Page 97 of Dark Knight

“I couldn’t miss Thanksgiving with the family, could I?” Oh, his voice. I didn’t know how much I'd miss the way it makes me shiver and loosens everything in my body. Tears threaten to fill my eyes. Why? Why did he have to come back?

Why do I want to sob with relief that he did?

“I just thought I’d stop over and say hello on my way to the kitchen,” he explains.

“Absolutely not. Your chair is free. Please, sit down. This is where you belong.”

Romero walks around the table slowly, whistling in appreciation. “Sheryl outdid herself.” He won’t look at me.

“She got a lot of help from me and Tatum,” Bianca offers before shooting me that look again. What, is she afraid I’m going to grab a knife and use it on him?

He looks just the same as when I left — what else did I expect? It’s been four days. They only felt like a lifetime. He settles in across from me, murmuring something to Bianca about how good she looks, asking about the baby. Ignoring me.

Until our eyes meet for the briefest second. Until he freezes me in place while looking straight through me. Something’s different. Something changed while we were apart. There’s a coldness to him. He might as well be a machine, but then, didn’t I used to make fun of him for that? Now, I know I was wrong. There is an entire man under that shell, with thoughts and hopes and feelings.

He’s pushed them about as far away as possible. To get through tonight? Maybe, but then why bother showing up at all?

“This is a pleasant surprise.” Dad’s about ready to burst from excitement as he reaches for the turkey. “I can’t lie and say I wasn’t hoping you’d join us.”

“I plan on joining you for longer than tonight, if that’s okay.” I can breathe once he looks at Dad and breaks our connection. “I decided to sell the house and come back here. For good.”

CHAPTER33

ROMERO

“So tell me.” We're alone, drinking coffee in the kitchen with what’s left of the pumpkin pie between us. Callum folds his arms on the tabletop and leans in. “What made you change your mind? Don’t get me wrong. I knew you’d come back. I just thought it would take longer than four days.”

The truth would be unacceptable.

I need your daughter like I need oxygen and would rather go through the torture of being close to her than endure the torture of being apart.

He wouldn’t like that, so I take the easy way out. “I didn’t want to spend the holiday alone, after all.”

“But you’re back for good? Not just for the weekend?”

“I meant what I said. I plan to sell the house, and I'm here to stay.”

He nodded, slowly sipping his coffee. “You know, you could rent it out. Make some passive income every month. It wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“I’ve considered that.”

“Of course, you have. I know you look at things from every angle before you make a decision.”

Normally, his praise would be welcome. Right now, it feels too much like he's trying to appease me. He’s happy I’m back – I should be grateful for that, right? He’s ready to say whatever needs to be said so long as I stick around.

“I appreciate everything you did to keep the place for me. Making sure the maintenance was taken care of when I was busy with other things. I hope you don’t see this as ungratefulness.”

“I don’t. And I would never force you to keep it. It’s your house, you can do whatever you want.” He uses his fork to cut off a bite of pie, his lips pursed. “It’s weighing you down, isn’t it?”

“I think that’s a good way to describe it, yeah. It’s weighing me down.”

“I’m glad for you, really.” When I lift an eyebrow, he adds, “You seem centered. In a good place.”

Since that’s perhaps the opposite of how I feel, it’s a struggle to keep from laughing. Callum means well, and he’s not good at these heart-to-heart talks. Neither am I. Amazingly, we’ve gotten more than three words out between us. If we were discussing work, there’d be no stopping us. When it comes time to talk about something real, we’re both at a loss.

Even if I could find the words, I couldn’t tell him. “I see a lot of things differently. I think I needed the time there.”

“Then, as much as I missed having you here, I’m glad you went. And there I was, worrying it was a bad idea for you.”

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