Sweet Obsession: A Smalltown Romance (Hearts of Fern Hollow Book 3) by Avery Snow & Cordelia Owens

Author:Avery Snow & Cordelia Owens [Snow, Avery & Owens, Cordelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heartstrings Press
Published: 2023-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter eleven

Eli

I brace myself as we go back to shore, preparing to tell her everything.

Nobody here really knows anything about my past; Gray has never asked, as it wasn't a condition of my employment, and I don't know anyone else here well. Sadie is the first person I've connected with...and she deserves to know everything about me.

Why I live in a trailer with my cat.

What the hell I'm doing in Oregon.

What happened to my sister, my whole family.

I guide Sadie over to the towels, and I spread one out on the riverbank. I sit down and she joins me before we lay out in the sun, letting it dry our cool skin. I pull Sadie in to cuddle up on my chest, knowing we're all alone out here.

It feels amazing...just the two of us, like the rest of the world doesn't exist.

"Eli," she says. "It just occurred to me that I don't really even know anything about you.

I swallow hard. I figured this question was coming.

"Well," I say, "there's not that much to know, I guess."

There's so much to tell.

"You're a skilled silversmith who lives in an airstream by a mountain lake," she laughs. "You already seem a lot more interesting than I am."

I stroke her hair, threading my fingers through the wet strands. "To tell you the truth," I say, "my past is just....hard. I lost my parents when I was seventeen, and I spent the rest of my adult life raising my little sister. She grew up, moved out...and then she died, too."

Sadie props herself on her elbow, her brow furrowing as she looks down at me. "What? Eli...I had no idea. When was this?"

I clear my throat, trying hard not to lose it. "Six months ago."

Her eyes widen and she gasps. "Oh my God, Eli, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I cut in. "I mean...it's not, obviously. But I'm coping."

"Do you mind telling me what happened?"

I chew on my lip. "Brain tumor. She was nineteen when she was diagnosed, just wrapping up her first year of college. Prognosis wasn't good, so she moved home...and then they put her on hospice and now..."

I stop, swallowing hard. I haven't talked about this with anyone; she was my everything. Fuck, I haven't even said her name out loud in months.

Lily.

Sadie gasps and sits up, her hand on my chest. "That's...that's unimaginable. How are you even holding up?"

I shrug, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I don't know. It's been rough, obviously. But being out here, away from everything...it's helped a little."

She looks at me with a mix of sympathy and concern, and I can tell she wants to reach out and comfort me, but she's not sure if she should. After a moment, she leans in and places a gentle kiss on my lips.

"I'm sorry," she murmurs. "I had no idea you were carrying all of that. But...thank you for telling me."

I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders. "Yeah," I say. "It feels good to finally talk about it.

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