because I don’t know who else would be here at this hour. I suppose it could be one of the neighbors coming to say hello or to check on us. What I do not expect is to see the man I’d cried myself to sleep over last night because the thought of leaving him felt like a weight on my chest.
“Hey, sunshine.”He has a little more facial hair than usual, like he hadn’t shaved and maybe a little tired like he didn’t sleep well last night. My fingers itch to touch his face.
“Rowan?” My eyes move to the person next to him and see Margot staring at me with soft eyes and a kind smile. “Margot? Wha–what’s going on? How do you know where I live? Where’s SJ and Isla?”
“You got it from here.” Margot smiles at her dad before squeezing me in a hug and walking past me. “Hi, Ellie.”
She goes inside, closing the door behind her and he slides his hands into his jacket pockets. “That was a lot of questions, so I’ll start with the most important first. “SJ and Isla are okay. They’re in school and River has it under control. They don’t know Margot came with me and Isla is going to throw a fit that she couldn’t come. She asked to call you three times after you left, by the way.” He grabs my hand and drags his lips over it. “I knew I needed to be here. After last night…I talked to Margot and…asked her if she hated the idea of moving.”
“Rowan…”
“I told her, I’d respect her decision whichever she chose and I knew it was a big deal and would understand if she really didn’t want to. But…you see she’s here right.” He smiles. “Are you getting it now? I need to be where you are.Theyneed to be where you are. So, if you need to move here to be closer to your family then we’re coming with you because you’re our family.”