Beside You

1 - unexpected visitor

"Get back here, Ree!" I called, sprinting through the large corridors as her giggles bounced off the crystal white walls surrounding us. Catching up to her, I engulf her small body in my arms, swinging her round in circles as she screamed and laughed.

"Momma put me downnn!" She yelled between her giggles as I smothered her cheeks in kisses. "One condition..say it." I smirked at her as she looked me in the eyes. Aria's petite hands squished my cheeks together, planting a small kiss between my eyebrows. "Ti amo più delle stelle... (I love you more than the stars...)" she said excitedly as I beamed at her.

"...e la luna (...and the moon)" I finished, placing her down on her feet as she ran away with her toys. That was a phrase we always said to each other. Always. It was our little thing. So she never forgets that she is my world and more.

"Breakfast delivery!" Grace's voice called out as Aria squealed excitedly, quick stepping down the grand marble staircase as she is greeted by three people who quickly became her family. Grace, Ellie and Hudson. My best friends. Grace and I met in Kindergarten. First day, she hit a kid for trying to steal my snacks. Been best friends since.

We met Ellie and Hudson in middle school when we all were in the same class. And since then, we've been inseparable. We were known through middle school and high school as the 'famous five'.

I know. Always made me cringe.

But we were inseparable.

And you might be wondering, five?? I've only mentioned four of us.

Well that's because we're leaving out a major piece to this puzzle. Trent Donovan. Everyone knows everyone in this small town of Hayfields. But him? He knew me the most out of everyone. Including my family. We grew up together. We flirted for years before finally caving in and became high school sweethearts. My heart beat for Trent Donovan.

I thought we'd be together forever. We'd spend the summers by the lake which our family homes overlooked, laying under the sun as he sang to me. He always had a passion for music. Always wanted to be singing or playing a different instrument every year.

We were talking about life after high school the summer after graduation. He looked down at me, kissed the top of my head, and told me that wherever our paths took us, he'd fight tooth and nail to make sure we always held on to the love we had for each other.

And I believed him.

He became my life.

Then he left.

Overnight.

No explanation. No warning. He just packed up and left Texas. A week, I heard nothing from him. I spent the entire time in my bed, hurting. He didn't answer my calls, texts. One morning, my phone was blowing up with texts from all my friends. Telling me to look at the news. And that's when I saw him.

"New, up and coming country singer, Trent Donovan, signs the biggest record deal for a new artist in music history!"

He broke my heart. The person I considered my best friend, who I thought was my soulmate, he broke me. He ditched us all for this record deal. For his career.

Hudson and Ellie stayed in contact with him. But I vowed I'd never speak to him again, and Grace being like a sister to me, she vowed to block him out too.

I went of to college and met Carson Peters when I was 19. He was your typical bad boy, which did put me off to begin with. But he had this soft side which only came out with me. He stole my heart which had just mended itself. We got married when I turned 22. He left his life in New York and moved to this small, Texan town. A town which I don't think I'll ever leave.

My brother and I moved here when we were two. But they decided when I turned 18 that they wanted to move back to Italy. They gave us the choice to stay or to go with them. The both of us decided we wanted to stay here. This was our home.

So they let us keep the house, and they went back. We go over there a lot for vacations and holidays. Aria loves it in Sicily.

Speaking of Aria...I found out I was pregnant New Years, four years ago. I was so excited. Carson and I spoke about kids all the time. Naturally, I went running out the bathroom of the friends house we were celebrating at in search of him.

That's when all hope of love washed out my life. There he was, tongue down some girls throat, his hands roaming over her body as she begged him to 'finally' leave me and move away with her.

I simply told him, making my presence clear, that he should go with her. I stormed home, we fought and I kicked him out, not telling him about the baby. I did after a few months. I called him, but he wasn't that interested. He made that clear.

So I made a promise to myself and my baby that day, that I'd walk through fire if it meant she got every ounce of happiness in her life. She got her Uncle Antonio to be a fatherly figure in her life. Not to mention her other Aunts and Uncles in the form of my three best friends. They were my village.

Snapping out of my thoughts, Hudson carried Aria into the kitchen with Ellie, plating up breakfast as Grace flashed me a look I knew all too well.

"What now?" I asked annoyed, knowing there was news she had to tell me, but didn't want to. Her face doesn't hide anything. "How do you know there's something wrong" she tries to hide but I roll my eyes playfully at her. "Grace, I know you. Just say it."

Grace sighs, walking into the kitchen with me as everyone ticks into breakfast. "So I had an unexpected visitor stop by my cafe this morning.." she trails off, shoving food in her mouth before continuing.

"Don't shoot the messenger..but he's back in town.."

"Who is?" I asked frustrated. She always talked briefly when I actually wanted to know things.

"Trent. He's here in Hayfields." Grace said, her eyes meeting mine as Ellie and Hudson looked, anticipating my reaction.

"Asshole.." I mumble but Aria still hears me. She narrows her eyes at me. "Momma, that's a bad word!" She scolds me, relieving some of the tension which has newly settled in my shoulders at her cute reaction.

"Sorry, Ree."

Someone who I thought I'd never run into again, back in Hayfields. In this town, there's no avoiding anyone. And now I'm likely to see him.

Brilliant.

What's going to happen when they run into each other?

Stick around to find out!