Pieces of Me

The weathered sign for Willow Creek appeared just as Amelia Chase rounded the final bend in the road.

Welcome Home.

The paint was chipped, the wood cracked, but the words hit harder than she expected, settling a heavy weight in her chest.

Home.

She wasn't sure she deserved to call it that anymore.

"Mommy," a small voice chirped from the backseat, full of excitement and impatience. "Are we there yet?"

Amelia glanced in the rearview mirror.

Liam's gray eyes - wide, curious, and so heartbreakingly familiar - stared back at her. He clutched his worn stuffed dinosaur against his chest, swinging his tiny feet in rhythm.

"Almost, sweetheart," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Just a few more minutes."

The air inside the car felt tight, thick with memories she wasn't ready to face.

She gripped the steering wheel a little harder as they rolled into the heart of Willow Creek.

It was eerie how little had changed.

The same bakery, its windows dusted with flour and warm light. The same antique shop with its cracked display mannequins. The town square, still boasting the crooked fountain where teenagers hung out on summer nights.

And the oak tree -

The massive, ancient oak that stood proudly near the library - where she and Noah Bennett had once carved their initials into the bark, promising forever.

Amelia's stomach twisted painfully.

She wasn't that girl anymore.

And Noah...

She doubted he was the boy who had once held her like she was his whole world.

She had left everything behind - for her dream.

Only to realize too late that dreams could be lonely things.

She blinked rapidly, forcing the tears away.

No crying. Not here. Not now.

Amelia turned into the cracked driveway of the small rental house she'd managed to secure in a hurry. It wasn't much - peeling paint, a sagging porch, a garden overrun with weeds - but it was theirs.

The start of something new.

She killed the engine and stepped out into the warm afternoon air. Liam scrambled to unbuckle himself, already eager to explore.

"Mommy! Look! A big tree!" he shouted, pointing at the gnarled oak in the front yard. "Can I climb it?"

"Maybe later, buddy," Amelia said, smiling despite herself. "Let's get our things inside first."

She popped the trunk and grabbed a box labeled Kitchen, balancing it carefully.

The air smelled like fresh-cut grass and old memories.

A burst of laughter made her head snap up.

Across the street, a group of men were unloading lumber outside what looked like a new construction site. They joked and teased each other, tossing planks and tools around with easy camaraderie.

And at the center of them -

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair tousled by the breeze.

Amelia's breath caught.

Noah.

Even from this distance, there was no mistaking him.

The way he stood, the powerful line of his shoulders, the way the sunlight caught on his stubborn jawline.

She froze, the box slipping from her hands and crashing to the gravel with a loud thud.