My Way to You: A Second Chance Romance (Love in Everton Book 7) Read online

  Table of Contents

  title page

  copyright

  social media

  dedication

  reader note

  prologue

  chapter 1

  chapter 2

  chapter 3

  chapter 4

  chapter 5

  chapter 6

  chapter 7

  chapter 8

  chapter 9

  chapter 10

  chapter 11

  chapter 12

  chapter 13

  chapter 14

  chapter 15

  chapter 16

  chapter 17

  chapter 18

  chapter 19

  chapter 20

  chapter 21

  chapter 22

  chapter 23

  chapter 24

  chapter 25

  chapter 26

  chapter 27

  sneak peek

  books by fabiola francisco

  acknowledgments

  about the author

  Copyright © 2020 by Fabiola Francisco

  Publication Date: January 20, 2021

  My Way to You (Love in Everton, Book 7)

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and contains material protected under the International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of the material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover design by Amy Queau, Q Designs

  Editing by Rebecca Kettner, Editing Ninja

  Cover photo by Deposit Photo

  Interior Design by Cary Hart

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  This one is for you. For the readers who have fallen in love with this town. Everton may not be real, but we can visit it any time we want in these stories.

  Thank you for your support!

  Faith

  Fourteen years ago…

  I sit on the weathered log Easton and I put here next to the old, run-down barn while I wait for him to arrive. I inhale the fresh, cold air, and my breath creates small clouds as I exhale through my mouth. I love watching the smoke swirl around as if it were magic. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for our breath to show as smoke when the weather is cold, and I’m pretty sure they taught it to us at some point in school, but I can’t remember.

  I look out at the mountains and smile at the view that is unique to Everton. Snow still caps the peaks of those rocky, monstrous forms, and miles and miles of land spread before me, allowing me to take in the peace that floats in the air.

  The rough bark digs into my hands as I look around when I hear crunching tires and a loud engine approaching. I smile as I watch Easton swing his leg over his bike and walk toward me, exposing his handsome face as he removes his helmet.

  He found that old motorcycle in his dad’s garage and has spent a year working on it. Sometimes I help him… As in, I hand him whatever tool he points to and watch him as he works.

  “You’re already here,” Easton comments as he takes a seat next to me and kisses my cheek.

  “Yeah…” I sigh. “I wanted to take my time walking out here, so I left my house earlier than usual.” We’re both quiet for a moment, each of us staring off at the land before us—the land of our ancestors.

  Easton and I found this abandoned barn one afternoon when he took me for a ride on his bike. It was the first time he got it to run, and he picked me up at home and started riding with no direction. We weren’t far from this barn when the motorcycle started sputtering and the engine heated up. Each of us took a side and walked the bike until we found this spot and stopped to rest.

  Ever since then, it’s been our meeting place. Where we can come and talk without Easton being called to finish a chore on his dad’s ranch or our families interrupting us.

  Easton grabs my hand, and I turn to look at him. I furrow my eyebrows when I see his frown and sad eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” My heart drums in the base of my throat.

  He squeezes my hand and offers a small smile, but it doesn’t take away the sadness around him.

  “We’re moving.” He spits out the words as if they burned his tongue.

  “What? To another ranch?” My eyebrows rise. Easton’s family lives on the same ranch his grandparents used to, and his great-grandparents before them. I never thought his dad would want to move to a different ranch.

  “No,” he shakes his head. “We’re leaving Everton.”

  I lean back, my heart pounding against my ribs, and I blink rapidly. “What do you mean?” Shallow breaths lift and drop my chest.

  “My mom got a job at the University of Virginia, and it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

  Easton speaks, but all I hear is a swooshing sound hitting my ears. He’s leaving Everton? How? When?

  “Are you listening, Faith?” He rocks me softly. I blink my eyes and look up at him.

  “What?” I shake my head and focus on him.

  “We leave at the end of the month. She has to start right away before the first summer session begins, and they start before we finish our classes here. We’re leaving,” he resigns, dropping his head.

  “You’re moving across the country? But what about the ranch?” It’s a stupid question. As if that would hold them back. Everton doesn’t have any universities. The closest is hours away. Working at a big one like Virginia is a dream opportunity for his mom, who has a doctorate degree and works the ranch with her husband.

  “We’re selling,” Easton whispers. His eyebrows pinch together, and his gorgeous green eyes look up at me like a sad puppy.

  “We were supposed to go to college together. Be together. Now…” I swallow the lump in my throat. Now, we won’t live out any of the plans we made for our future. We may only be teens, but I have no doubt that Easton is the man I’ll marry someday. Well, that’s what I believed until now.

  “I know.” He shifts and holds both of my hands. “We can still do that. We’ll email, and I’ll apply to the University of Wyoming. I’ll live away for a year and a half and then move back. It’s possible.” He speaks as if it were the easiest solution, and I want to believe him. However, I know once he moves, he’ll make a new life, new friends, and possibly a new girlfriend. Silent tears trail down my face, and he wipes them away before they fall on my lap.

  “Don’t cry.” Easton hugs me. “We’ll make it work. I promise.”

  I wrap
my arms around him, holding on to his promise as if that will make a difference. As much as I want to believe the odds are in our favor, I know that right now, they’re against us.

  “I begged them to let me stay with my aunt and uncle, but they refused. My parents said we’re a family, and where one goes, we all go.” His body slumps, and it’s my turn to hold him.

  “You’ll come back?” I look up at him through wet lashes.

  “I promise.” He kisses my lips before pulling out his pocket knife.

  Easton turns to the barn wall behind us and carves out, Faith + Easton 4ever.

  “There. Now we’re permanent.” He smiles as he looks at me. “You won’t forget about me, right?” The crease between his eyebrows deepens.

  “Are you kidding me? Of course not. I think you’ll forget about me.”

  “How could I forget you? You’re my first girlfriend. Unless you want to count Mary from preschool.” I giggle at his comment. “Honestly, Faith, we may be young, but I know that I love you. You don’t forget that easily.”

  A soft smile relaxes my face. “I want to…be your first…you know,” I nod my head. “Before you move.”

  Easton nods and kisses me, his tongue sliding into my mouth. I sigh into him and kiss him back. We’ve spent hours kissing and doing other stuff, but we still haven’t given each other our virginity. And I want him to have that, even if I have no idea what will happen once he moves.

  Faith

  Present Day…

  “What you’re saying is that he was not a great catch?” Poppy, one of my best friends, asks while we talk on the phone.

  “No. Not even an okay catch. He wasn’t a catch, period.” I tell her about another unsuccessful date I had last night. I’m running out of prospects in this town and the one over. Our single-guy supply is limited, and I feel as if lately I’ve gone through all the promising ones. I’m not a serial dater or anything, but if a cute guy asks me out, I might as well say yes. It’s not like I’ll be running to the altar anytime soon.

  “What was wrong with him?” Averly, another best friend, pipes in, her voice dripping with skepticism. Why did I agree to a group call?

  “It just didn’t feel right. And… He spoke with his mouth full.”

  “I do that,” Poppy admits and then tries to backpedal. “Well, not always, but if something is really good, I’m going to say it, usually before I swallow,” she defends her outburst.

  I shake my head because only Poppy could say that and make it sound charming. “Anyway, it was okay. We didn’t really spark any…you know, fireworks.”

  “Fireworks spark when you do other activities,” Averly points out.

  “You know what I think?” Abbie, my other best friend, says.

  “Don’t,” I warn.

  “Well, it’s true. You’re still hung up on him.”

  “Easton?” Averly and Poppy say at the same time.

  This is a four-way conversation nightmare. “It’s not like that,” I defend with a huff as I walk down the snow-piled sidewalk on my way to the grocery store.

  “I think it is,” Averly points out.

  “You need to move on,” Poppy’s soft voice rings through.

  “I have,” I state.

  “No need for the ‘tude,” Abbie replies.

  “‘Tude?” I lift my eyebrows even though I’m alone.

  “Ugh, it’s Sienna and her teenage lingo’s fault,” she says about her youngest sister.

  “Anyway, I am over Easton. I have been for a long time. He moved, and I stayed. I couldn’t expect us to actually make our relationship work when we were young and lived miles apart.”

  “But…” Poppy says and then stops herself. “You’re right. You’re over him.”

  I want to yell at the top of my lungs that I am, even if she’s pretending to placate me.

  I knew at seventeen, and I know now at thirty-one, the odds were against Easton Locke and me. Screw forever. No such thing exists in this world. No matter how many barns you carve your names on or how badly you want them to work.

  “I gotta go, guys.” I try to cut the conversation short.

  “Wait!” Poppy calls out. “Are you still coming over today?”

  I sigh. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” I won’t miss helping her plan her wedding. Poppy is marrying Harris next month, and we’ve been a part of the journey since she got engaged. We wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s always been the four of us, through breakups, gossip, celebrations…you name it, we’ve been there for each other.

  “I have to grab a few things at the grocery store, and I’ll be ready to head over by five. I’ll take a bottle of wine.”

  “Yes!” Averly calls out. “Sorry, but I’m having an evening to myself, and Mason hasn’t breastfed since he turned one, so this momma can drink.” Averly has the cutest baby boy.

  I chuckle and open the door to the grocery store. “I’ll grab two bottles then,” I say with a grin. I may get defensive when they bring up Easton, but my friends are like sisters. I can’t hold anything against them for too long. After all, they’re only looking out for me.

  If I’m being honest with myself, a part of me always held on to Easton, despite not seeing him in so many years. When he first moved, his family came for the holidays, but after that first year, they stopped coming. Life got hectic, and social media wasn’t a thing like it is nowadays, which I’m grateful for because it would’ve killed me to see pictures of him with a girlfriend.

  Instead, we periodically emailed until they became few and far between. Easton joined the basketball team and became a star, breaking the ice as the new kid in his high school.

  And sure, a part of me always questioned what would have been if he had stayed in Everton because back then, I was certain my love for Easton would’ve been eternal. A silly seventeen-year-old belief.

  “I’ll see you all later, then,” Poppy says, a shuffling sound coming through the line. “Also, next time I tell you guys I want a big party, remind me I hate party planning,” she adds.

  “The best thing I did was run to the courthouse with Eli,” Averly says.

  “It always surprised me you did that,” Abbie replies.

  “Well, I was knocked-up, and Eli tends to sweep me up in his spontaneity.”

  “I think it’s great,” Poppy says.

  I listen to my friends talk about husbands and fiancés, and I smile sadly. It’s amazing to live all this by their side, but I get a pang in my heart when I feel like true love seems farther away for me.

  After a few more minutes, I end the call, shaking my head how a call about my date last night turned into rehashing the past.

  I grab the few things I need from the store, plus three bottles of wine. You can never have too many. Knowing my friends, we’ll go through the three bottles in between fits of giggles, choosing who sits with who at Poppy’s wedding, and random conversations that will pop up throughout the evening.

  I may not have luck when it comes to meeting the right guy, but I got lucky as hell when it comes to my friends.

  …

  “Okay…” Averly hiccups as she laughs wildly. “You’re right. Def…definitely not a…” she gasps for air. “A great catch.” She wipes under her eyes as she continues to cackle.

  “I told you! I mean, I know I’m picky, but I don’t want a guy who tries to subtlety pick his teeth.” I drain what’s left of my wine as I finish telling them more details about my date—things I didn’t want to say in public when I was talking to them on the phone.

  Abbie covers her mouth as her body shakes with laughter. “That is gross.” She cringes in disgust.

  “He was great on paper,” I shrug.

  “Well, that’s why you date. To test the water,” Poppy adds. “And thank goodness for that. Imagine if we didn’t get to know someone and had to go straight to marriage.”

  “You mean like an arranged marriage?” Averly lifts her eyebrows.

  Poppy rolls her eyes. “Yes, Averly, that’s
what I mean. But imagine that in our lives. We’re lucky we get to date and break it off if the guy’s not right.” Poppy shivers. “Like,” she leans forward and whispers, “Imagine if I had to marry Patrick right off the bat because ‘he was good on paper.’”

  “I’m going to puke,” Averly says, covering her mouth and making a gagging sound. I slap her shoulder and shake my head.

  “You definitely got the best end of that stick. Eli is a million percent better than Patrick ever was,” I say, talking about Averly’s high school boyfriend, he who shall be called The Douche.

  “Hell yeah,” Averly says. “Definitely won out on that one.” She stares ahead with hearts in her eyes.

  “And to think Patrick thought I’d date him after what he did to you,” Poppy scoffs. “As if,” she does her best Clueless impersonation.

  We all burst out in giggles, and I stand to refill our wine glasses. We’ve done more chatting than wedding planning. Not that there’s much left to plan. Poppy has had a year to prepare for this, and her wedding is next month. All she has left are a few details. I’m pretty sure today was an excuse to get together and drink wine, as if we didn’t see each other during the week for our book club meetings. I won’t complain, though. Nights like this are my favorite.

  Poppy’s phone beeps, interrupting whatever she was going to say. A huge smile covers her face. A second later, Abbie’s phone buzzes, the same smile plastered on her face. To be in love.

  “Do you want to go to Clarke’s?” Poppy looks at us.

  “Finn messaged me also,” Abbie says.

  “But… We haven’t done anything…” I trail off, knowing there’s no argument when I see their faces.

  “I’m out. I’m going to go home to check up on Mason. Eli would probably kill me if I went to Clarke’s and left him at home,” she giggles. “Actually, make-up sex would be great.”

  I sputter my wine, laughing. “Soon, you’ll have baby number two on the way.”

  “No, no, no.” She lifts her hands. “Eli and I have a plan.”

  “Because that worked out really well last time,” Poppy points out, causing Averly to glare at her.