Page 96 of Catch the Sun

Sighing, I press my lips to his hairline and banish the strange new thoughts away. All I want to think about is this moment. “Your smile makes me feel cherished.” Then I snuggle closer to him and finish, “And your arms make me feel safe.”

Max leans in to press a soft kiss to the side of my head, and I feel his lips bloom with a grin as he whispers back, “I always knew you had a thing for my arms.”

Chapter 23

Max

The following evening, I dream of a sunlit horse farm.

Ribbons of gold glimmer off alfalfa fields and chocolate-brown manes as I cast my gaze around the setting. The sweet scent of leather and hay mingles with manure, and I step toward a red barn towering in the distance. Three horses graze behind a locked fence where a girl stands in a bright-orange sundress and straw hat. She’s petting one of the horses, humming a lullaby. The melody floats to my ears, sounding haunting.

I keep moving forward, curious about the girl.

Wanting to see her face.

Her hair is tucked into the hat, hiding the color. I call out to her but no sound leaves my mouth. It’s a silent plea. Only her eerie ballad echoes in my ears as my feet pick up their pace and I break into a run.

She hears me approaching.

She senses me, even though I can’t speak. I can’t sing with her. I can’t do anything but run, my heart boomeranging in my chest and my boots burrowing in mud.

The moment she spins to face me with the brim of the hat shielding her eyes, the image dissipates. I’m pulled away by something.

Startled, I open my eyes as reality sinks into me and I’m lying in my bed, the room dark, my mind muddy. I blink myself awake as a cool wind whips through the open window and chills my bare skin. My vision is blurry as it adjusts to the haze of black.

And then the scent of citrus wafts around me. Orange honeysuckle and clean shampoo.

The mattress shifts with an added weight.

I lurch to a sitting position and twist my head left, my eyes meeting withElla’s through the dark. “Ella? What…” My voice trails off.

She’s crying.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, the words raspy. “I had…a nightmare.”

“Shit. Come here.” I don’t hesitate in wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her against my chest. She collapses onto me, warm tears slicking my skin. “It’s okay, Sunny. It’s okay.”

Sniffling, she reaches for one of my hands and holds on tight. “I had a dream that…h-he killed you.”

“Who?”

“Jonah.”

Closing my eyes through the pang in my chest, I squeeze her hard. “I’m here. It was just a bad dream.”

“It felt so real.” She shakes her head, her sweet-smelling hair tickling my chin. “I thought it was real.”

“It wasn’t real. He’s in jail and he’s never getting out.”

She cries harder, jabbing her nose against the crook of my neck. “He stabbed you,” she whispers, splaying her fingers over my heart. “Right here. And then you were bleeding. Dropping to your knees in front of me. I tried to run to you but my legs were frozen. My shoes were stuck like glue to the floor. All I could do was watch.”

“Shh.” I kiss the top of her head. “It was just a dream.”

“I woke up terrified,” she says. “I had to see you. Touch you. Know for certain you were still here.”

“I’m here.”

When her tears subside to addled breaths, she lifts up and sweeps her fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

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