Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
On a slow nod, I whisper, “Not in your mind.”
“Emersyn…” he rubs his temples and closes his eyes for a few seconds “…I don’t know what you want me to say.”
I’m doing this all wrong. This isn’t what Suzie wanted. I’m not supposed to add to his stress and confusion. And that’s exactly what I am doing. After a few seconds of silence, I sigh and do the right thing. “I want you to say that you’re going to clean the lint out of your navel before we go to the beach.”
Zach opens his eyes and eases his fingers away from his temples. Several blinks later, realization hits, and he nods. “Only if you wax your unibrow.”
I grin. “Low blow.”
When the truth hurts, you change the subject to something so irrelevant that life feels balanced—normal—again, just long enough to catch your breath. I’m letting Zach catch his breath, and maybe I’ll take a minute to catch mine as well.
His expression says it all, the relief, maybe a little guilt too, but mostly relief.
“I’m going to lie down. I’m not hungry, but maybe we can get breakfast.”
“Night, Em,” he whispers.
I pad my way to the bedroom.
“Emersyn?”
“Yeah?” I keep my back to him.
“It’s a line. Maybe a doorway. Maybe a fucking mountain … I don’t know. But I know there’s no going back when I cross it. I know I can’t take her with me. And there’s been many days I’ve wondered about going with her … going to her. It’s never been something strong, anything more than a fleeting thought. For what it’s worth, you’ve been the one person who’s kept me looking forward. For what it’s worth, you’ve been the reason I stand so close to the line, the threshold of that doorway, feet away from the summit. And maybe that’s the real question … What’s it worth?”
When I know he’s done, I slowly close the door behind me, crawl into the bed in my clothes, pull the covers over me, and fall asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Rise and shine,” Zach says, opening the blinds just enough to let me see him and the tray of food in his other hand.
“You need your medication, which means you need food. How’s your head? Why did you sleep in your clothes?” He sits on the edge of my bed, holding the tray while I sit up and rub my eyes.
“Too tired to change my clothes,” I say in a sleepy voice. “And my head is fine. I thought we were going out for breakfast. And I don’t have to take my medication with food.” I yawn.
He sets the tray on my lap and lifts the lid, revealing toast, eggs, and fruit. “We can go out for lunch if you’re feeling okay.”
I chuckle before taking a sip of coffee. “I’m feeling fine.”
“You have stitches in your head.”
“They don’t hurt.” I shrug, spreading jelly onto the toast while glancing up at his handsome, freshly shaven face.
Zachary Hays is the unreachable pinnacle for all other men. That sucks for my next husband.
“I didn’t figure you’d want to go out with that bandage on your head.”
I finish chewing my bite and swallow. “That’s what hats are for. Are you sure it’s not something else … like you’re embarrassed to be seen with me and my broken head?”
“Of course I’m embarrassed, for both of us, really. But I can deal with it if you can.”
My eyes narrow. “You’re an ass.” I teasingly flick my knife toward him and a glob of jelly flies onto his face just below his eye. “Oh my god!” I giggle and cover my mouth.
He flinches and wipes his thumb along his cheek, smearing the jelly.
“You…” I giggle more and reach for his face “…just made it worse.”
“Says the woman who shot it at my face. It could have landed in my eye. I need my vision to do my job.”
“Stop.” I laugh, batting his hand away as he tries to the do same to mine. Then I gasp and stiffen, holding completely still as coffee soaks the bedding and my lap. Thankfully, the sheets and my jeans absorb most of the heat before it seeps through to my skin.
“Shit! Did it burn you?” Zach sets the tray on the nightstand as I peel back the sheets.
“It’s fine. It didn’t burn me.” I ease out of bed. It looks like I wet my pants. When I glance up, Zach grimaces, jelly still on his cheek. “I ruined breakfast in bed.” I lick my thumb and wipe it along his cheek; this time he doesn’t fight me.
He encircles my wrist with his hand, and I slide my gaze from the jelly to his eyes. With a slow, almost intoxicated blink, he rests his whole cheek in my hand. Turning his head ever so slightly, his lips brush along my palm. It’s not a kiss. His lips don’t move.