Page 106 of Stay for Me

“Missed what?” I pushed out, my eyes on the ground.

“The way she looks at you.”

My jaw tightened.

“The way you look at her.”

“Stop,” I pleaded, knowing our future.

She was leaving.

She was leaving Colorado to chase a new dream. I’d overheard her conversation with Thomas this afternoon. I’d gone back into the house to check on her, coming to a cold stop outside her door as he gave her the news. All of it, from my confession to this current conversation was all for nothing.

She’s already found it in you.

She’s already found it in you.

She’s already found it in you.

She’s already found it in you.

“You love her, Mags.”

“Yes.”

“She loves you.”

I closed my eyes. “Yes.”

“How long?” he asked.

“From the moment I laid eyes on her,” I whispered, remembering the day. It was the best day of my life. “Came here to find peace, Kings. Came here to heal.” My friend said nothing. “I haven’t done either of those things, because all I can focus on is her. When she’s here, she’s all I see, and when she’s not, I can’t breathe.”

“Jesus.”

“Loved her for so long, Den. She’s not only in my heart, but in my blood, my bones. Hell, before you arrived, I was about to make the fatal mistake of letting her into my soul.”

“Fatal?” he questioned, his voice hard now. “What the fuck are you saying?”

I shot up, turning on him with a snarl. “She’s fuckin’ leaving,” I clipped.

He hadn’t moved, not even an inch, still staring out into the night. “Do you want her in your soul?”

A lump formed in my throat. I knew the power of her little light, the change it would bring. “Doesn’t matter.”

The cowboy moved then, rising to his full height slowly as he put his hat back on. “Of course, it fuckin’ matters, Mags.” His gray eyes met mine. “You’re a cowboy in love. When a cowboy falls in love, his path is altered. Suddenly, it’s not about the lifestyle, the pride, or the freedom. It’s about her.”

Fuck.

Fucking fuck.

“It will always be about her,” he stressed. “Yeah, she’s leaving. She got the position at Yale. It’s something she’s wanted for a while.”

My gut twisted. Still, I remained quiet.

He looked to the door and then back to me. “You want her to stay? You want her in your soul? Make her stay, Mags. Fight for it.” He moved to the porch steps then, giving me one more look. “You both deserve the love you’re too afraid to give each other. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner; maybe if I had, I might’ve been able to pull both of your heads out of your asses.”

Then, he was gone.

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