2. Dom

If you would have told me this day would have ended with me having dinner with Thea Kane and laughing, I would have called you fucking delusional. Yet that's exactly what I'm doing. After Thea surprisingly let me walk her to her car, she asked if I wanted to grab dinner with her. For a second, I was so shocked that I was speechless. Thea took my reaction wrong and just said forget it, but I shook my head and thankfully got my voice back. I told her I'd love that. I tried to get her to ride my bike to get food, but instead, she let me follow her.

She led me to a small Italian place. It's a restaurant that looks like it was once a house and they remodeled to make it open enough for a business. It's cute and the brick and black interior brightens up with pops of red. We're currently sitting opposite one another in a corner booth while Thea is telling me about how her brother tried to scare her boyfriend off right after they started dating and the way her eyes sparkle as she tells the story—along with the smile on her lips—manages to thaw out some of the coldness that has invaded me since I discovered Gabby's lies.

"I mean, Deke is a pretty tall guy and don't get me wrong, he's not skinny, but, well, Mattie…"

"Is fucking huge," I finish, making her giggle.

"Yeah," she agrees, sharing a sweet smile with me. "He makes pro linebackers look small."

"Yeah," I laugh.

"Yep, so, he's standing there looking at Deke and tells him if he ever hurts me, he'd rip off his arms and use them as drum sticks on his head."

"And the guy didn't run away?"

"I think he turned a little green around the gills, but he didn't run."

Until today, I'm not even sure I knew that Thea could giggle. It's a strange feeling.

"So, I take it this relationship is serious?"

She shrugs, looking uncomfortable. "Other than my teenage-angst-filled crush on you, he's the only guy that I've felt sparks with. He stays busy with his studying, and I completely understand that. My career doesn't give me a lot of downtime either. Still, we make time for each other. It's nice, kind of easy. Which is good because I don't deal well with stress."

"Never would have guessed that," I quip. She narrows her eyes at me, flipping me the middle finger—all while making me really laugh for the first time in way too long. "Do your parents like him?"

"They met him when they visited me in New York. Mom loves him. They talk about medicine and crap all the time. I joke and tell Deke all the time that he's just using me to get to my mom."

"And your dad?"

"He doesn't say much, but he hasn't pulled a gun on him yet, so I'm taking that to mean good things."

"Probably does," I admit.

"How long are you back in Kentucky for?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not really happy in New York. I need to decide what I'm going to do. I've made enough money that I can take my time doing that. Being home is nice," she says with a shrug. She's not really giving me an answer, but I think she probably doesn't know herself.

"I've traveled a lot for the club, but I've never seen myself anywhere but Kentucky. My dad always said the mountains get in your blood and I'm pretty sure he's right."

"He is. New York has a lot of different landscapes, and some of it is gorgeous, but it was never the same as home."

"Thanks for inviting me out. I wasn't ready to go home just yet."

"Surprisingly," she laughs, "I've had fun."

"I have too. You won't believe me, Thea, but I've missed you."

"You're right, Dom."

"Huh?"

"I don't believe you."

She cackles and I join in, shaking my head. "You can't resist busting my balls, can you?"

"You make it too easy." She smirks, sucking on her straw to take a drink of her soda. Her eyebrow lifts up in a silent dare when she looks at me.

I just laugh, holding my hand up in surrender. "I'm not going to argue with you. I've had too much fun tonight."

"You mean you're not going to try and get the last word in?"

"Not at all."

"Damn."

"What?"

"I think I've just witnessed a miracle."

"Smartass," I mumble.

"I'm serious. Maybe you have changed after all."

"Everyone changes," I point out.

"This is true," she agrees.

"Where did you go just now?"

"Huh?"

"Your whole mood changed. Are you okay?"

"Just thinking about things. I told you, Dom. I came home to evaluate my life and figure out what I wanted."

"Any ideas?"

"Not a damn one," she admits with a sigh.

"On that, I can relate."

"What are you reevaluating, Dom?" she asks softly.

"So fucking much that I'm not even sure where to start first," I admit with an honesty that I haven't given anyone before.

I expected Thea to give me some kind of sarcastic comeback. I expected her to make fun of me and point out how badly I needed to do exactly that. She doesn't do anything of the sort. Instead, she does something that rocks my world. She reaches across the table and puts her hand over my arm, patting it in support.

"Start with one small thing and move to something a little bit bigger once you get it resolved. The best thing to do when climbing a mountain is to tackle it one step at a time."

"That's very wise advice," I respond when I can finally find my voice.

"I can't take credit for it. My dad told me the same thing after my accident. It has always stuck with me. It helped me make it through all the bullshit, you know?"

"I think I do," I answer and when she gives me her smile, I give her one back and this one doesn't feel forced.

Thea doesn't know it, but tonight, she's given me hope. I've felt like I'm drowning for so long, I didn't realize how much I needed a lifeline. I don't know how I'm going to find myself again, but Thea is right. I'll have to do it one step at a time …