Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)

by Liz Tomforde

“Hallie?” from the floor. I whisper right back. “Yeah?” “Did you like Kevin back?” “No. Not like that.” There’s another long pause. “Well, maybe that was the first time you were told, but I know for a fact it wasn’t the first time someone liked you.”

“Almond milk, if I remember correctly.” I take it from him, grateful for the swift attempt of moving forward. “Perfect. Thank you.” I don’t tell him that I don’t like almond milk. I only ordered it when we were younger because I knew he’d ask for a sip of my latte since he couldn’t handle the amount of caffeine if he ordered his own, and I didn’t want the dairy to bother him.

I don’t know what to say other than something stupid about how much I missed her, or how I might not be as mad as I thought I was, or how the bedroom she’s going to be designing, I had only ever pictured sharing it with her.

I take my own sip, putting my lips right where I can tell his were. It’s the same latte as the one he made me yesterday. Vanilla and almond milk.

“Sorry,” she says as soon as I open the door. I try to bite back my smile. “For which part? Breaking and entering or for eye-fucking me in my own house?”

I’ve never forgotten this girl, not even for a second, and it’s about time she knows that.

“You have every right to hate me, Hal. You have every right to believe that I forgot about you, but I didn’t. Not one day went by that I didn’t think of you. You were everywhere. In the music I listened to. In the house I live in. I tried to compare every single person I met to you, but there was no comparison. And I will spend the rest of my life regretting leaving you behind all those years ago.”

My perfect fucking girl. She’s always been my perfect girl.

I make a mental note of those items because if there’s one thing I’m going to do, it’s make sure this girl gets everything she wants in life.

You need to chase your dreams, like I’m chasing mine.” His lips tilt into an understanding smile. “I just don’t want the idea of chasing my dreams to mean that I’m losing you again.” “It doesn’t. I promise.”

“Girlfriend, huh?” “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you think we should take a couple more decades to get to know each other before I start calling you that?” “I just didn’t know I was, is all.” “I assumed this was another one of our unspoken things.” He drapes an arm over my shoulders as we continue walking. “But in case it needs to be said out loud… Yes, Hallie Hart, you are my girlfriend. Though, you should know, there’s a good chance I’ll be changing both that title and that last name one day.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance to do this,” she says quietly. “You basically let me design my dream home.” This is her dream home, and that’s the whole fucking point. I don’t know how she hasn’t put the pieces together yet, but that’s the final and most important reason why I won’t sell. Six years ago, even after things fell apart between us, I bought this house for her. It’s everything she told me she wanted, and there was a part of me that hoped if both it and I were here waiting for her, she’d somehow find her way home.

“Rio, playing for Boston is your childhood dream.” I shake my head. “You’re my childhood dream.”

“The house has always been yours, Hallie. Ours. It was just waiting for you to come make it a home.”