Page 104 of Did It Have To Be Gnomes?!
As much as I wanted to see everything he had going on down there, I felt gross, and the first time he saw me naked, I wanted to feel confident—and hopefully sexy.
So I said, “I’m going into the bathroom to change. Um, hold on.” I rushed into my attached bathroom, ran a washcloth under warm water, grabbed a pack of wipes, and came back out, handing Win everything. “There’s nothing in the hall bathroom since that was where Sola was staying, and I haven’t fixed it yet. So, um, you can use one of the other bedrooms to change, if you want.”
With a smile, he kissed my cheek and made his way out of the room. “Thanks, sugar butt.”
I rolled my eyes and went into the bathroom, shut the door, and cleaned myself up. By the time I came out, Win was already standing in the hallway, and he looked concerned. I had no idea what could’ve happened in the five minutes we were apart, but I…
My thoughts trailed off when I noticed which bedroom door was cracked open behind him. Oh. Oh no.
“Miles?”
“Yeah?” I squeaked.
“Do you… do you have a daughter I don’t know about? Or a son? I guess all the pink stuff doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a girl’s room. That’s dumb of me to assume, but it definitely looks like a kid’s room, and there’s clothes and things in there. I swear I wasn’t snooping. The closet door was wide open.”
I nodded and tried to wave him off. I knew that closet door was open because I never closed it. It was left open when… and I just… I didn’t want it shut.
When I didn’t say anything, he took a step closer to me. “Um, Miles, do you have a kid?”
I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the open bedroom door. “N-no.”
Winter stepped in front of me, blocking my view, and cupped my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. “Whose room is that, sweetheart?”
I blew out a breath and closed my eyes. “I… I fostered a teen for a little while. She was… she was a really great kid. Her name was Laney.”
Something flashed across his eyes. “Was?”
“She… she died. She was killed…” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. I didn’t even realize I was crying until Winter wiped it away with his thumb.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry.”
“It’s… you don’t have to…” I cleared my throat. “It happened… it’s been five years.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt.”
I shook my head, but when Win pulled me into a hug, I easily went, wrapping my arms around his waist as he held me in a tight embrace. I buried my face against his chest, not wanting to let the memories of that sweet girl take over and pull me into a depression like it had so many other times.
Winter held me for a long time, slightly swaying us back and forth, rubbing comforting circles on my back, and kissing my hair or my temple every now and then. I let his tender comfort, his warm embrace, help heal the wound on my heart that I’d forever carry.
It would never go away. I would always grieve for the girl I couldn’t save. But Winter’s comfort kept the wound from opening up and bleeding all over me again.
After a long time, I stepped back. “Thanks, Win.”
He bent down to peck my lips. “Anytime, lovey. I will hold you absolutely anytime you want.”
My heart swooped, and I couldn’t help but lean in to give him a quick squeeze of my own. He kissed my forehead when we parted, and it was such an affectionate move, my belly did a flip.
I sent him a tentative smile, and he held his hand out to me. I didn’t hesitate to take it, lacing our fingers together in a tight grip. He kept a hold of my hand as we made our way back downstairs to the couch. As soon as Winter sat down, he gently tugged me into his side, and I moved into his arms like it was a move we’d done a thousand times before.
I hoped we could do it a thousand more times after tonight. I hoped my mini breakdown didn’t scare him away.
Winter was slowly peeling away all my secrets, and I felt raw and open as we sat there together.
As if sensing that, he wrapped his arm tighter around me and kissed my temple. “You okay, sweetheart?”
I nodded. “I will be.”
“Need anything?”
