Never Far Away (The Never #2)(4)

“Born ready, Sis.” Megan's phone pinged and she pulled it out of her pocket. A worried look came over her face as she looked at the screen. She glanced over at Ella. “I'll be right back,” she said as she walked into the back.

These were the moments that Ella hated. Knowing something was being kept from her and also knowing Megan had no choice in the matter. She tried to push back the dark cloud that had just stolen her sunshine.





Chapter Two


Porter


No matter how many days passed, waking up alone in his now-too-big bed made every morning a constant reminder that he was still without her. The first week he was alone, he couldn't even bring himself to sleep in the bed. The vanilla scent, that had been somewhat comforting when he thought they would only be separated by miles, was now a painful reminder that what separated them was so much more.

The last eight weeks were a nightmare and he sank deeper and deeper into a darkness that honestly scared him. Multiple times since the accident he found himself in his truck, sitting outside her store, waiting for her to walk past a window or walk down the street. Every time he caught a glimpse of her blonde hair, or her blue eyes, it calmed him in a way but also dug the hole in his heart a little deeper. It was bittersweet. Sometimes he wished he would lose his memory too. But then he thought about not remembering how she felt underneath him or how her hands felt on his skin, and he knew he would rather spend an eternity remembering for the both of them than spend one second not knowing their love.

Reading her letter on the beach was the last push he needed to make the decision to finally go to her. He grabbed his phone off his bedside table and texted Megan.



**How is Ella doing today?**



It took a few minutes for Megan to respond, and he was considering calling her when she sent him a message.



**She is doing well. I just got to the store and she is in a good mood.**



**Great. I am going to drive there to see her today. I just wanted to give you a heads up.**



Immediately after the message was delivered his phone rang and he knew it would be Megan. He answered the phone, trying to contain his aggravation.

“Don't try and talk me out of it, Megan. I've waited long enough to see her.”

“Porter, I know you think it's best for Ella to know about you, but I don't see how upsetting her right now is going to do her any good. She's adjusting well; she's moving on.”

“Moving on? Megan, I love her. And she loves me, or used to love me anyway. Why do you want her to move on?”

“I don't want her to move on, Porter. But if she hasn't remembered you by now, I'm not sure that she ever will. Plus, if she remembers you, she has to remember Kyle and frankly I think she's better off not remembering what that * did to her.”

Porter took in a deep breath. He understood what Megan was saying and it was true that the chances of Ella remembering what had happened between them were getting smaller by the day.

“Megan, I don't know how to function without her. It's killing me knowing that she's there, living her life, not knowing that I am dying to be with her. I understand she might not remember me, but why shouldn't I at least get a chance to get to know her again?” He heard her hesitate on the other end of the line and then she let out a deep sigh.

“If my parents find out about this they will not be happy. My mom has done nothing but worry about Ella for the last eight weeks, Porter. I don't want to upset her even more.”

Porter laughed. “This won’t be the first time Ella and I have kept something from your parents.”

“Very funny.”

“Listen, I am going to get ready and then drive over. So you can either choose to be there or not, but I am coming. I promise I won’t tell her what happened between us. I just need to talk to her.”

“Fine. I will be here. I don't feel good about this, just so you know. I am agreeing to this under duress.”

“Noted. Lighten up. Nothing can get any worse than it is right now. Not for me anyway.”

“I know this has been really hard on you, Porter.”

“I'll be ok. I just need her in my life again, even if we have to start over.”

“Well,” she let out a loud sigh “You better hurry up and get here then.”

“See you in a few hours, Megan.”

“See you then, Porter.”



Every time Porter drove up to Poppy he had to push back the terrible memories of the night of Ella's injury. The flashing police lights that lit up the dark night, the barricades that kept him from her, watching the ambulance pull away, not knowing that she had been in there, hurt and alone. He hoped that today, actually speaking to her, he would be able to replace the bad memories with good ones.

He parked his truck along the street and then looked in the windows of Poppy, hoping to catch a glimpse of her before he went in. Megan walked in front of the window, a worried look across her face, and she was checking her watch as she looked out onto the street. He knew Megan was caught in the middle and he was sorry that this was causing her stress, but there was nothing in the world that was going to keep him from Ella now. He was so close and he made up his mind.

He took one look in the rear view mirror, made sure he looked decent enough, and then got out of his truck and headed towards the store. Megan caught sight of him as he walked towards the door and he could see the tension forming across her face. A little farther behind her he could just make out Ella. She stood with her back to him talking to a customer. Her blonde hair cascaded softly down her back like a waterfall the color of wheat, landing right between her shoulder blades. His fingers ached to move her hair to the side to taste her neck and feel the goosebumps he knew his mouth could cause on her skin. He wanted to place his nose in the crook of her neck and let her vanilla scent permeate through him. He walked up to the door, pulled it open, his eyes never leaving the golden trail of her hair.