Page 132 of Through the Storms

“I do make a good straight man to your shenanigans, don’t I?”

Oakley smiled. “I think everyone loves it when you put me and Britt in line.”

Lana finally mustered a smile at the memory.

“Did you have fun that night?” Oakley asked.

“I did.”

“I’d like you to come along more.” Oakley’s eyes gleamed with hope. “Like we’ve talked about. You could do the weather report from the field.”

“I’d like that. The station manager would approve if it helped our ratings.” Lana sighed. “But I’d like you home more, too. Expanding Two Trees into Dixie Alley scares the hell out of me.”

“Me too. If it helps, about a month ago, I told Asher we need to rethink it. Maybe do shorter trips. Three or four days a few times a month. What do you think?”

“I like that.”

“Since we’re putting everything on the table, can I make a request?” Oakley’s voice was low and hesitant.

Lana’s jaw tensed, but she forced it to relax. It was only fair that Oakley got the opportunity to voice her concerns. “Of course.”

“Don’t let me get in the way of your dreams. Let me be responsible sometimes. I have it in me if you let me.”

There it was. Lana’s chest tightened. Maybe she was more like Oakley than she realized. Could Lana share with Oakley the fears gripping her? She must if they were going to get back to where they needed to be. “You just unearthed my biggest fear.”

Oakley tilted her head. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“What good am I to anyone if I’m not taking care of them? Being responsible for them?”

“Oh, babe, why didn’t you ever tell me you felt that way?”

“Probably because I buried it for so long that I didn’t even fully realize it.”

“Fuck.” Oakley shook her head. “Here I’ve been chasing approval all my life because I never got it, and you’ve been fighting to hold on to the approval youearned.”

“And neither one of us feels we’re good enough,” Lana said. “At least, not if we don’t prove ourselves worthy.”

“Holy shit. How did we miss this for the last eight years?”

“Some demons…pain…run deep. So deep we hide it from ourselves.” Lana’s breath caught in her throat as she blinked back tears. She choked out, “God, this is a weird feeling.”

“Tell me about it.” Oakley’s tone was soft and encouraging.

“This isn’t even going to make sense,” Lana said through her sobs. “It’s hard to breathe. I feel like I’m drowning, but at the same time, it’s like a huge weight just lifted off my chest. And I don’t…” Lana’s sobs overtook her, and she could no longer speak.

Oakley moved closer and wrapped her arms around Lana. “No more words. There’s plenty of time for talking later. Just let it out.”

Lana leaned into Oakley, and her tears flowed.

After several minutes of lying in Oakley’s arms and letting out her bottled-up pain, Lana sighed. “I can breathe again.”

Oakley hugged her tighter. “You’re okay?”

“I am. Better than okay. Thank you.”

Oakley released her hold on Lana. “There’s one more thing I’d like to do, if it’s okay with you.”

Lana studied Oakley. She’d seen that look a million times, but it didn’t make sense now. It was the look she had when she faced a tornado—a mixture of fear and excitement. “What are you up to?”