Page 99 of Until Bax

“She a friend of yours?”

“Kind of?”

“Kind of?” he asks, and I let out a breath.

“I met her a couple of weeks ago when it was raining, and she was walking to work.”

“So you randomly picked up some strange woman on the side of the road when someone has been after you?”

“Let’s calm down.” I roll my eyes. “Star is harmless; she works at a bakery and lives with her elderly parents. I doubt she’s vandalizing cars, tossing bricks through windows, and breaking into houses in her free time.”

“Babe.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” I toss my hands into the air. “I just gave her a ride to the store, and as you can see, nothing happened to me.”

“But something could have happened. You don’t know her. Right now, you don’t know anyone.”

“Don’t you need to go to work?” I ask, grabbing my bag before I squeeze past him so I can get out of my car.

“Olivia,” he clips as I start walking toward the front door of the spa.

“I’m not an idiot.” I spin around to face him. “I’m not taking any risks. I have babysitters all day, every day; I don’t go anywhere without an escort; I haven’t even been able to get drinks with Eva or Holly or have lunch with Lincoln because I know that you’ll worry, and you’re already worried enough.”

“Lunch with Lincoln,” he whispers.

“Oh my God, can you please save the caveman act for another argument?” I cry. “He and I are friends, you know that, and you also know he’s not interested in me.”

“He was interested in you until he knew he didn’t have a shot with you.”

“Yeah, and he still doesn’t have a shot with me because I’m in love with you.” I leave out theYOU IDIOTthat I scream in my head. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t be my friend.” I close my eyes and drag in a breath, hoping to calm myself. I won’t do us any favors if I start acting as irrational as he is right now. “Please.” I open my eyes. “I know that you’re stressed about what’s going on, and I’m stressed too, but I promise I’m being safe,” I whisper the last part and watch his jaw clench.

“I love you.” The words sound ripped from somewhere deep in his chest.

“I know that.”

“You don’t. You can’t understand what it feels like to have a piece of yourself buried so deep inside someone else that you know if something happens to them, if they cease to exist, you would too.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” I choke out, pressing my fingers to my lips, hoping to hold back the sob I can feel climbing up the back of my throat.

“Fuck, please don’t cry.” He closes the distance between us and pulls me into his arms, wrapping his palm around the back of my head. The moment my face is buried against his solid chest, the tears I was attempting to hold back begin to fall. “I fucking hate when I make you cry.” He whispers against my ear, “It’s going to be okay.”

“I… I know.” I attempt to wipe my cheeks.

“We’ll get some kind of normal soon, alright, and even if I fucking hate it, if you want to be friends with Lincoln, I’ll get over it.” He sounds so miserable saying it that my lips wobble into a smile.

“I love you.”

“I know you do.” He presses his lips to the top of my head then I listen to him drag in a deep breath. “We okay?”

“Yeah.” I sniffle, and he touches his fingers to my chin, tipping my head back so that he can see my eyes. “I love you.”

“I know,” I repeat his earlier statement, although I now realize that I didn’t know just how deeply he loved me before this moment. “I’m okay.” I rub his chest. “You need to get to work, and so do I.”

“I hate the idea of leaving you like this.” His eyes are filled with concern as they scan my face.

“I’m okay, promise.” I wipe my cheeks. “I’ll see you tonight when you get home.”

“You sure?”

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