Page 66 of Tempted Away

“You deserve to be taken care of,” I murmur, and her lips tip up in a tiny smile before sleep pulls her under and smooths all the stress and pain from her face.

Resisting the impulse to stay where I am and watch over her, I get up and settle on the couch. She’s sleeping for now, but if she wakes up during the night, I don’t want her to be alone. I don’t ever want her to feel alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

BAILEY

IT’S EARLYmorning when sleep reluctantly surrenders me. There’s a blissful moment of ignorance where I can’t place exactly where I am. And then the moment passes, and memories flood my mind. It is a gut punch that robs my breath and curls me into a little ball.

Oh God. I can’t believe it’s over. I can’t believe that he won’t be mine to touch or share my day with anymore. That there will be no more memories that we make together. That the journey we started when we were kids has come to an end. But the worst of it all is that it’s been over for a while, and I’m only now catching up. The pain of it is staggering. At least my eyes stay dry. I think last night took all the tears I had, and now I simply don’t have any left in me. Or maybe they stay dry because the initial shock has worn off. Whatever the reason, I’ll take it.

Minutes tick by while I try to adjust to my new reality. I wish I could say it’s my strength and fortitude that has me scrambling out of bed, but it’s not.

It’s the sound of my apartment door opening. I can’t remember locking it last night, and I’m petrified that it’s Quinn. I’m not ready to see him. I’m not sure that I’ll ever be ready to see him.

I dither, listening to the footsteps crossing the floor, but then, berating myself for being a coward, I square my shoulders. Marching out of the room, I ready myself for war, every ugly thing I want to hurl at him on the tip of my tongue.

“You’re up,” Kallan says, stating the obvious and stopping me in my tracks.

I take him in while I’m processing my surprise. He’s in the same clothes from last night.

“Did you stay the whole night?”

“Umm.” He rubs the back of his neck. “That couch is really comfortable.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want you to be alone.”

Such a simple answer, but the emotions it evokes in me are anything but simple. I push it down. I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with anything right now.

“Well then, one of those better be for me,” I say, eying the takeout cups in his hands.

“I can’t promise any notes of honey, almond, or dried fruit, but it’s the best I could do. Seeing as being arrested for breaking and entering before breakfast is not on my to-do list for the day.”

“You remember that?”

He smiles, handing me the cup. “How could I forget? Your passion for coffee left a lasting impression.” His smile drops. “How are you feeling?”

I shrug. “I’ll survive. But I do feel a bit like an idiot. Sorry you had to see me like that.”

Leaning back against the kitchen counter, he studies me. I want to squirm, but instead, take a sip.

“I could always do something to even the score. Would that make you feel better?”

“Like what?” I say, staring at him like he’s grown three heads.

Looking down, he hums to himself, and I see his mind working with the thought he’s putting into it.

“I could always grab my guitar and spend the day serenading people walking into your store.”

For a second, I think he’s making fun of me, but then the sincerity I see in his eyes puts me at ease, managing to coax a small smile to my lips.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say, blinking away the image of Kallan bent over a guitar, crooning a love song.

“Well, then stop saying ridiculous things.”

We engage in a stare-off, and I’m the first to look away, wilting under the intensity of his stare.

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