"I'm starting to see everyone around me through new eyes, and I hate it. My head isn't in the game, and I don't know how to fix it." I toss my head back on the couch and look up at my ceiling.
"Sweetheart. You can be a CEO from anywhere, but you can't be Brice's wife from Dallas," Dad says.
I jerk my head up to look at him."What?"
"You can do eighty percent of your work from home. What you have to do in the office, you can. You have the money to buy a helicopter, and Brice has the land. There is a helipad on the roof of the office. You can be in the office in forty-five minutes tops and back home for dinner that night when you have to be here.”
My head is spinning as I stare at my father.
"You guys have always lived in the city."
"Because we loved it. I enjoy doing lunches and helping charities, and you loved your private school. It made sense for us. But it doesn't mean it has to make sense for you," Mom says.
Why hadn't this crossed my mind? This whole time I've been sitting here thinking my entire life is in Dallas, and that it has to be. This opens up so many more possibilities, but at the same time, still a lot to decide.
"Wait, when did we get a helicopter pad on the roof of the office?"
"When I was making trips to a business in Fort Worth and kept getting stuck for hours in traffic. I rented a helicopter for a few months and then decided to buy one and put in the pad. It saved me hours in traffic," Dad says.
"Ididn't know that."
"Well, you have a lot to think about. Just know we want you happy. We like Brice, and if you being happy means moving to Rock Springs, we support you. If it means being here, then we support that. If being happy means stepping down as CEO, I’ll support that, too, okay? You’re my daughter first and always. Everything else is secondary," Dad says.
I stand up to hug him and don't even bother hiding the tears. Mom hugs me from behind, and knowing I have their support makes things a lot easier, even if I still don't know what I'm going to do just yet.
After Mom and Dad leave, I take the food downstairs to Walter. He opens the door and takes one look at me in my sweats, and shakes his head.
"Man problems, work problems, or family problems?"
"All three? I bought dessert, too." I hold up some of the cake my chef left me as well.
"Alright. I'll eat you talk."
And I do. Just like with my assistant, I tell him everything, including what my parents told me. Then I sit back and watch his wheels turn.
"When I met my wife, we had a bit of a whirlwind like you. We had issues we had to sort out, and it wasn't easy, but we made it work. Even after we were married, there were tough times. I'd give anything for one more day with her, even if it was a day full of fighting. Don't look back and wish you hadn't wasted time."
"Why is everything you always tell me so damn cryptic?"
"Because people need to come to their own decisions, but for you, I’ll make an exception. You already know in your heart what you want to do. You’re just looking for someone to tell you it's okay. Someone other than your parents. Well, I'm telling you. It’s okay to choose Brice, to work from Rock Springs. It's okay to get a helicopter or quit being CEO. Just leap."
"What if it doesn't work out?"
"You wouldn't be this torn up if it wasn't serious. If it doesn't work, you have options. Come back to Dallas. I'm sure your parents would be happy to have you, and if not, you can sleep on my couch for a bit. You can do this. And I expect a formal invitation to the wedding."
I laugh then because all the stress and tension are gone.
"If this works out, I’ll send a car to come get you and have you out there for the weekend. Talk about writing inspiration. It's like something out of a romance book. The little old ladies there will eat you alive."
"I’ll hold you to that. Now, tell me about your time in Rock Springs."
I spend the next two hours laughing and telling him all about my visit, the church ladies, the wedding, and the illegal rodeo bust. All of it.
"This sounds like the kind of place that is worth leaving Dallas for," he agrees when we’re done.
"I completely agree."
"Well, it sounds like you have some planning and packing to do, so go get to it. Make sure you come to say goodbye before you head out of town."