Page 92 of Love in the Wild

Brett and Dawson waved their goodbyes as they headed out, and Travis called in the pizza order.

Gage leaned in to whisper while Travis was on the phone. “Thanks for your help today, but you don’t have to do anything else.”

“I’m fine. My shoulder hasn’t hurt at all today.”

Gage rubbed the back of his neck. “Really, you don’t have to stay.”

Hadley narrowed her eyes at him. What was he getting at? If he wanted her gone, he could just say so. The dismissal cut like a knife in her chest. He was pulling away, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

Travis turned around and grabbed his keys from a table by the door. “I’ll be back in about forty minutes. Call if you need anything from town, and I can stop and pick it up.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

Sounded like he appreciated everyone’s company but hers. The fragile threads of their connection were unraveling.

As soon as Travis closed the door behind him, the entire house fell into a thick silence.

Hadley straightened her shoulders, bracing herself for the blows headed her way. “What’s wrong?”

Gage averted his gaze and crossed his arms over his chest. “Nothing is wrong.”

“That’s a lie. I don’t know why you’re pushing me away, but I’m not going to force myself into your life if you don’t want me here. If you want to break things off, just say so, though I’d love an explanation.”

Gage sucked in a breath and lowered his arms. “It’s not that I don’t want you here.”

“Then what is it?” Her heart rate spiked, leaving her lungs working overtime to suck in enough air.

Gage sighed and looked off to the side. He was really considering his words. He was probably trying to think of a way to let her down gently.

Nothing about this was gentle. Her chest ached, and the slowly built trust between them was crumbling under the weight.

He finally met her gaze and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you. It’s that I don’t think you should be with me.”

Hadley’s eyes widened. “Did you just use the ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ line?”

“No. That’s not what I’m saying…. Well, maybe it is.”

“And why exactly should I not be with you?” Yes, she was going to go down with this ship. If he was going to break up with her, he was going to have to be a man and use his words.

Gage ripped his hat off his head and threw his hands out to his sides. “How are you still here? I keep waiting for you to get a clue and leave, but you’re still here.”

Hadley’s jaw dropped. So much for thinking he was trying to spare her feelings. This was more than she’d bargained for.

But she’d made this bed. Now she’d have to lie in it.

Her nose tingled until the stinging settled behind her eyes. She would not cry. Absolutely not.

She sniffed and raised her chin. “I won’t bother you anymore.”

At least her voice didn’t shake. She couldn’t take it if he felt sorry for her right now. He hadn’t cared one bit about hurting her feelings, but she wouldn’t let him see how much damage he’d done.

He hadn’t really done anything. The cracks were always there. He’d just broken them open again.

She turned to leave, eager to hide from the embarrassment, when Gage’s hand wrapped around her arm. She jerked against the hold, and he let go immediately.

“Wait. Please. I’m sorry. This isn’t coming out right. I don’t want you to leave.”

She whipped around to face him with her jaw set. How dare he try to take back what he’d just said. Couldn’t he let her escape without a fuss? “Excuse me?”

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