Chapter 10 - THE DUST SETTLES
The weeks that followed were a blur of paperwork and packing.
Molly helped Emily move her few belongings from the apartment in Bellwood,
doing it while Ryan was at work so there would be no more scenes.
The town gossiped,
of course.
The "missing bride" was the talk of every coffee shop and salon.
But Emily didn't care.
She stayed at Jaxson’s cabin,
helping him with the repairs,
learning how to use a hammer and a saw.
She traded her silk dresses for work boots and jeans.
She learned how to start a fire and how to identify the constellations through the skylight.
Jaxson didn't push her.
He gave her space to find herself,
to figure out who she was when no one was telling her what to do.
They spent long evenings on the porch,
talking about the ten years they had missed.
Jaxson told her about the cities he’d seen and the jobs he’d done.
Emily told him about the dreams she’d buried.
One night,
as the moon hung low over the ridge,
Jaxson turned to her.
"You're ready to leave,
aren't you?"
he asked.
Emily looked at him,
seeing the sadness in his eyes.
"I’m ready to start,"
she said.
"Molly and I found a place in the city."
"She’s going back to teaching,
and I applied for an interior design program."
"That’s great,
Em,"
Jaxson said,
looking back at the fire.
"You'll be amazing."
"What about you?"
she asked.
"The roof is finished,"
he said.
"I have a contract in Montana next month."
"I'll be moving on."
Emily felt a pang of loss,
but she knew he was right.
They were both movers,
both fire.
"Will you come visit?"
Jaxson stood up and walked to her,
taking her hand in his.
"I’ll always know where the engine is running,
Emily,"
he whispered.
He leaned down and kissed her then,
a slow,
deep kiss that tasted of pine and freedom.
It wasn't a kiss of stability.
It was a kiss of possibility.
The next morning,
Emily and Molly drove away in Emily’s old car,
the back seat full of boxes.
Jaxson stood on the porch,
watching them go.
Emily looked in the rearview mirror,
seeing him waving until he was just a speck in the distance.
She didn't feel like a runaway anymore.
She felt like a traveler.
She reached over and turned on the radio,
loud.
The road ahead was long and winding,
full of potholes and steep climbs.
May you like
But for the first time in her life,
Emily Harper was the one behind the wheel.
