Page 46 of The Locksmith's Promise

I drew in a deep breath and waited for the blows to land.

As soon as her apartment door closed on his back, she whirled on me. “You can’t just take him for the day and not keep in contact with me.”

It hit me then that I wasn’t the only one who was scared.

“Maggie,” I soothed. “We’ve only been gone for eight hours. Two of those we spent driving back and forth to the city. We stopped for lunch. And we went shopping. I needed a bed for my new place, and—”

Stepping closer, eyes flashing, she tipped her chin back.

Instinct kicked in and it took everything in me not to step back.

Tears filled her eyes. “You can’t just take him and not keep in touch. I tried calling you, over and over and fucking over. Do you understand how worried I’ve been?”

My jaw dropped. Not once had I checked my phone. My first outing with him, and I fucking failed.

I reached out a hand but let it drop before touching her.

Her lip trembled as she stared up at me.

“Maggie, I’m sorry,” I confessed softly. “I was so excited to be with him, I didn’t even think to check my phone.”

“You didn’t think at all,” she accused, turning her back and covering her face with her hands.

I shook my head, aching to reach for her. “It won’t happen again.”

Her back heaved.

She’d carried everything on her own for all these years. How many times had she been this frightened by the unknown? How many times had she felt defeated and ill-equipped to carry on?

I stepped forward, placed my palm on her hip, and gently pulled her back against my chest.

She froze for all of a second before the steel melted from her bones.

Resting my chin on top of her head, I promised, “It won’t happen again.”

Voice shaking, she stammered, “It’s just been him and me for so long. I don’t know what I’d do if—”

My fingers tightened at the very thought. “No,” I murmured.

She swallowed audibly. “I’ve never had someone else to depend on, Bax. My parents lived too far away to help most of the time, and I’m not used to him being away from me. Not like that.”

I tilted my head to rub my cheek against her soft hair and inhaled the delicate fragrance of her shampoo.

Feeling that softness beneath my cheek, I remembered the feel of the long hair I’d once wrapped around my fist and rejoiced in her body, warm and pliant against mine.

“We’ll find our new normal, Maggie,” I vowed.

She nodded, then tipped her head back against my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, gratified by this small act of trust. My fingers clamped down on her hip while I fisted the other hand at my side to ensure I didn’t crowd her too fast.

“I’m sorry, Mags. I’ll be more mindful.”

She laughed shakily. “Just answer your phone next time. Shoot me a text. Something to let me know you’re both alive.”

“Me, too?” I teased.

She stiffened, but I held tight.

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