Page 52 of Come Back for Me
“Is yours,” she finishes.
“If it is the case, then I really am grateful for the time I have right now.”
Ellie’s fingers move to the side, brushing against mine. I don’t know if she did it on purpose, but I’m not one to let a moment pass me by. My hand slides into hers, and I hold on. She looks to me, and I watch her, waiting for a clue as to what she wants.
“And if she’s not?”
“Then I have a pretty cool best friend.”
Her smile makes my heart flip over in my chest. I want her to look at me like this each day. I want to be the man who makes my angel look like she could fly. Her wings may have been broken years ago, but I’m really good at restoring things.
Neither of us says a word as we near the tree, but Ellie pulls her hand back when we hear Hadley yell. “Whoa! This is the best thing in the world!”
I look at the fully decked out tree house that I spent hours building and then to both of them. Ellie’s eyes glaze over with moisture as she watches Hadley, who is already climbing the steps.
“You did this?”
“Every kid should have a safe place.”
Ellie turns to me, her lips parted, the sun casting a soft glow over her face as it dips closer to the horizon. Her voice is soft. “You spent your whole day doing this for her? Connor...”
I shove my hands into my pockets to avoid touching her face. She’s so damn beautiful. “This tree was where I would run if I could get away from my father. It’s where I found Hadley, and it doesn’t have to hold the same memories for her as it did for me. I did it for both of us, and for you.”
“For me?”
Yes, for her. As I was building, I kept thinking of my mother. It was as though she was there with me, telling me how proud she was as she smiled. “I can’t take a shot if I don’t break the bow, Ellie. I’m strong enough to hold off on releasing the arrow, until you’re ready.”
Her eyes widen, and her breath hitches.
It was worth it.
The sweat, frustration, and deviation of plans just to see that look. We may have lost our chance years ago, but I’m not a kid anymore, and I have my target set. I’m waiting for the sights to align.
Chapter Seventeen
Ellie
“Iappreciate you meeting me like this,” I say to Nate’s friend Sydney as we sit in the teacher lounge.
“Not a problem at all, honestly.”
Sydney was the volunteer EMT on scene, but she is also a lawyer I hired to help me draw up divorce papers.
“I know this is weird . . .”
“Why?”
“Just that you were there, and then you and Connor were arguing.”
She laughs through her nose. “Connor and I have argued like that since . . . well, forever. He’s lucky I didn’t deck him for the way he tried to push me away. It is as though that man thinks he can come back here and suddenly be king of the castle. I don’t think so. He made his choices, and while he may think he’s a new man, he can kiss my ass if he’s going to order me around.”
A pang of jealousy hits me in the gut, and I do my best to ignore it. It’s clear they’ve had some kind of relationship. I wonder if he loves her or if she still loves him.
Sydney is what I would call an old-world beauty. She’s the type of regal-looking woman you would expect to find in New York or London, not Sugarloaf. Her golden hair is pulled back into a low knot with wisps of hair falling out. She’s wearing a black pants suit with the most beautiful red heels I’ve ever seen. Everything about her says confidence where I feel small and insignificant.
“I didn’t know . . .”
“Didn’t know what?”
