Page 25 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

Chase

Everyone had left.

Bristol had given Anna a decent goodbye—warm enough to be genuine but also carefully neutral. Cam had only nodded, but at least that was progress.

Minor miracles.

Afterward, Anna sat on the porch, staring off into the distance, but she didn’t seem to be focused on anything.

The silence between us wasn’t the comfortable kind, the kind that was a shared peace. This was more brittle, like something would crack if either of us breathed too loudly.

I cursed myself. I’d handled everything like shit.

I knew my sisters might be lukewarm about Anna being in my life, but I didn’t expect the outright hostility from Cameron.

We had always been close. It could be the twin thing.

Sometimes, we felt each other’s emotions a little too much.

I knew her feelings toward Anna didn’t come from nowhere.

We were all protective of each other. It didn’t take a professional to understand that at least some of it came from our mother leaving us when we were young.

And with a father whose job took him on the road a lot, we depended on each other.

But deep down, I suspected her attitude also came from her own place of hurt.

She’d also lost a friend when Anna disappeared without a word.

Bristol felt it too, but not as sharply.

After I hustled her outside, I’d made it clear to her that it wasn’t any of her business. She pushed back at first but reluctantly agreed—only for my sake—that she’d try to be civil when Anna was around.

My apology to Anna hadn’t been perfect, but I thought she’d accepted it. I thought she felt better after I made it clear to everyone how I felt about her. But something was still weighing on her. At least she hadn’t retreated to her cabin, which I took as a win.

I sat beside her, careful not to crowd her. I couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. Maybe the brunch had been another trigger for her time with Mason. Maybe she was revisiting old ghosts.

Either way, we couldn’t keep skirting the past. If this was going to work, it was time to lay all our cards out there. No more secrets.

I shifted slightly, resting my elbows on my knees as I took in the view.

“Pretty day,” I said, trying to think of the right way to plunge forward.

Anna hummed softly in agreement but didn’t speak.

“I’m sorry that things got so dicey today. I screwed up. And I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I never meant for you to feel as if you aren’t part of our family.”

Anna exhaled slowly, then finally brought her eyes to me. “But I’m not.”

Her words hit me in the heart. “Maybe not officially, but you are.”

“I used to be. Cam’s feelings aren’t without warrant.”

He scowled. “She had no right to be so rude.”

“Maybe. But we were both caught off guard.”

“I know. That’s on me. But I promise she won’t be a problem again.”

“Chase, she should feel welcome in your home. It’s part of her heritage, too.”

“And you’re a part of me . She’ll come around. I really think you guys can work things out.” I nudged her with my elbow. “Especially if Bristol provides the drinks again,” I said, trying to tease a smile out of her.

“I hope so.” Her eyes drifted back to the horizon.

“Is that all that’s bothering you?”

I could see her shoulders tense. This was definitely about something more.

“I’d rather talk this out than be left to guess wrong. You can’t imagine what’s going through my mind right now. You’re not planning to leave, are you?”

“I…I guess that might depend on you.”

My heart dropped. “I don’t want you to go anywhere,” I said quickly. “I thought we agreed we were going to work through this. Together. I can’t understand if you won’t tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.”

Her fingers twisted around a string at the bottom of her shirt.

“Is it still about Cameron?”

She shook her head. “No. You’re right. She and I will work things out in our own time.”

“Are you having doubts?”

She propped her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her hands.

“It’s just…”

I stayed quiet, letting her fill the space on her own terms.

“It was all the talk about babies. I’m happy for Bristol and Reid. I really am. Even for Dolly.”

Her small laugh sounded sad. “I…I can’t have children, Chase,” she whispered. “I know family is important to you. But it’s not something I’m able to give you.”

I sucked in a breath, sharp and unsteady. “Anna, I…”

“I just needed you to know before we get any deeper,” she continued, her voice steadier than I was feeling. “Before you imagine a world that looks different from my reality.”

I reached for her hand and threaded my fingers through hers, trying to anchor her. Or maybe myself. Either way, the feel of her skin against mine was soothing.

I was scrambling for the right thing to say when an idea came to me. I couldn’t change her circumstances, but maybe I could give her a new direction to focus on.

“Wait here a minute.”

She looked confused, but nodded.

I darted into the house and filled a backpack with some water, a blanket, and a couple of treats for Jack, then met her back on the porch.

I reached out my hand. “Will you take a walk with me?”

She looked at me in surprise. Her eyes searched mine, and then she nodded. “Okay.”

I gave her fingers a light squeeze before bringing them to my lips for a kiss. Then I whistled for Jack, who came bounding around the corner of the barn with his tail wagging.

Pleased she didn’t pull her hand from mine, I led her past her cabin, keeping to the edge of the woods.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see.”

This time, I didn’t feel the need to fill the void with talk. The quiet between us wasn’t as heavy now .

Eventually, we came to a creek that meandered with soft curves through the untamed meadow. The afternoon sun glinted off the water with a silver sparkle. Butterflies fluttered among the tall grasses, pausing to rest on colorful wildflowers.

Her eyes lit with surprise. “I didn’t know this was here! It’s beautiful.”

I grinned and winked at her. “Silly, did you think we had Creek in the farm’s name just for kicks?”

“I never really thought about it,” she admitted with a wry grin.

“It’s full of mica, which makes it sparkle, a little like silver. Hence, the full name of our farm.”

We followed the creek’s edge. Jack chased after a dragonfly or two, only to give up and come back minutes later. The banks grew a little steeper as we approached an old wooden footbridge. Its planks were weathered gray, and moss edged the handrails.

“Is it safe?” she asked dubiously when I took a step toward it.

“Do you trust me?” I countered.

She didn’t bat an eye as she nodded. Still, she followed me quickly, as if she wasn’t entirely convinced the old wood wouldn’t give beneath her.

On this side, the grass was taller. Purple and yellow wildflowers dotted the undeveloped meadow. A few yards farther, the grass thinned out, giving way to a clearing where an old wooden building stood nestled in a curve in the creek.

Anna slowed, her eyes widening with curiosity. “What is that?”

“It’s the original grist mill. It’s been here since the early 1800s. It’s what the town formed around. ”

I guided her to a large circular stone embedded in the dirt. Its surface was cracked with age, but still whole.

“This was one of the millstones used inside the mill,” I explained.

“Settlers brought their wheat or corn here to have it ground into flour.” I pointed to a wooden paddle wheel, moss-covered but amazingly intact.

“Water would pour into those buckets, causing them to turn the wheel and power two of these stones inside to rotate in opposite directions. The grains between them would be crushed.”

The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a soft golden glow around her as she silently studied the scene for several minutes. “How did I not know this was here?” she asked in a hushed voice, as if we would disturb the ghosts of those who came before us.

“It’s mostly a part of forgotten history these days. It was the original Allen, my ancestor, who built it.”

“Do you know his story?”

I gestured for her to sit on the stone. “That’s why I wanted to bring you here.”

I sat on the stone next to her. The creek trickled in front of us.

“He was a Revolutionary War soldier,” I began.

“The new country didn’t have enough money to pay all the soldiers, so they offered free land instead—huge stretches of wilderness on the western edge of civilization.

He took them up on it. Came out here with a few other men to carve out a home.

Several of their descendants are still here. ”

She listened intently, her eyes never leaving mine.

“The legend is that after some time, he wanted to start a family. But so few women lived here, and those who did were already married. So, he put an ad in the newspaper back east looking for a bride. ”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Get out,” she exclaimed. “A mail-order bride?”

I nodded. “That’s what the stories say. Only, I think they called them tobacco brides then. She came from Ireland and made the journey with her sister, who I assume was also answering an ad.”

She shook her head. “They must have been incredibly brave to leave their home for the unknown wilderness.”

“I agree,” I said. “Sadly, only one of them made it here. The story goes that my many-times-great-grandmother arrived with a baby in her arms.”

“She was pregnant?”

“We’re not sure. It could have been her sister’s, I guess. There’s no record of her sister after they arrive. We think she died and was buried at sea.”

Anna’s smile fell. “That’s heartbreaking.”

“It was. But the point of my story is this. Even knowing the child wasn’t his, he married her anyway. He was their only child, and he became the next generation to live here. To work the land. And eventually, so did his children.”

Her eyes were locked with mine, full of emotion. I hope she saw where I was going.

I turned to face her and gathered her hands in mine, squeezing them.

“I’m sorry you can’t have children. I can only imagine how much that hurts.

But it’s not a deal-breaker for me. Not even close.

I want you . I always have. I’m sorry we lost our way all those years ago, but we’ve found our way back together again.

I’m not sure what the future holds. But don’t let that be the reason you don’t come on this crazy, beautiful journey with me. ”

My voice grew rougher, thick with emotion. “I want you . Not for what could have been. Not some version of the future we once imagined. I want you, just as you are. You’re stronger than you know. And I’m in awe of you.”

A beat passed as she stared at me, a glimmer of hope deepening the blue of her eyes.

“The history of this land is something I’m proud of, sure.

But it’s not the soil or the barns or the trees that make it what it is.

Legacy isn’t about bloodlines. It’s about the people.

The hands that build it and pour love into every corner.

It’s about hearts that persevere even when it’s hard.

Legacy is about what you build, and who you choose to build it with. ”

For several painstaking seconds, she didn’t say anything. Her eyes were glassy as she looked at me, really looked. Like she was reading everything my eyes could say, but the words weren’t ready.

“I choose you, Blossom. The future will work itself out.”

Then, in a flash, her hands threaded in my hair, and her lips met mine. It was urgent, like something snapped free inside of her. Like all the doubts gave way.

I didn’t hesitate. I kissed her back like it was the most natural thing in the world. Because it was.