Page 40 of Make Your Save

“The fact that her mother didn’t tell you about her until she gave her up still blows my mind,” Sashaadmits, her voice barely audible as she shakes her head. She looks back at me. “Thank you for being here for Rowan and sticking by his side. I know this must not have been easy for you at all.”

My breath catches in my throat, my heart stumbling over itself. “I would have never left him to figure this out on his own.”

“Thank you for taking care of both of them.”

Unwanted tears spring to my eyes and Rowan squeezes my thigh. I lay my hand over his, the recessed lights in the ceiling catching on the diamond on my finger as I wrap my fingers around his. Rowan’s throat bobs as he swallows hard, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he stares at the ring.

“You don’t have to thank me, Sasha,” I tell her, my gaze finding hers once more as I smile. “It’s truly my pleasure.”

She smiles at me, bowing her head as she looks back down at Lucy. “Such a sweet, beautiful girl.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Rowan murmurs from where he’s still seated beside me. I look over at him, catching his unwavering gaze as his eyes burrow holes through my own, tunneling directly into my soul. There’s a warmth inside my chest and a tingling feeling trailing up my spine.

I take a mental picture of the way he’s looking at me and tuck it away inside my mind for safe keeping. I store it for a later date, for a time when I’m going to need that memory to get me through the day.

For a time when I won’t have him right here in front of me.

I stare down at the mattress against the center of the wall in Rowan’s room. He’s on the other side, going about his business as he disappears into the bathroom to brush his teeth. I already went and did my nighttime routine before slipping into a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt.

His mother is sleeping in the bed I’ve been occupying. After she came and while she was busy with the baby, Rowan changed the sheets while I moved my toiletries to his bathroom. There couldn’t be a trace of my existence in that room.

And now here I am, trying to figure out where I fit in his bed instead.

“I can take the floor if you would prefer that,” Rowan says softly as he strolls back into the room from the bathroom. I didn’t notice him at first and I lift my gaze, immediately meeting his from across the bed.

He must have discarded his shirt while he was in the bathroom because now he’s just in front of me in a pair of low-hanging sweatpants. I immediately pull my gaze away from his chiseled abdomen.

“I don’t want to do that to you,” I tell him, shaking my head as heat begins to creep up my neck. “I could always sleep on the floor instead. Or I could just go down to the couch and give her an excuse in the morning if she sees me.”

Rowan stares at me for a moment, a look of disapproval sliding across his features before he lets out a soft breath and shakes his head. “You’re not sleeping onthe floor or the couch,” he says in a huff, although there’s a lightness to his tone.

I don’t move as I watch the muscles in his arms flex as he grabs the covers and pulls them back before climbing into them. My breath feels like it’s caught in my throat and all I can do is watch him.

“Get in the bed, Hadley,” he murmurs, pulling the covers back for me on the other side. It’s a king-sized bed, so it’s definitely big enough that we can sleep without being close to each other. “Remember my promise? I don’t bite...unless you ask,” he adds with a soft chuckle.

My heart pounds erratically in my chest as I weigh my options before ultimately deciding to climb into the bed with him. Rowan moves farther away and the distance feels like it stretches. There’s room for two other people between Rowan and me, but I grab one of the extra pillows and place it between us on the mattress.

Rowan watches me with amusement before my gaze meets his again. “What’s this for?” He lets out a low chuckle, the sound vibrating through my spine.

“In case you decide to get handsy.” I bite back a smirk and shake my head. “I’m kidding. This is more for me so I don’t accidentally cuddle you,” I explain as I lower my head onto the pillow. “I’ve been known to do it in my sleep and I don’t want to subject you to that.”

His eyes do a slow scan of my face as a sheepish grin pulls on his lips. “I might not be opposed to that.” He rolls over, reaching for the light. It flickers off,leaving me in the darkness. “Good night, outlaw,” he says softly.

“Good night, Rowan.”

Rolling away from him, I pull the covers up over my shoulder and close my eyes as I try to get my heart to calm down. I count my breaths, attempting to count sheep to fall asleep and pretend Rowan isn’t behind me.

He’s too close and too distracting...but he’s comforting at the same time.

A few moments pass before his voice breaks through the silence again. “Hey, Hadley?”

“Yeah?” I whisper into the darkness. I hold my breath for a beat, waiting to hear his voice again. Just when I think maybe he fell asleep, he speaks .

“For the record, a pillow wouldn’t stop me from getting to you.”

Holy shit.

He doesn’t say anything else, settling deeper into the pillows as I lie staring at the wall, eyes wide, adjusting to the dark. We both lie in silence and I’m acutely aware of his presence. I listen to the sound of his breathing as it begins to grow even, transforming into a soft snoring sound as he falls asleep.

---