“That’s the last thing I need, Willow. I know that he’s a total man-whore, or that he was one in school, and I don’t care to hear you and him in the same apartment,” I said with a grin.
Willow stood beside me as I placed her gift carefully against the wall. “Thank you. I love it. It’ll be perfect at my new place.”
We chatted and packed a bit more before I heard my mom calling us downstairs.
I looked at the clock, realizing that it was time for the guests to start arriving. I splashed some cold water on my face before heading down with Willow. We went to the kitchen to help Mom, and I hugged her as she looked at me with sad eyes.
I thought that my mother was beautiful with her blonde hair and big, blue eyes but I had dark brown eyes like my father. It just wasn’t a breath-taking combination in my opinion and the fact that I wore glasses sometimes didn’t help my confidence much. I felt like a nerd.
Family and friends started to arrive. We hung out in the backyard and ate. I wandered around and talked to everybody, realizing that most of these people weren’t going to miss me that much.
I made my way back over to Willow, who was talking to Greg and a couple of his friends. Greg pulled me close to his side, and I rolled my eyes at Willow.
“Are you sure that you don’t want me to drive you there, Em? I can catch a flight back home.” Greg was an accountant here in town and worked long hours.
“It’s just a couple hours away. I have my car and I’ll be fine if you help me load it,” I assured him. “If I let you drive me, you just might stay and guard me like a Rottweiler.”
“I already have Jackson on that. Nobody will mess with him in that town,” Greg bragged.
“He’s bound to be gone playing games. What are you going to do about that?” Willow asked with a challenging look.
“He’ll have made everyone know that Emma is off limits by then,” Greg replied with narrowed eyes.
“Let Em grow up, already. It’s time,” Willow grumbled before she took a bite of her food and gave me a sympathetic look.
I smile and shrugged.
I stayed outside for the entire party and finished packing with Willow once all the guests had left. She helped me decide on the sentimental items to take. We went to bed after midnight as she stayed over so she could see me off in the morning after breakfast.
We got up at seven and showered before enjoying breakfast with my family. My aunt and uncle came over, as well as my grandma, so we lingered for a bit before Dad and Greg started packing my Toyota Camry for me. It was small but dependable and it would get me through a few years still.
I hugged everyone slowly. Mom and Willow were crying, and I tried not to join in, hugging Greg last.
“Jackson should be all set up for you when you get there,” he said.
I smiled gratefully at him.
“Thank you for getting me a place to stay. It helps a lot.”
“It’ll be a safe place for you. He’s like a big brother to you and will keep the boys away.”
“Greg, it’s not the boys you should be worried about!” I said with a smile and a shake of my head.
I opened the door and got in the car. I looked in my rearview mirrors to see everyone waving and let a tear slide down my cheek. As nervous as I was, I was also excited to start a new life. I turned up the radio and hit the gas pedal, ready to be in Nashville.
CHAPTER 2
JACKSON
I dried my hair and wrapped the towel around my waist, still a little wet from my shower. I worked out for a long time today and needed it. I walked through the apartment, glancing the guest room as I made a mental note to clean it for Emma. It was hard to believe that I was letting her move in to go the university here. Wasn’t she just a kid?
Well, nineteen was not a kid. I knew that and Greg knew that, although he still saw Emma as a kid. He overprotected her. I appeased him on the phone when we discussed her staying here for a bit, not wanting to burst his bubble.
I listened to ESPN talking about football season as I got ready. I knew that this season would be different.
Fuck the commentators for going on about the Patriots. They had a great season last year and nearly made it to the Super Bowl, but it didn’t happen. This was a new start, and I wanted my shot. I watched the screen for a minute before getting a water from the fridge.