Page 41 of The Comeback Road (Leaving #2)

Jace

As I pulled up to the sprawling house, the late-afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the glistening snow, and the twinkling Christmas lights that hung around the eaves illuminated the landscape further. It looked lively, homey, and welcoming. Even if I knew I wasn’t exactly the most welcomed person.

Sloan had told me not to knock, to just go in once I got there to go over some plans for the renovation of the guest rooms we were about to start on.

Walking in, the atmosphere inside felt considerably heavier than the house portrayed on the outside.

Even though it seemed to be dripping with Christmas cheer, there was a hesitance in the air.

I couldn’t ignore the flutter of nerves that had taken root in my stomach and were preparing for take off at the thought of finally seeing Lexie after days. I had kept messaging Magnolia and Sloan, and all I had gotten were short, barely-there answers.

Now isn’t a good time.

Maybe later.

She doesn’t want visitors.

She’s fine.

It was grating on my nerves and my patience, but that was my burden to bear, not anyone else’s.

It wasn’t something I saw in her eyes; it was something I felt.

Something I couldn’t describe. I felt her desperation, the threads of her humanity reaching out, screaming for help, even if she had completely shut down the last time I saw her.

Worried didn’t even begin to cover it.

Voices from the kitchen called me over to them.

Magnolia greeted me with a smile that seemed too bright as they realized I was there, her eyes weary.

Concern coated her. “Hey, Jace, thanks for coming by. We have to figure out the insulation in the back rooms. It’s freezing, and I’m worried a pipe will burst come January or February. ”

“Of course,” I replied, taking off my jacket and draping it over one of the kitchen bar stools. “I’m happy to help.” I couldn’t help but crane my neck in every direction, hoping to get even a glimpse…

Sloan and Magnolia showed me the original blueprints and the report from the structural engineer they’d had in a few days earlier.

I booted up my laptop and started the program that Lexie had gifted us, and felt a physical pain in my chest. It was so potent that I couldn’t help but try to rub it out.

“I’ll take a look at these, make a mock up plan, and we can go over the logistics.”

Sloan nodded at me. Magnolia seemed to be there, but was not paying attention, just going through the motions while her worried glance swept over to the stairs that led to where I could only assume Lexie was every few seconds.

After a few minutes of silence and some awkward hovering, Sloan told Magnolia they should leave me in peace for a bit while I worked, and they made their way to the living room, where I heard the cackles of a fire starting.

I lost myself in the job. Not realizing how much time had passed, I had finished up. I thought I had a pretty good plan that we could finish within two or so—we had most of the materials at the warehouse, and would only have to order in minimal supplies.

As I finished up, I took a deep breath, ready to make my way to Magnolia and Sloan to go over the plan I’d come up with.

I couldn’t help but be slightly relieved that I’d be in the same space as Lexie, even if she didn’t want to see me.

I could feel her through the walls. I felt her heartache, and wanted to be close. Just in case.

“…I just don’t know what to do anymore,” Magnolia’s voice trembled slightly. I worried I was interrupting a private moment, but couldn’t bring my feet to move. “It’s like she’s a ghost of herself. She doesn’t interact with anyone, not even me. It’s as if she’s trapped somewhere far away.”

Sloan mumbled something I couldn’t exactly make out, but I could understand the soothing, low vibrations.

“It’s hard to watch her like this. She used to be so…

vibrant. Did you know she decorated the entire apartment when we lived in Iowa?

It teetered between looking like a magical winter wonderland and like Jack Frost had thrown up all over our counters.

Now…it’s just like…It’s just like she’s fading, and I can’t find anything to hold on to, to bring her back. ”

There was a pause, and even though I couldn’t see her, I could picture Magnolia’s face, her brow furrowed in concern.

“I’m dragging her through the days, and even then, she barely acknowledges my presence.

I keep thinking some stupid decoration or memory is going to snap her out of this, but it’s like trying to reach someone who’s already gone…

and I’m…I’m afraid we are going to lose her, if we haven’t already.

” Her confession was followed by small cries that tore at my heart.

If I was worried before, I was downright terrified then.

Sloan sighed, and I could finally hear him as I got a bit closer, still keeping my presence unknown. “You know it’s not just the holidays, Magnolia. Remember what Luke said…How she had to fight…It’s everything. She’s the one who’s always running around fixing everything for everyone else, and now—”

“Now she feels like she’s the broken one,” Magnolia finished for him.

I stood there, my heart aching. I saw flashes of the Lexie I knew. Her laughter, her light— my starlight. It seemed like her light had been buried under a weight that was far too heavy for her to bear alone, and my beautiful girl was trying to do just that.

“I just wish she would talk to me,” Magnolia continued, her voice cracking from the tears. “I feel so helpless. What if…what if she never comes back, Sloan? What if…what if this is who she is now? A fraction of who she used to be?”

“Then we love her as she is now.” I made my presence known, and I heard the way Magnolia’s breath caught at my words. “We just love her through it.”