Page 67 of All My Heart

His gaze was on the wall behind me. “It looks great.”

I stood, my knees cracking from kneeling for so long. “It does.”

I'd never felt prouder of anything in my life. I'd chosen the design and installed it myself. And the best part was that it looked great.

Axel cleared his throat. “I'm going over to the farm for dinner.”

“Oh. Okay.” I tried not to let the disappointment show on my face. I was hoping we'd eat dinner together.

“You can close and lock the door when you're finished. I'll probably be late.”

“Will do,” I said with a grin that felt fake.

“You ready?” Teddy yelled from the front of the cabin.

“I'm coming,” Axel called to him, and then turned his attention to me, “It feels like we haven't seen much of each other?—”

“You need to bond with your family. I understand.” Once the wall was installed and the kitchen floor, Teddy and Axel would handle the cabinets, counter, and appliances. They wouldn't need me.

I could probably head home earlier than planned. It hurt, but it would be better if I left first. No need to wait for Axel to officially break things off. We weren't seeing much of each other anyway.

“See you later.”

“See ya,” I called out lamely as he walked away.

My heart hurt. My body felt heavy. I was excited because we could do this project together. But I'd need to get used to working alone. If I flipped a house in Florida, that's how it would be.

I'd spent the evenings researching homes for sale, and I'd found a small one which would be a good starter project. It needed some work but not a complete overhaul.

I was confident I could do the work myself.

But I'd need to get home if I wanted to see it in person.

I didn't want to just work in the evenings and weekends. I wanted to make it my full-time job. I just wasn't sure if it would be profitable. I probably needed to get one flip under my belt before I left Kingston Construction.

By the time I finished the wall, it was late. I admired it for far too long, almost hoping that Axel would show up. But he didn't. I hoped his reunion with his family was going well. Then I cleaned up my tools and supplies and turned off the lights.

I locked the door and headed into my cabin where I showered and fell into bed. I was exhausted but couldn't sleep. I kept waiting for the rumble of Axel's truck. But it never came.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing, I heard a noise. I sat up, holding the blankets to my chest. There was a ding against the window. Was someone throwing stones at the window to get my attention?

I got up, pushing off the blankets to see Axel standing outside, nodding toward the door. I ran to the front door and opened it. “What are you doing here?”

Axel moved onto the porch. “I wanted to see you.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. I hadn't grabbed a jacket. “Come in. It's cold.”

I stepped back, waiting for him to come inside before I closed the door. The last time he came here late at night, he'd picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. But things were different now. I wasn't sure where we stood.

“I'm sorry I woke you.”

I waved for him to follow me to the bedroom. I was too tired to stand or entertain. I climbed into bed and gestured for him to join me. I didn't have the energy to ask questions about what was going on. I just wanted to go back to sleep.

He took off his shirt and pushed down his pants.

My eyes drifted close before I felt the bed dip and his hand reach for me. He kissed the top of my head. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Everything inside of me softened at his admission. It didn't make everything okay. But it made him being here now acceptable.

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