Page 60 of Even if You Fall

“Yep,” Sam’s wife said with a firm nod.

“I think we’ve had a better look at the two of you than you think,” Sam said, a knowing smirk tugging at his mouth. “We actually might see you better than either of you can.”

I dragged my hands over my face before shooting a glare his way. “There is—” Movement off to the side had my head whipping toward the entryway, and then dread was ripping through me. “Chloe,” I snapped, already pushing up and launching myself over the couch.

She didn’t so much as look at me as she tried to stealthily make it to the front door, as if the sun could go unnoticed.

Reaching her just as she grabbed the handle, I slammed my hand against the door and hissed, “What are you doing?”

“Let me go.”

“I’m not touching you.”

Hazel eyes snapped toward me and narrowed. “Let meleave.”

“Can’t do that, Bubbles.”

Anger and sadness and helplessness warred on her beautiful face before her shoulders sagged with her exhale. “Please,” she breathed. “I never should’ve agreed to this.Younever should’ve agreed to this.”

“Not my call.”

“I don’t care,” she softly cried. “I don’t care. There was nothing stopping you from leaving me behind or in a hotel. I hate what this is doing to you and what it’s doing to your family. So, let me fix this. Let me leave.”

“I can’t,” I reminded her and was surprised to realize I didn’t want her to go. Not that I was surprised I wanted to be near her, but be near herhere. With my family. In my childhood home.

This morning, I’d been consumed by my guilt over what this trip was going to do. Throughout the day and night, that guilt had continued sliding back into my veins whenever anyone in my family had said something about Chloe in terms of the future.

But she’d fit so seamlessly here.

My family had pulled her into the fold as if she’d always been there. Which was really saying something, considering it’d taken too many visits to count for my sister- and brother-in-law to really become part of the family. Then again, I was sure Chloe’s joyful persona could win anyone over.

“Adam—”

“How’d you even plan on leaving?” I asked when I realized she had no way of getting anywhere.

A whisper of shame swept across her face, but she held my stare as she answered, “I took the keys to the rental.” When my eyebrows shot up, she hurried to continue. “You took my phone. I took your keys.”

My head bobbed for a while before I asked, “And how’d you plan on finding your way anywhere?”

“I would’ve eventually found my way somewhere,” she said defensively. “If not, someone would’ve helped.”

If she was anyone else, I would’ve told hernot likely, but with Chloe, I had a feeling anyone she came across would’ve been all too happy to help her. Maybe even hand over their own phone. Drive her themselves.

Walking sunshine, and all.

“Keys,” I quietly demanded. When it looked like she was going to double down, I held my hand out. “Keys, Bubbles. I can’t let you leave.”

“But you need to,” she said confidently, her head tipping ever so slightly toward the living room. “For them.”

“Pretty sure my family likes you more than they like me right now.” Her eyes rolled only to widen when I took a step closer. “We’ll leave in a week. Until then, please stop fighting me on this. Please go back to our room and unpack. Please stay.”

I wondered if I hadn’t been standing so close, if I hadn’t been studying her as intently as I always did, if I would’ve noticed the surprise and longing in her eyes that abruptly vanished. Her spirit seemed crestfallen, as if she’d been slapped with a cruel reminder, for long, painful seconds before she turned and walked away.

And I just watched her go, unable to say anything when I was too thrown by her reaction—when something about it had her words from earlier this evening playing in my head again.

“No, I know what this is. You’re doing what you can to get your answers. You’re trying to trick the nerdy loner into thinking someone could actually like her, when I’ve already fallen for that before.”

The pained words had tripped me up earlier, but even more so now, I didn’t know what to do with them.

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