Page 17 of Sinful Skulls
It makes me chuckle, but damn if I don’t agree with her.
A few minutes later, she opens her eyes and turns in my arms. “I don’t know how I’m going to say goodbye,” she admits softly against my chest.
“Hey.” I tip her chin so I can see those unique hazel eyes. I sure am going to miss them. “You’re about to set off on an amazing journey. We’re going to get up, shower, pack, and then I’m going to ride with you to the airport. We’ll have breakfast there before your flight leaves. Okay?”
“But how will you get back?”
“I’ll catch a cab.”
“You’d really go with me?”
“If you’ll have me.”
She smiles. I’m going to miss that too.
“I would really like that.”
“Good.” I pat her on the bottom.
“But can we just have five more minutes of cuddles?”
A damn knot forms in my throat. I haven’t been this emotional since my niece took her own life. I pull her close and press her head against my chest, holding her tight.
She sighs. “Thank you for last night. It was perfect.”
Her voice catches, and I give her a squeeze. “It was perfect,” I agree.
She’s quiet. I wonder if she can hear the sad song playing in my soul through the rhythm of my heartbeat.
I can tell she’s crying even though she’s trying to hide it from me. I can feel the wetness on my skin.
Daisy cracked open my heart, planted a seed, and now she’s watering it with her tears.
I stare at the ceiling. Maybe we shouldn’t have started all this. I don’t think either of us thought it would be quite this hard.
After a few minutes, she pushes herself up. I’m proud of her. She’s a strong woman, and that’s not a bad thing.
She takes my hand in hers, and together we head to the shower. We remain silent while we wash each other. It’s the most intimate I’ve ever been with anyone.
I take out the trash and clean up while she finishes the last of her packing. All too soon we are locking the door behind us. I walk over and lock the books she gave me on my bike. She taps me on the shoulder. “Don’t forget this.”
She hands me a small canvas. It’s a painting of my tattoo. I trace my finger over the black dahlias and the skull, and then I notice the tiny white daisy she’s woven into it. My heart squeezes painfully. I meet her gaze.
“So you don’t forget me,” she says shyly.
I pull her close, resting my hand on the back of her head. “I could never forget my little flower.”
Her fingers wrap into my shirt. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
When I break our embrace, I unclasp the dragonfly necklace she always wears. She watches me curiously. I drop my skull ring over the chain and then fasten it around her neck. “You can give this back to me if we see each other again, but you have to promise that you’ll live life to the fullest until then.”
She instantly wraps her hand around it.
“No more tears,” I tell her, wiping them from her cheeks.
“Okay.”
