Page 45 of Edge of Forever

He emailed with Zeke and li

ed his freaking ass off. That they were getting better and things were going great. One—because he couldn’t stand to hear anymore pep talks. Two—he couldn’t stand the thought of making them worry any more than they were.

On the surface it seemed like Isabella was getting better. She was moving easier and she even played with Fiona on the paths near the house. But she never strayed far. He didn’t even have to tell her not to.

It was as if there was an invisible tether in her mind. As long as she could see the house, she was okay. And because that worked for him, he couldn’t complain.

No, he was more inclined to freak out about the fact that she wasn’t talking at all. Not even to the dog. Whatever was going on in her mind—she was keeping her own council.

With a sigh, he gathered up their laundry and filled the basket. He’d throw a load in and do a work out while he waited on it. He’d already played enough pool that he could hear the clacking of the balls in his head even when he wasn’t in the middle of a game.

The piano stared at him daily, but he hadn’t been able to open the cover since the first day. It was just a little too close to a mirror for his sanity.

He opened the sliding door to the deck and the crisp October air had a lingering hint of summer. The fresh air felt good. He shucked out of his jeans and flannel and tossed them in the basket just as she walked into the bedroom.

Her eyes widened and her gaze skittered over his chest and belly. He was bulking up again with her meals and the free weights that quieted his brain for forty minutes a day.

“I’m going to do a load and get a workout in. Do you want anything washed?”

She pressed her lips together and lifted her gaze to his face. She nodded and scooted by him to the chair where her huge gray cardigan lay. She wore it nearly every day. When he took it from her, she touched his arm briefly. She flipped over the cuff and made a spray gesture.

“Tell me what you want.”

She tilted her head and raised a brow.

“No. I’m not playing this game anymore. Do I look like I’m the guy that plays charades?”

She snatched the sweater and went over to their pail of products and sprayed the stain treater on it herself then tossed it in the pile.

He moved to the doorway, conscious of the fact that he was still in his boxer briefs and she was trying to get away from him. “You’re going to have to talk to me eventually. I understand you’re grieving for Nic.”

Her eyes went hot with anger.

“But you know what, I can’t bend over backwards anymore. I can’t watch you walk through this place like a ghost.” He took a paperback off the bedside table. “Picking up the same fucking books to read again and again.”

She snatched the book from him and put it back down on the table.

“I come up here to bed and you go downstairs. I go downstairs and you change your mind and come up here. I’m right here, goddammit. You can’t ignore me anymore.”

Isabella skirted around him, flinching when her arm brushed against his belly.

He caught her arm. “I miss you so goddamn much I can’t breathe around it. You may have wanted to die with Nic, but you didn’t. You’re still here with me. You survived. She wouldn’t want you to punish yourself about it.”

She swung around and pushed him back.

“C’mon. Yell at me. Scream at me.” He stepped closer to her until he was less than an inch from her. “If you had died…” His voice broke and he cleared his throat. “If you had died and Nic had lived, would you expect her to do this? Would you expect her to cut off Adam?”

She fisted her hands and the healing pink of her flesh crinkled a bit, but held. She was healing on the outside. He was so glad to see that part. But he knew under the skin were more scars and open wounds than ever.

“Would Adam have survived this?”

Her eyes swam as she stumbled back. He let her go this time. She flew down the stairs and out the front door.

He fisted his fingers in his hair then jerked his running clothes out of his bottom drawer. He pulled them on and unearthed his running shoes. When he got down the stairs, Fiona was pawing at the door and pacing.

“Easy, girl.”

She barked at him until he opened the door and then she took off like bullet down the incline to the docks. Logan followed the dog to make sure that Izzy was safe. She was hugging herself tight looking out at the water.

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