Free Carry Me Home (The Home Series: Book Three) by Megan Nugen Isbell

laugh. “At least you didn’t say no.  We’re making progress.”
    “So, what’d you do tonight?” I asked, moving the sub ject away from me relocating. 
    “Went out with a couple of guys from the office.   Had some drinks and now I’m sitting here on my couch on the edge of inebriation, wishing my girlfriend was here with me.”
    “You’re pathetic,” I laughed.
    “I know,” he said and I could imagine him grinning playfully on the other end. “What about you?  Didn’t you say you were going to some old friend’s house?”
    “Yeah,” I said, not bothering to expound on who the old friend was.  Evan knew about Jesse. He didn’t know the whole sordid tale, but the inevitable exes talk had come up, but all Evan knew was that I’d had a boyfriend the summer before I got to K-State and he’d joined the Marines.  Evan knew nothing about the way Jesse had saved me from the whole Alex nightmare.  I hadn’t even told him about Alex or the way Jesse had come all the way to Boston when I’d wanted to escape it all.  He was clueless to the intensity of the summer when Jesse’s dad died, and Evan had no idea about the way Jesse had crushed me when he left. 
    “Was your friend there?  The one who lost his leg?  What’s his name, Brandon?”
    “Yes.  Brandon was there and some of my other friends from high school.  We just had some burgers and did some four-wheeling.”
    “Y’all know how to live it up down in Carver,” he said and I knew he looked at Carver a little like I once had when I’d first moved from Boston.  Kansas City and Carver couldn’t be more different, which I think is one reason I’d been drawn to Evan.  He was from the city, like me. 
    “I’ll make sure to show you a good time when you come to visit,” I said playfully.
    “I can’t wait,” he replied and then I heard him sigh. “I hate to do this, babe, but I’m about to crash.  I just wanted to hear your voice before I went to bed.”
    “Go get some sleep, Evan.”
    “Love you.”
    “I love you too.”  The line went silent then and I put the phone on the nightstand before changing into my pajamas and going into the bathroom to wash my face. 
    As the warm water splashed over my skin, I heard Evan’s voice in my head.  He loved me.  I knew he did.  I loved him too, but I couldn’t stop my mind from drifting back to tonight and being with Jesse again.  The whole night had me unnerved, having reawakened one of the hardest times of my life and I didn’t know what to make of all the pent up feelings. 
    I decided to force myself not to think about it.  I wouldn’t see Jesse again.  He wouldn’t stay in Carver long and the same went for me too.  I’d be home for a c ouple of months and then head back to finish my senior year.  After that, I’d move to Wichita or perhaps back to Boston or maybe even Kansas City.  It was anybody’s guess.  The point was, I didn’t need to worry myself about Jesse.  He’d disappear from my life once more and he would just be a memory again and I would continue to live my life, just as I had since the day he left.

Chapter Seven
     
    T he house seemed too quiet when I got home from work the next day.  I still couldn’t get used to the fact my grandma wasn’t there anymore and I didn’t like the emptiness of the house when I was there by myself.  I knew my mom wouldn’t be home for a while and I was still full from lunch, so instead of thinking about dinner, I made myself comfortable on the couch.  I was flipping through the DVR, deciding on which show to catch up on, when the doorbell rang.  I got up and opened it, not prepared for who would be standing on the other side.  Jesse. 
    I’d been certain last night would be the last time I saw him, but it wasn’t.  He was right in front of me and I could tell he was nervous by the way he rocked subtly from his heels to his toes.  When our eyes met, he ran his hand through his hair, just like he used to