Page 47 of Reckless Abandon

An hour later, I heard the doors shut and Nathan stumbled in. I could smell the alcohol on him. He crawled into bed and put his arm around me. “Butterfly, you awake?” he whispered. I wasn't sure why, but I pretended to be asleep.

“I’m sorry, Ryann. I love you too,” he confessed.

The flight home the next afternoon was quiet. We didn’t talk about the I love you's exchanged. I wasn't sure if Nathan knew if I was awake or not, but I didn’t think that’s how either of us planned on saying those words to each other. Ella noticed the silence on the plane, we just explained it as us being tired.

It was after ten by the time Nathan dropped me off at home. “Can I just bring Roxy by in the morning?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said, hopping out of the truck. Walking inside my house, I never looked back at Nathan or Ella, because I knew I would start crying.

I slept like shit that night. I tossed and turned, hoping Nathan would show up because technically it was the morning. But he never did. What the hell happened between us?

I woke Monday morning with half a clear head. If nothing else, I knew what I needed to do with my job. I wrote up my resignation letter and sent it to my principal and Human Resources. It killed me to know that I wouldn’t get to go back to Rock Canyon with my new group of five year olds. But I knew it was the only chance I had to save my credential and ever teach again.