It was early, and he might wake her, but he didn’t care. He loved hearing the sleepiness in Bree’s voice. If he closed his eyes, he could remember how it felt to wake up next to her and hear that voice in person.
“Good morning,” she answered, sounding as sleepy as he thought she would.
“Hey, there, sweet girl. I’m sorry I didn’t see you called last night.”
“It’s okay. Were you out with Lyric?”
How did women know these things?
“I was.” He rolled over in her bed and hugged her pillow close to him. “You know where I am right now?”
“You’re in my bed, aren’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am, and damn—I sure wish you were here with me.”
“Me, too,” she murmured.
“How are you, Bree?”
“I’m okay. Red left for a few days, so I’m spending time on my own. It’s what I wanted. They say to be careful what you wish for.”
Red left? Jesus. If he’d known Red was leaving, he could’ve made arrangements to go back to Idaho before he drove down to Monument.
“Jace? You still there?”
“I’m here. Wishing I was there. I hate that you’re alone.”
“It’s the way it’s supposed to be, remember? It isn’t a bad thing, Jace. It’s a necessary thing. I think he left on purpose.”
“Why would he do that?” Maybe Red wasn’t as good of a guy as Jace initially thought he was.
“He knows this is what I need. I’m making progress. And I feel really good about it.”
“Yeah? That I’m glad to hear.”
“How about you? Are you doing what you need to do?”
“Not yet. But when I woke up, a little while ago, I could feel him.”
“Tucker?”
“Yeah. I know that sounds weird, but I haven’t for so long.”
“It doesn’t sound weird.”
“I decided today is the day. I’m goin’ over there, Bree. He doesn’t have to see me if he doesn’t want to, but I can’t let any more time go by without meeting Cochran.”
“I’m glad, Jace. Really glad. And when you see that sweet baby, would you give him a hug and kiss from his Auntie Bree?”
“You know I will.” He took a deep breath. “I gotta ask you somethin’.”
“Sure.”
“You still feelin’ it?” he said it so softly he wasn’t sure she could hear him.
What could she say? The last several days had been really hard. She started out feeling sorry for herself and mad at Red for leaving her alone. Once she kicked herself out of that funk, she started to see things more clearly. It was a relief to be alone. And instead of spending all her time crying, she went and did things she and Zack had loved to do together.
She fished, but that wasn’t all. She sat on the bank of a stream and read a book that had been one of his favorites. The next day, she drove up to Salmon to see Annie and Dave again. She shed some tears when they asked her if she wanted to sit and tie flies, but soon they were reminiscing about Zack, and laughing.