The Wrong Way Back To You

1

Seven years. Seven years since she had been here. She swore she would never come back, but yet, here she was. Not by any choice of her own. If she had it her way, she would have avoided the entire state of Tennessee.

She pulled her truck into the dimly lit gas station that had closed for the night over 2 hours ago. She was running later than she had planned. The last thing that she wanted was to drive through the unfamiliar mountains so late at night, but there were delays that could not be avoided.

When you travel with a child, you have to expect delays. There were a few more bathroom breaks on the journey than if she had been traveling alone. There was a stop to get some ice cream, and then they got side-tracked by some sights along the way. A little detour that slightly extended their trip but well worth it for the memories that they created.

She wasn’t rushing through life any longer. What he wanted, he got, within reason. She wasn't going to take the little things for granted any longer. She knew firsthand that everything you love and care about could be taken away in an instant and there was no getting it back.

Her son was passed out in the back seat, he could not hold out any longer. The excitement and sleep overtook him. He wanted to stay awake the entire journey and prove that he was no longer a little kid. For the past year, he has been trying to prove that he was grown and fully capable of doing things kids twice his age could do. No matter how many times Allie tried to tell him that it wasn't necessary, he wouldn't listen and just tried that much harder.

She put the car in park and locked the doors. She hoped she would not have to wait long. She was in a remote part of the state in a town so small that if you sneezed you would miss it. It was beautiful country and mountains, but was a tad intimidating without the city lights. While she was certain her life was not in danger and it was highly unlikely that someone was creeping in the woods, waiting for a car to come along and stop at a remote gas station, she still felt uneasy. She had watched enough crime shows and murder mysteries to be aware of her surroundings.

She leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. She just wanted to get to where they were staying and crawl into bed. It had been a long drive and there were a few times that Allie could not stop the thoughts from invading her mind. A million different scenarios played in her head, nearly causing a migraine.

Why did she agree to come? She knew that her father was not going to let her continue in life the way things were. He was determined to fulfill his promise; it didn't matter how she felt about the situation. He was practically begging her on the phone to come and with the mention of him, she reluctantly gave in.

Headlights shining into the cab of the truck caused her to jerk her head up and open her eyes. She prayed that it wasn't him. Not now, not yet. She wanted to get to the house and sleep. The dome light in the other vehicle came on. "s**t!"

"Momma?"

"Sshh. Lay back down. We are almost there. I will wake you when we are."

"'Kay."

Allie got out of the truck and slowly shut the door. "Keep calm," she whispered. "You can do this. You are no longer a silly teenager." She waited for him to come over to her. "Uh, hi, Jake."

"Hi. How have you been? "

"I been ok, I guess. You?"

"Good. Uh, they asked me to come down and show you the way back. It can get kinda crazy in these hills at night."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Me too. A lot of wild and crazy things happen at night."

Jake stared at her, and she felt her knees get weak and her stomach drop. OK, maybe she was still the silly little teenager deep down somewhere. "You can say that again." She swallowed hard as he took a few steps towards her.

"I had no idea that you were coming here until I was asked to come get you."

"It was a last minute thing. Honestly, I don't think anyone knows except your mom, my dad and Lisa. " She did not want to get into this right now. Her stomach was turning at the thought of the reactions when the rest of the family did see her.

"You know, you could at least give me a hug. You act like I am some stranger on the street. We do have some history together."

Allie stepped towards him, and before she knew it, he had his arms around her and was holding her close. He was stronger now, his body more defined. And he smelled amazing. She took a deep breath and put her head on his chest.

He kissed the top of her head. "I missed you, Allie."

"Me too." She took a step back, fearful that he may have felt her heart pounding against her chest. He still made her heart race after all these years.

"Yeah, maybe we should head back up."

"Yeah. We can catch up more later." Allie got back into the truck and took a deep breath. This was not going to be an easy trip for her. She got back in her truck and readied herself to follow Jake to his parents' house. She never would have found it on her own during the day, let alone in pitch black.

She had to admit to herself that Jake looked great, a genuine 26 year old country boy. The accent, the way his eyes just tore into her very soul sent a chill through her. It had that same effect on her the first time they met. She knew she had to have him then and part of her was wanting him now.

Allie had to put those thoughts out of her head. She was there for one thing and one thing only. She was not ready to rekindle any kind of romance she had when she was a naive teenage girl. She had grown up in the past seven years. That little girl was long gone and a widowed single mother whose son was her number one priority took over. Those days are long gone and nothing will change that.