Page 96 of Falling Too Late

I shouldn’t have been behind the wheel. I broke every traffic law on my way home. A few times, I thought I had lost him, but once we were out on the back roads and turned down my gravel drive, bright led lights shown in my rearview mirror.

I was only a few steps ahead of him the whole time. I pushed my way into the house, flipping on the lights as I went. The dog door opened and I told the dogs to go to their beds before one of them bit Alex.

At this rate, he’d deserve it.

“I tried to visit you but my request was denied every time. They told me you were in solitary confinement for weeks. Then they told me you had restricted visitation rights only to your lawyer. I sent letters for a while and I never got anything back from you. Then,” I paused, swallowing hard, “your mom got sick and I was with her day and night.” I didn’t turn to look at him. I couldn’t. I stared down the hall of my home while he hovered in the doorway behind me.

I needed to calm down. I needed to get it together and breathe through this, but I couldn’t believe the man behind me.

I wanted to reach for him. My hands ached to touch him. “Irelied on Jon to keep me updated after that. Gloria needed me and?—”

Alex scoffed. I turned to look at him and saw the slight shake to his head. As if everything I told him was a pathetic excuse.

It hit me like a sack of bricks. The anger overthrew any control I had gained on the drive over. It bubbled up like a soda that someone kept shaking.

I exploded.

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!” I screamed the words, rushing him. I was a breath away from him. I needed him to understand the gravity of what I had thought.

He stilled, slowly raising his head to look at me, the fire in his eyes smoldering.

At least he had the decency to look confused. I shook my head, an almost manic laugh rising up through me. I stormed my way through the house into the den where I had a drawer of files set up with important paperwork. I pulled out the file labeledAlexander James Harper, flipping through it until I found what I was looking for. I turned, not surprised he followed me. I tossed the paper in his direction. I was so fed up at this point. The only thing I could do was explain and defend myself.

He didn’t bother to catch it. Just watched it as it floated down to his feet. He stared at me for another beat before dropping his eyes. I saw a small crinkle forming in his brow before he bent to pick it up.

“That’s yourdeathcertificate. Jon brought it to me.” I turned and reached for another file labeled with his mother’s name, pulling out her death certificate. “That’s your mothers. They are exactly the same. I had no reason to doubt it, Alex.” My hands were on my hips, and I dug my fingers in to keep from shaking. I couldn’t dim the anger even for a moment. I was done reasoning with his anger. It was time he knew mine. “I mourned you, Alex. I grieved for you. So fine, be pissed at me. Be angry at Jon, but we thought you were dead. Think that every reason I give you is a pathetic excuse.” I wiped the tears away angrily. “I had no reasonto think that it wasn’t the truth.” I shook my head. “So why don’tyouexplain to me why you faked your death.”

Saying it all out loud to him now made me feel like an idiot. I should have tried harder. I should have been down at the prison every day fighting to see him, but I relied on someone else. Someone I had no reason to not trust.

How could he think of Jon and I this way?

The thought was cut short when I felt his hand on the back of my neck and was pulled forward into his chest. I froze, unsure what to do. Another beat passed before I felt his arm band across my back, pulling me flush to his hard body.

“I’m sorry.” His voice rumbled in his chest. His fingers laced up the back of my neck and into my hair. He held so tight it was almost painful, but that pain held me in this moment.

I brought my hands up and balled them into his shirt. His woodsy amber scent filled my nose as I buried my face into his chest. My defenses fell and I was in the arms of the boy who saved me.

The man I had once loved.

I was finally home.

He dipped down, leveling his gaze with mine. “I would never willingly leave you. That includes taking my own life.”

His lips pressed hard to the side of my head. Before he abruptly released me, leaving me cold as he turned and headed out the front door. The storm door slammed, causing me to jump.

Uncontrolled sobs racked my body and I caught myself on the edge of the couch.

Alex is here. He’s home.

I covered my mouth and took a deep breath. I tracked him through the window as he paced out in the front yard, worried he might leave.

King nosed my hand, and I ran my nails over his head. I could see the concern in the shepherd’s eyes.

“It’s going to be okay, King,” I said, more for myself than him.

I gave myself another moment to calm down before I headed out the front door, not able to stay away now. That red string of fate tied itself tighter around my heart and pulled me in his direction. Alex was pacing back and forth, his black boots kicking at the gravel.

I leaned against one of the posts of the porch, my arms crossed. I watched as he pulled his phone out, thumbs moving quickly across the screen, and I heard the sound of a text being sent. He put the phone away and then stood there, staring at me.

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