I turn quickly and walk away, tears flowing freely down my cheeks.
The sooner I get back to my life, the sooner the pain will go away.
Right?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MILES
She’s gone.
She’s really gone.
It’s such a simple thought, and yet my mind keeps repeating it over and over as if I still don’t quite believe it.
But it’s true.
Quinn Banks is gone, and I haven’t moved from this spot since she walked out the door more than an hour ago.
I’ll see her at Christmas, yeah, but what will that be like? Will she seek me out? Will our connection ignite where we left off? Will we be faced with another goodbye like the one we just had?
Fuck.
My heart practically skips at that thought.
I’m not sure I’d be strong enough to go through that again. Hugging her for the last time for who knows how long. Smelling her. Hearing her choked, sad voice. Seeing her cry.
Hell, watching her walk away from me.
Those are all things I will be just fine if I never experience again.
Shadow walks into the living room, his head hanging low as he approaches me.
I lean forward from where I’m sitting and put him on my lap.
“Letting her go was the right thing to do, yeah?”
Shadow doesn’t make a peep.
“I mean, she doesn’t like to stay in one place for very long. It makes sense.”
Still nothing.
“We will just be one of those right person at the wrong time kind of couples, right?”
Shadow picks up his head.
“Do you think we will get a right time?”
The pup licks my face and then curls into a ball on my lap.
I let out a breath and kiss his little furry head.
I just need to get back to work and move on with life. The sooner I do that, the better.
I stand up, hooking Shadow under my arm because he’s not allowed to leave me alone right now, and head to the shop.
Once I get there, it’s like I don’t know what I’m doing. Henry nods his head in greeting, but then gets back to work.