Page 34 of Coerced

I’d made that declaration for the first time when I was living two and a half hours away from Steel Ridge. My reason for saying it then was because I couldn’t continue living the way I’d been living, knowing how what I wasdoing each day was eating me up inside. And that was just part of it. That didn’t include the lies I’d been fed for years or the snide comments from my mom and sister once I’d made my decision to go.

Based on how things had turned out for me from the moment I took action to get that fresh start, I didn’t doubt I needed to do the same thing now.

Or, maybe it wasn’t so much about needing a fresh start as it was about needing to remind myself what I was doing here in Steel Ridge.

I was supposed to be building a new life. And there was more to that than simply changing the place that I lived.

Did I deserve to have it all?

This wasn’t simply about moving and leaving my old life behind—despite how big a part of that this was. It was about having something now that left me feeling fulfilled, that made my life worth living.

I’d already gotten some glimpses of what I stood to gain if I could embrace all that was happening. Britney would always be my closest and dearest friend, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t forge lasting, meaningful friendships here in Steel Ridge, too. I was confident, based on what I’d already seen from them, that I’d get some of that with my coworkers.

Could I have more than that? Could this new life be even better than I imagined?

“I don’t know why I would want to do that, Brit. I guess I don’t really have a good answer,” I admitted.

“Because there is no good reason to stop yourself,” she confirmed. “You should go out with this guy today, and you shouldn’t worry about holding yourself back. If it’s just twoneighbors being out and about in town for a fun afternoon, great. If it turns to more than that, even better. But you didn’t move away from here only to wind up not living. Don’t become a crazy cat lady.”

Laughter spilled out of me. The feeling I had experienced around Paxton yesterday morning had been unlike anything I’d ever felt before, and I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.

“Are you saying I should just lean into that feeling? I’m pretty sure I’m going to humiliate myself if I do,” I advised her.

“You won’t humiliate yourself,” she assured me.

“He was flirting with me. I don’t think I know how to flirt.”

“You know how to flirt.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I! You just told me you teased him about this morning being a date and how he responded positively to that. If you do things like that, you’re going to be fine. Just be yourself, don’t think too much about anything, and say whatever is on your mind. Most of all, Aria, just have a good time. After everything you’ve been through these last few years, you deserve to have at least that much.”

My heart squeezed in my chest.

Britney wasn’t wrong about that. It was the reason I’d called her. Because I knew that despite whatever my head was telling me about all this stuff with Paxton, my heart yearned for something more. Maybe I needed her to give me that confirmation, to let me know that it was okay to want to find happiness when a huge part of my life was left behind.

“You’re the best, Brit, you know that?”

“I am pretty spectacular. It kind of makes you wonder why nobody has scooped me up just yet,” she teased.

There was no lie to be found in that statement. It was a surprise nobody had scooped Britney up by now.

But they should have. And when the time came, I didn’t doubt that man would be beyond lucky to have her.

Britney and I talked for a little while longer, but I ultimately told her I needed to go, so I could get myself ready to leave for breakfast with Paxton this morning. She happily disconnected with me only after I promised to call tomorrow and fill her in on everything.

No sooner did we end the call, I tossed the blanket from my body, sat up, and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. But before I could even stand, my phone rang again. I smiled and shook my head, knowing that Britney likely had one more thing she needed to tell me.

Without even looking at the display, I answered the call. “What did you forget?” I asked.

“Aria?”

The second I heard my father’s voice on the other end of the line, my body tensed.

It had been months since I’d spoken to him. The last time was right before I left, right after I dropped Sasha off at Britney’s house. I’d called him when I was leaving that day to let him know I was on my way out of town. We didn’t have a long conversation, because there really was nothing left to say. I’d already told him, my mom, and my sister everything I needed to say. My call to him that day was the final courtesy I paid to him.

When I said nothing, my dad’s voice filled the silence. “Aria, where are you?”