Page 103 of With This Ring

When he merged onto Glenn Avenue, a sliver of doubt took root in the back of his mind. Was he running away again like Aunt Trudy and Dakota had said? He tried to lose himself in the words of the country song, but the doubt remained, morphing and taking hold of his thoughts.

He clenched his teeth.

Pow!

A sound like a gunshot startled him. He continued on and then heard aflup,flup,flupas the car tugged to the left along the residential two-lane road. When it was safe to do so, he pulled onto the shoulder. He jumped out of the car and confirmed his suspicion.

A flat tire.Great. Just great.

Hudson peered into the trunk of his SUV, which was packed fullof his luggage. He released a long, exhausted breath. This was not how he imagined his road trip would start. Of course the tire iron and jack were in the compartment under all of his belongings.

Hudson grabbed his duffel bag and set it on the curb. Then he picked up a small cardboard box marked “Hudson,” and it came apart in his hand. A photo album fell out, hitting the pavement and bouncing open. He bent down, finding photos of himself as a little boy posing with his parents. He examined the album closer and gasped.

He turned the page to find more photos of himself as a toddler—playing on a swing set, paddling in a small plastic pool, blowing out birthday candles.

He hadn’t seen those photos in years. Only then did he realize he was holding the photo album that Aunt Trudy had given him at the bridal shower. He had shoved the box in a corner and forgotten about it. Then he’d tossed it into the SUV this morning before leaving.

Hudson turned another page and grinned at a photo of himself sitting on Santa’s lap. Leaning against the rear bumper, he perused the album as traffic moved past him on Glenn Avenue. A dog barked in a yard nearby. Birds sang in the surrounding trees. And the warm morning sun beat down on his face.

Memories flashed over Hudson while he flipped through the pages. Photos of him and his parents at the beach, at the park, posing by a Christmas tree at Trudy’s, and standing together on a sunny day dressed in red, white, and blue. When he came to a photo of himself holding an infant Layla, emotion swelled inside him, and his eyes filled with tears.

He sniffed. “We were so happy,” he whispered as a car passed by. “And now...”

His chest constricted, and he wiped his eyes. He’d ruined his sister’s life, and now he had to live with that knowledge.

He refocused his attention on the album and discovered a picture of him with his parents and Layla at church the day she was baptized. He grinned at the camera as he stood at the altar with baby Layla, his parents, and the pastor.

He recalled how Layla cried when Pastor Chris sprinkled the water on her head. She was so tiny, but she had a strong set of lungs.

When he turned the page again, he found a collage of photos featuring him and Dakota. His stomach did a somersault at the sight of them together. In one photo they snuggled on Aunt Trudy’s sofa, in another they laughed while posed in the bed of his pickup truck, and in a third they held hands on her parents’ porch swing.

They looked so happy. Back then things had been so easy between them. They were in sync and so in love.

But that was another time. They’d missed their chance, and his heart would never recover.

He closed the album, set it atop the duffel bag, and returned to the trunk of his vehicle.

He finished emptying it out before retrieving the scissor jack and tire iron. Then he removed the spare from where it was stowed underneath the vehicle.

He removed the flat, set the spare, and then retightened the lug nuts. After lowering the car and setting the flat tire and equipment in the trunk, he loaded his luggage back into the SUV.

Back behind the wheel, he placed the photo album down beside him on the passenger seat and stared at it for a moment. The memories the book held rushed over him, and he found himself once again doubting his decision to leave town.

Then he turned over the SUV’s engine and slipped it into Drive.

Chapter 24

Relief permeated Dakota later that afternoon as she drove down Main Street. Not only had she and her father been approved for her loan, but she’d also received good news from the plumbing company. They were going to fix the leak for freeandreimburse her for the work she’d already paid for.

Things were looking up. She had a plan for getting her business back on track—but first she needed to talk to her niece. Skye had been on her mind since their argument on Tuesday afternoon. A pit expanded in her stomach. Dakota’s texts and calls to Skye had gone unanswered, and now she needed to make things right with her precious niece.

After parking in her brother’s driveway, Dakota knocked on the front door. She looked out over the front yard and breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass and flowers. Nearby, the engine of a lawn mower whirred.

The door opened, and Aubrey appeared on the other side.“Auntie.” She hugged her and then turned and yelled, “Auntie’s here!”

Eileen poked her head out from the kitchen. “Hi, Dakota. What’s up?”

“Sorry for just showing up, but I was wondering if Skye was around.”