Page 77 of Swept for Forever
“Hey, I’ve got to go,” he told her, then hung up.
I laid Lulu down on the bed, stroking her fur. “You okay, buddy?”
She let out a little sigh and closed her eyes. Already fine.
I wished I could say the same.
Without thinking, I turned and hugged Dom. Ishouldn’thave. I knew that.
But I couldn’t help it.
His arms came around me instantly, his palm sliding into my hair. “Hey, she’s okay,” he murmured, his lips brushing the top of my head.
“Yeah.” My voice wobbled.
“A tip. Don’t give her that leftover pizza.” He set the box on the table.
I chuckled. “Definitely not.” And perhaps for the last time, I said, “Thank you, Dom.”
He wouldn’t understand. Not if I let it show. Not if he knew what I was about to do.
I exhaled, slow and shaky. “I’m gonna go to sleep now. I’m really tired.”
“Of course,” he said as I curled up next to Lulu. “Your headache?”
“Nah, just tired,” I murmured.
He left a kiss behind, dragged his hand once along my back, and stood. “I need to go back to Claire’s for a bit. You okay here on your own?”
I nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry.”
The door clicked shut behind him.
I didn’t move. I didn’t even look out the window for one last glimpse of him.
Because if I did, I might start thinking about staying.
And that?
That wasn’t an option.
I sat up, my breath catching, and the sob I’d been choking down broke free. I clamped a hand over my mouth, but it didn’t stop the next one. Or the next.
It came in waves, shaking my shoulders and making my whole body tremble. It was silent at first, but then it becamelouder, uglier. Like a deep, hollow ache spilling out of me, one that had nowhere to go.
I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my forehead against my knees.
Keep it together. Just breathe.
But I couldn’t.
I wasn’t ready.
An emptiness spread through me, stretching until it hurt to hold it in. This wasn’t just leaving.
It was leavinghim. The only man who made the world feel a little less harsh, a little less impossible. The only man I knew I would never find again.
He had carried me, cared for me, lifted me up, and read me like no one else ever had.
