Page 138 of Stuck With You
Her head dips to the side as her eyes fill with sympathy. “That has to be pretty lonely.”
It is once you recognize it enough to feel it.
One of her hands peeks out of my coat and tugs on my shirt, her eyes dropping to her hold. “Maybe. . .you could let me help you sometimes. You know, when the house is too quiet or the day is long.” She looks at me under her long, dark eyelashes. “Think of it as an experiment.” She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth, and my self-control dwindles to absolutely nothing.
I slip my hand inside my coat and around her waist, guiding her closer. She watches me intently.
Her palms fall against my chest, sliding around my back. Her warmth surrounds me, and it doesn’t feel scary at all. It feels exhilarating and safe. Her body presses against mine, and I breathe her in as she closes her eyes.
I fist the velvety material of her dress along her lower back, and she inhales. Her fingers dig into my shoulder blades, holding on as my mouth hovers over hers.
“Slade,” she whispers my name, and it’s so achingly soft.
I brush my lips against—
A car alarm blares, and Sarah jumps. I grip her waist, holding her tight. She collapses against me, my face falling into her neck.
“Shit.” I breathe out.
A laugh tumbles from her, making me smile as she burrows into my chest.
I rest my chin on her head, holding onto her and not wanting to let go. Our pounding hearts ease back to a normal rhythm together.
“I’d better get you home.” I pull her door open, and she releases me. I help her in, knowing I will relive that moment, hoping to get another like it.
I climb in, and the silence falls around us. I glance at her, the reflection of the street lights moving over her face as I drive. The only thing I know is that when I kiss Sarah, I want her to know me. I want there to be no guessing or wondering. I need to be certain it’s real.
“I was seeing someone when my mom died. One of her caretakers.” I grip the steering wheel, letting myself float back for just a moment. “I’d just started my second semester of college when she told me she was sick. Once I realized how bad it was, I dropped out and came home. I was young and looking for comfort from someone I thought understood.”
Sarah shifts in her seat, tucking her hands in her lap.
“She ended up pregnant. I was so happy. I couldn’t save my mom or take away any of her pain or suffering, but I could show her we were going to be ok. Melissa and I with Krissy and the baby. We’d be a family.”
I inhale and let it out. “I got the job at the shop, bought a ring, put a nursery together, and then my mom died. She was all Krissy and I ever had. She wasn’t perfect, but she would have sacrificed anything for us, you know?”
Sarah nods. “Yeah, I know.”
I can see that Sarah would do anything for Ollie and Frankie.
“I had no idea how to make any of it better for Krissy, but we had this baby coming. Something so beautiful to look forward to while everything hurt so damn bad.”
My sweaty palms slide against the steering wheel as my chest wall shrinks. “A week after she died, Melissa told me the baby wasn’t mine. Apparently, she wasn’t mine either. ”
Sarah’s warm fingers wrap around my forearm.
“I didn’t even see it coming.”
She tugs my arm away from the steering wheel, and her fingers wrap around mine. I know she understands that kind of betrayal and hurt. But I didn’t keep going. I shut everything out that could hurt me like that again.
I pull into her driveway, and she unbuckles but grips my hand.
“Slade, that amount of heartbreak would take a long time to heal.” Her voice is so soft, and the understanding in her tone reaches in and soothes what still hurts to think about.
She stares at our joined hands. “I keep telling myself that just because I messed up once and trusted someone who never deserved it, it shouldn’t mean no one does.” She glances up at me. “Giving someone’s deception that kind of power allows them way too much control over the rest of our lives.”
It seems so clear and simple when she says it like that.
She huffs a laugh. “There are eight billion people in the world. I have hope there are a decent few who are trustworthy and might think I’m enough to want to stick around for.”
