Page 37 of Perfect Convergence

Was I worried about her all night? Yes. Ever since I laid eyes on her in the restaurant and saw that deer in the headlights look on her face, I’ve been nothing but consumed with worry.

But how do I tell her that? How do I tell her that she means much more to me than she should? And how do I say that she’s handling this shitshow like a champ?

“Are you hungry?”

She grimaces, wrapping her arms around her waist. “No. But I should probably eat.”

“How about something light?”

She nods, watching me cautiously.

Just tell her how you feel. Say something. Anything.

But I don’t. I turn, rummaging through the cabinets, until I find some canned soup. When I hold it up, she nods.

I dump the soup into a pan and light the stove.

The silence between us is so uncomfortable, it’s making my skin crawl. Which is exactly what I was trying to avoid.

Hearing her yell at Adam earlier sent a spike of fear through me. I was so afraid he was hurting her, or worse. And it caused me literal pain to not immediately rush to her side.

I trust Oliver—of course I trust Oliver. But it didn’t stop me from worrying. And now, knowing how close Tyler got to her... Things could’ve gone so differently tonight. For all of us.

Fuck. I have to do something.

I spin around to look at her, and she’s standing exactly how she was a minute ago, frozen, still hugging herself. She looks so small, so scared, so overwhelmed.

What would’ve happened if we hadn’t been there to intervene when Adam came after her? What would’ve happened if she hadn’t been in the hunter’s stand with Oliver? Or if she hadn’t been watching the ladder?

Stop. Stop with the what ifs. She’s safe. Everyone is safe.

I step toward her.

Fuck this.

“Rhett—”

Before she can get another word out, I take her face in my hands, tilting her head upward, and press a kiss to her forehead. “You have no idea how fucking worried I was about you.”

She throws her arms around me and buries her head in my chest. Like this, with her completely enveloped in me, she feels so small. I suppose, in comparison to me, she is.

She doesn’t say anything. Just breathes me in, her body quivering as she tries to collect herself.

“Tell me what you need, Wren. Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you. Anything.”

“I don’t know.” She clutches my shirt in her hands and looks up at me with watery eyes. “So much happened. I—you—I’ve never seen someone die like that before. There was blood everywhere. And it was so dark, and Oliver was so upset, and I didn’t know where to go. I was so scared, Rhett.”

I tighten my embrace. “I know. I know you were scared. But you kept it together. You got here, and you’re safe now.”

She sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m trying not to cry, but—”

“Hey.” I smooth her hair back from her face. “It’s okay to fall apart now.”

“I don’t want to—to make you uncomfortable.”

“Let me worry about that, sweetheart. Tonight was a normal night for me. But for you? Hell, Wren, you’ve been through something a lot of people never have to experience in their lifetime. It’s okay if you’re struggling.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, and tears fall onto her cheeks. Tenderly, I brush them away before turning off the stove and pouring the steaming soup into a bowl. Then I lift her and set her on the counter so she’s closer to my eye level.

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