Page 56 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

HENRY

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Kelsey Rose : Who tattled on me buying beer last night to my mom? I’m NEARLY THIRTY! I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!

Comments:

Tammy Jane : You bought the worst beer known to man. It was a public service for someone to tell me!

Kelsey Rose : You’re driving to Nashville. WHY ARE YOU ON YOUR PHONE?

Tammy Jane : Ever heard of stopping for gas?

Kerry Winsor : Is she really that old? It feels like yesterday she was trying cheerleading and broke her arm.

Kelsey Rose : WHY would you bring that up? Everyone had forgotten.

Tammy Jane : Sorry, kid. No one forgets things here.

Wren was quiet on the drive to Strawberry Springs. I’d ridden with her in the truck to make sure she wasn’t alone while Tammy took her car. We’d pulled into the diner three hours later in order to finish all of our conversations. Now that she was back, so was my rational thought.

I had a lot of people to apologize to. A lot of people who I’d have to look in the eye and find some sort of explanation for how I’d acted.

Most of the town had seen me lose it both in the diner and in front of the cameras.

I didn’t regret standing up for Wren, but I knew there would be consequences for this.

Wren’s hand squeezed mine as she put the truck in park.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I’m ...” Fine wasn’t right. No words were.

“It’s hitting you, isn’t it?” she asked.

She knew me too well. Better than I knew myself, even. I nodded, knowing I couldn’t say much more since Tammy had pulled up next to us and gestured for us to get out.

“You good?” Tammy asked as she looked at me. “I told you two to use the bathroom before we left but did you listen? No.”

“Not that,” Wren said. “It’s?—”

“I’m sorry,” I said as I gathered what courage I had. “I shouldn’t have acted like I did in the diner.”

“You mean when you called Wren’s mom dumb to her face?”

Wren’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t say anything. I knew this was what I had to do. “Yeah. That.”

Tammy let out a snort. “Like I care. She had it coming!”

“Still. I try to be better than that. That’s not the best version of myself.”

“Kid, your girlfriend left you after having a bomb dropped on her. No one expects the best side of you after that.”

“But yesterday?—”

“Yeah, that was justified too.”

“I highly doubt the town saw it that way.”

“It’s fine,” Wren added. “We can smooth it over.”

“There’s nothing to smooth over. Here.” She pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen as she pulled something up. Then she handed it to me.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“The Facebook group. They’re talking about you.”

Wren got close to me and peered over my shoulder.

I started to read, my stomach sinking. But then I saw what they’d all said.

And not one thing was negative.

“You people have to give us some credit,” Tammy said when I was done. “We might post some dumb shit on there, but we aren’t gonna expect everyone to be perfect. We take everyone as they are. Henry, you’re a part of us, at your worst and your best.”

I numbly handed the phone back to Tammy. I wasn’t sure what I felt. Relief? Joy? Gratefulness?

Maybe it was all of it.

“T-thank you,” I said. “You have no idea how much it helps to hear that.”

“You’ve really been going around thinking we would judge you? Good lord, we’ve seen Hugh’s whole ass!”

“I prefer not to think of that.”

“Oh God ,” Wren said. “Seriously?”

“Yep. Last year. It was both hilarious and scarring. Henry, you’re good. Whether you’re crashing up or being the nice doctor we know and love.”

“Crashing up?” I asked.

“Do you mean crashing out ?” Wren asked.

“Is that the phrase? Kelsey used it last night to describe the state of her finances.” She shrugged. “Crashing up would be better, though.”

I laughed. I was finally able to name the emotion I felt. It made a smile break out onto my face. It made my chest light, and everything seem brighter.

It was love. Love for Wren. For Strawberry Springs. All along, I didn’t think I would be accepted for who I was, and yet I had been this whole time.

“Henry wasn’t the only one,” Tammy told Wren. “I lost it too. Half the town wanted to, but Henry and I had it covered. Your egg donor is fucking banned from the town.”

“Egg donor?” she asked.

“She ain’t your mother. That’s for sure.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Wren’s voice was quiet again. “I underestimated how good she is at making me feel like I’m not good enough.” She looked out into the distance, and I wondered if her mom’s words were playing on a loop in her mind.

“I hate that I wasn’t there,” I said.

“You needed rest after that,” she replied. “And you can’t deny it.”

“You’re right.” I’d pushed myself and it had blown up in my face.

“This is where I come in,” Tammy interjected. “Or Mollie. Or anyone. You have a lot of people who care about you, kid.”

It hit me then. I could have worked with Tammy to make sure Wren was okay. If anything like this ever happened again, though I hoped to God it wouldn’t, I could rely on the group of people around me. It didn’t have to be all me.

Wren had a community, myself included. And together, we could handle everything.

Wren’s eyes were watery, but she nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have faced her alone. She got really mean when I did.”

“What did she say?” Tammy’s voice was tight again.

“That I should have changed the way I dressed. I shouldn’t, right?”

Tammy’s hands tightened into fists.

My hands did the same. “No.” The words were firm.

“And you won’t hate me when I don’t do what I’m supposed to do?”

“Did your egg donor say that to you?” Tammy asked.

“Yes. She did. She said I was too stubborn and should’ve let the show change my style.”

“Fuck the show.” The words didn’t come from Tammy. They came from me.

“Is that another curse word from our resident doctor?”

“I do it from time to time,” I replied.

“Well, you took the words right outta my mouth,” Tammy replied. “Both before and now.”

Wren sighed. “Madison already reached out to do a third season to conclude Jude’s and my story. I haven’t answered.”

“And you shouldn’t,” Tammy said.

“No, definitely not. They didn’t respect you.”

“I know they didn’t. And I wasn’t going to anyway, but when Mom said all of that, it just opened me up. Just like Jude did the first time. Especially when she said I wasn’t someone you’d want to ...” She trailed off, cheeks going pink. “Never mind.”

“Want to what?” I pressed.

“Want to marry me.” The words were nearly whispered.

I had to force myself to look away. Not wife material? I’d share everything I had with her. I’d marry her any day, any time. She was more than just wife material, she was going to be my wife eventually. There was no one else for me.

“Do either of you know how to get away with murder?” Tammy asked. “I might need to soon.”

“Wren, there isn’t one way to be a wife, if that’s what you want,” I said, trying to make sure I was being there for her rather than focusing on my rage. “Your mother?—”

“Egg donor,” Tammy interrupted.

“Sorry, egg donor, has a narrow view on life. So narrow she couldn’t see past it to be happy for all you’ve accomplished. You don’t need to fit in with her. Or anyone else. You can do exactly what you want to.”

“Deep down, I know. I just feel like that kid again, being judged by her.”

“It won’t happen again,” Tammy said. “I promise.”

“I’m sorry they had her come in,” I said.

“And to think I really thought she was being nice.” She sighed. “I should have known.”

“You gave her a chance and she let you down,” Tammy said. “That’s on her.”

Wren did the last thing I expected. She burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry for leaving. I should have tried to talk it out with you both, but I really thought—I let her get to me.”

I pulled Wren in for a hug and Tammy joined in.

“It’s okay, kid.” It was the softest she’d sounded all day. “We all make mistakes, and we all learn from them.”

“I’m so happy to be here. I hated being away.”

“Then I’m glad we came to get you,” I said as I pressed a kiss to her head. “We’d both do that and more.”

Shortly after we finished our conversation, Mollie called and begged us to come to the farm.

She had so many curse words for Wren’s mom that Cain had to cover Eric’s ears.

Once she was done going off, both of them were crying again.

Mollie hated that she’d been out of town when it happened, and Wren regretted not speaking up more.

In the end, Mollie made it clear she would be there for Wren at any time, and Wren promised to tell her when something had happened.

It was late in the evening before we got back to my house. Wren showered and laid in the bed next to me. She was quiet, but I was happy she was here and in my arms. Things were right when she was here.

“Any time you need to be reminded how out of my league you are,” I said, “tell me.”

“I will,” she said. “But since we got back, I feel ... better. Like I’m not drowning in my own self-pity.”

“It’s what happens when you’re around the right kind of people. The ones who build you up and not tear you down.”

“You’re right. Just like you usually are.” Her arms tightened around me. “I just need my brain to stop talking sometimes.”

“You do.”

“At this point, just tie me down and make me forget everything.” She burrowed deeper. “I’d probably do it if you told me to.”

I had no idea if she meant it, but I could picture it. The first time we’d been together, I mentioned the very idea.

Even now, with all the stress of the day, it injected my body with liquid heat.

“Henry?” she asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” I replied. “We can talk about it later.”

Wren lifted herself up on her elbow, her hair falling down her back. “No, not later. Now. You know I’ll worry about it.”

“You said nothing bad.” I pressed my lips to hers. “I was thinking of something else and got lost in thought.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Care to share?”

“It was about me tying you up. And making you forget everything else.”