Take Me Away (Southern Bride 6)

Their faces went white as sheets.

“Well, he told me as much as I would let him before I said I didn’t want to know anymore. If I’m meant to remember it, I will.”

My mother’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut.

“I know he’s still carrying something with him, that you’re all carrying with you, but to be honest, I’m the happiest I’ve been in eight years. I’ve been waiting for him, and I’m tired of living in the past. I’m ready to move on. I’m thirty-three years old. I want to get married, I want to have a baby.”

My mother pressed her fist to her mouth and then turned away from me. “I can’t do this,” she said, practically running from the living room.

My father looked torn as he watched her leave and then faced me. “Linnzi, you don’t even know him!”

I felt the anger boil up inside of me. “I’ve been having memories of him for months! Years! I may not remember how we met, or the first time he told me he loved me, but I feel it in my heart, in the very air I breathe, that Nolan is my everything. The moment I saw him in Saryn and Truitt’s kitchen I knew that he was the man I had been waiting for. The man my heart had been longing for. You don’t get to stand there and tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. Not when the two of you have kept things from me.”

My father jerked back like I just slapped him. “He kept things from you as well, and Linnzi, you never even asked us about the accident. Not once!”

“I know that, Daddy. He also told me the truth when I asked, just like I’m sure you and Mom would have done. But I’m tired of trying to figure out why I can’t remember that part of my life. I want a future, and I want it with Nolan.”

He scrubbed his hands down his face. “Damn it, Linnzi. You don’t know everything! There’s so much more…”

“And I don’t care! It doesn’t matter!” I cried out.

With a slow shake of his head, he let out a defeated sigh. “Oh, baby girl, ask yourself one question. Why is it that your mind has blocked out that time in your life?”

I lifted my chin and inhaled a slow, deep breath. “Whatever happened, I survived. And I’m ready to move on with my life.”

“Linnzi, I think we all need to sit down and talk, because you survived by blocking out the very part of your life that would have hurt you the most.”

“Daddy, I’ve been hiding for so long. I’m tired of running from a past that has dictated my life and made the people I love keep things from me. If my mind wants me to forget my past, then I’m going to let it forget and focus on making new memories. I think I deserve to make that decision. The three of you obviously already made it for me once. It’s my turn now.”

All he did was stand there. He didn’t agree or disagree. He simply stood there and stared at me.

“Daddy, please, can you be happy for me?”

He closed his eyes and then looked at me. His arms opened for me to come to him. “Baby girl, that is all we’ve ever wanted. And your mother and I love Nolan like a son.”

I snuggled into his warm body. “Then let me do this, please.”

He rested his chin on top of my head. “We will support whatever you do, sweetheart.”

I squeezed my arms around him tighter. I knew I had taken a cheap shot a moment ago, but I needed to move on with my life. “Thank you, Daddy!”

He gave me a pat on my back, and I stepped away and glanced toward the back of the house.

“I’ll go talk to her, don’t worry,” he said.

With a smile, I nodded. “I’m going to go pack a small bag. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay, but it won’t be more than a couple of weeks.”

“Good, we just got you back ourselves.” There was a bit of sadness etched in his voice.

I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

As I headed toward the steps, I glanced back at my father. He looked tired and worried. I hated that I was the cause of it, but I was able to move on with my life now. I knew everyone else would be able to as well. It was high time everyone stopped worrying about the past and looked forward to the future. To my future.Flying in Nolan’s plane seemed like second nature to me. I didn’t remember doing it, but I somehow knew I had done it often. I felt at ease, even after Nolan told me about the plane accident. I had been so tempted to look up the details about the accident on the Internet, but I didn’t. There was more to the story, I knew that. Finding out on some search engine wasn’t really how I wanted to discover it.