Page 35 of The Life We Left Behind

She didn’t live in Willowbrook anymore. She had a whole life waiting for her somewhere else. How was I going to persuade her that staying here with me was even remotely a good idea? I hadn’t exactly given her anything to want to come back to. Hell, I was the entire reason she ran in the first place. I was a fool even thinking she’d want to have me in her life, but that didn’t mean I was willing to let her go. Not without a fight, at least.

“You can’t have missed this tub that much,” I heard Delaney joke from behind me.

When I turned and saw her framed in the doorway, I knew without a doubt that she wasn’t getting away from me again. There she stood, her brown hair looking thoroughly fucked, wearing just my ripped shirt and a pair of panties. Damn, she was perfect. And that glimpse of skin between the ruined sides of my shirt made me want to drop to my knees as I traced it with my tongue.

I was going to remember this moment for the rest of my life. This was where we started again, the exact second I decided thatI’d give it all up for her if she asked it of me. If this beautiful woman standing in front of me gave me even the slightest indication that she’d tolerate me in her life again, then I’d follow her anywhere. Willowbrook be damned. It was about time I got to choose my own path in life, and I chose her.

Delaney had always been my addiction, and it was an addiction I had no intention of ever fighting. Why would I when she was nothing short of perfection?

“This isn’t for me,” I told her, testing the temperature of the water and then standing and moving over to her.

My fingers came to the edges of the shirt as I gently pushed it off her shoulders. She stood motionless as it gently dropped to the ground.

“You ran me a bath?” she asked, her head tipping to the side in question.

“It’s just a bath, Delaney. I want to look after you. It doesn’t have to mean anything.” It nearly killed me to say it, but when I saw the vulnerability in her eyes as I spoke, I knew it had been the right call.

She wasn’t ready. I could wait.

She nodded softly, her eyes not quite fixed on anything as she stared off into space.

Gently taking her hand, I led her across the room to the tub and stopped to slowly pull the underwear down her legs. She blindly stepped into the tub, and my heart lurched. Did she regret what had happened between us? Was it all over before it even had a chance to start?

I was about to step out of the bathroom to leave her in peace when her hand snapped out and grabbed my wrist.

“I can stay if you want me to,” I offered.

She nodded, pulling me closer. “Get in. Please?”

She didn’t need to ask me twice. I could already see that something I’d said had affected her in a way I hadn’t meant it to. I’d do anything to take the sadness from her eyes.

As I carefully stepped into the tub behind her, I lowered down, sliding my legs on either side of her and gently taking her into my arms. Delaney came without complaint, letting me pull her closer as I guided her head back to rest against my chest.

We sat like that for a moment. Cocooned in the warmth of the water.

“Talk to me, Lanes,” I whispered. “I’m here for you if you’ll let me be.”

She was silent for a moment, but then she finally spoke. “He’s gone. He’s really gone. I don’t have anyone left to look after me. I’m alone now.”

My heart broke for her, and I held her tighter. I had no idea what she was going through. I’d never lost a parent, and truth be told, I didn’t know if I’d feel even a fraction of what she did if I even did. We just didn’t have that kind of relationship in our family. It sounded harsh, but it was the truth.

“You’re not alone,” I reassured her. “You’ll never be alone, Lanes. And I’m not just talking about myself. There are so many people here who would want to be here for you if you let them.”

My fingers gripped her chin as I tipped her head to see her face. I wasn’t surprised to see the tears falling down her cheeks, even if it did kill me to see them there.

“You don’t have to leave Willowbrook if you don’t want to,” I told her.

She winced at that, and I decided not to press it. In all honesty, I hadn’t meant to say it in the first place. I was supposed to be giving her time, showing her with my actions that she had options if that was what she wanted. Pushing her now was the last thing I wanted to do.

“I’d forgotten what it was like here,” she said quietly, her eyes searching mine as she did. “The peace, the people. There’s a kind of magic to places like this that you can’t find in the city.”

I knew she was getting ready to make an excuse for why she had to leave, so I gently laid my fingers over her lips before she could. She quirked a sad smile at me as I did, and I shrugged unrepentantly.

“Just think about it, Lanes. You don’t have to make any decisions now. Just know that I and everyone here would love it if you stayed.”

She nodded, and I felt my chest warm with hope. This was all I’d ask of her for now. To consider the possibility.

“Now, lay back, close your eyes, and get ready to experience my patented washing technique.”

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