Page 61 of Return to Us
As many times as I once dreamed of this, it didn’t come close.
There is a town over on the right, and I can just make out a few lights. Over to the left is nothing but trees and mountain tops.
The sounds of nature are all around—an owl hooting, trees rustling in the breeze, and frogs croaking. I pull out my blanket, place it on the ground, and lie down, just breathing.
Minutes pass as I sink into the peace of this place. For the first time in a long time, the sky is my friend and I feel safe.
Until I hear the crunching of branches.
My heart picks up, and I sit upright, which has my head throbbing from the quick motion.
Relax, Jessica, no one can see you here. You’re protected.
I repeat this over and over.
The sound stops, and I release a deep breath. “It was probably a deer,” I say under my breath.
But before I can lie back down, something catches my eye, and then I know it. I’m not alone.
I’m not safe.
Someone else is here.
Chapter 15
Grayson
As though I conjured her from my mind, Jessica is sitting on a blanket in front of me. Only, instead of smiling at me, her arms are wrapped around her legs and there is fear in her eyes.
“You’re here,” I say and watch her shoulders drop.
“Grayson. Jesus. You scared the shit out of me.”
She shouldn’t even be here. She should be at home—resting. She called out of work because of a headache, which had me concerned. When I left the inn, I drove to her house, but I ended up turning around before I got there because she’s not mine anymore.
Stella came by and offered to take Melia for the night as a thank you for saving her ass with Mom over a misunderstanding at dinner.
So, I found myself worried and stuck in the house.
Instead of sitting alone for the night, I came here, needing to be close to Jessica but not near her. That didn’t exactly work out.
“Me? What are you doing here?” I ask.
She shifts onto her knees, moving a backpack to the side. “My headache is gone, and I needed to . . . I don’t know . . . be out of my mother’s house.”
I move deeper into the space. “I needed to be out of my house too.”
“Where is Melia?”
“With Stella.”
She nods. “So, the single dad has the night off and doesn’t know what to do?”
More like the man who keeps trying to avoid kissing the girl he loved once is going out of his mind. “Something like that.” I walk over to where she’s sitting. “Is there room for me?”
Jessica scoots a bit. “Always.” I take the spot next to her and pull my blanket out as well. We can use it if the temperature drops more. “It seems we were both drawn to a familiar hideout.”
“Well, I’ve been here the entire time.”
