My Favorite Souveni- Penelope Ward , Vi Keeland Page 0,79
I continued our stroll, it seemed her habit had rubbed off on me. I was now checking out the insides of people’s houses. We caught one couple having a pretty heated argument and watched about two minutes of the news on someone’s television.
“Thank you again for agreeing to stay in town a little longer,” Hazel said.
I looked down at my shoes hitting the pavement. “Leaving so soon didn’t exactly feel right, although I’m not sure I’ll be going back with any more closure than if I’d left when I was originally supposed to. This feels like…an impossible situation. And right now, time doesn’t seem to be fixing it.”
That was more than I should’ve shared on what was supposed to be a casual walk. Without knowing how she truly felt about Brady, the future was a blur to me. I didn’t know what would happen with us, or with my friendship with him, for that matter. I didn’t even know if I’d see her again after I went back home. I had to trust that I’d gotten into this situation for a reason, and what was meant to happen would.
I backtracked. “You know what? I shouldn’t have gone there. Let’s just enjoy each other’s company tonight.”
She reached for me, looping her fingers with mine, and we walked the rest of the way hand in hand.
Chapter 21
* * *
Hazel
Once we returned to the house, the mood brightened as Matteo and I hung out in the kitchen, demolishing some of the sweets I’d baked. A part of me wanted to dip his fingers in the frosting so I could suck on them again. But I refrained. This more relaxed vibe as we noshed was almost reminiscent of our Milo and Maddie Hooker days.
A feeling of nostalgia came over me. How much simpler things had been back then, only a matter of weeks ago. Catching myself getting emotional, I shook that thought from my head.
“I never really gave you a proper tour of the house.” I got up. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
He seemed hesitant but got up anyway. I knew why—because I knew Matteo. We’d always worked so damn hard to not be in a bedroom alone together. It was almost comical how diligent we’d been about that. But you know what? I took a lot of pride in my house and wanted him to see every room.
We started with the wall that displayed my sixty-eight smile portraits.
“Wow.” He stopped in front of it and grinned, marveling at the black and white photos. “The famous smile wall.”
“Yeah.”
I watched his expression as he took it all in.
He pointed to one of them. “Who was this?”
“That was a man watching his girlfriend approach him at the airport. He was very happy to see her, as you can see.”
He moved to another photo as I followed close behind him.
“And this?”
“That was a grandmother watching her granddaughter roller skate at the park.”
“They’re all genuine smiles.”
“Yup. That’s key. You saw the difference when I showed you your own smiles.”
“It’s surreal to be standing here, seeing this in person. When you described it to me, I had a vision in my mind, but never imagined I’d actually get to see it.”
“That’s wild, huh? That you’re here.”
He gazed up at the wall, and after a long moment said, “I don’t regret it, Hazel.” He turned to me. “Even with everything we know. I don’t regret a minute of it.”
“It sounds crazy to say, but neither do I.”
“No matter what happens, I will always be a better person for having met you and for having gotten to spend time with you.”
Why did his words sound kind of final?
With an uneasy feeling in my chest, I wrapped my hands around his face and reached up, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.
After several seconds of gazing into each other’s eyes, he turned his attention back to the photos on the wall.
He moved closer. “This is the one, isn’t it? The one you said was your favorite. The little girl.”
“Yep. That’s it.”
His eyes seared into mine again. “You get so much joy from the happiness of others.” He moved closer and cupped my face. “Are you happy, Hazel? That’s all I need to know. And you don’t have to answer now. Just think about the answer to that question and tell me when you know. Because if you’re happy with Brady, that’s all I need to hear. But if you’re not, you shouldn’t settle for anything less than total happiness.”