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Bridger sighed but didn’t argue further.
Tai strode toward the door, each step heavier than the last. Telling Tenaya goodbye would shred his soul. But he had to set her free from the darkness and chaos that clung to him. She deserved so much more.
With a final prayer for strength, he walked out the door, leaving his heart behind.
46
“Today’s the big day. Goodbye hospital. Hello freedom!” Tenaya exclaimed with forced brightness as Tai appeared in the doorway.
Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed in the fresh clothes Paige had brought, Tenaya glanced up as Tai appeared in the doorway.
Her smile faltered as she took in his grim expression. His mouth was pinched, his eyes shadowed with tension. Her stomach sank. She didn’t need him to speak to know something was very wrong.
She sucked in a shaky breath, bracing herself. Clearly those hints of something promising between them, a relationship––a new life and purpose in his charming small town––had only been wishful thinking on her part. One look at Tai’s tense face said it all.
They didn’t even officially have a relationship to break off. Just the fragile beginnings of what could have been. What she had hoped they might build together.
Blinking back tears, she traced the edge of the Velcro splint around her thigh. She would cling to her dignity, no matter how this conversation broke her heart.
She perched on the edge of the hospital bed, dread growing, as Tai paced the small room. His jaw was clenched, shoulders rigid.
Finally he turned to her, though he couldn’t seem to meet her eyes. “I’m heading back to Redemption Creek soon.”
Tenaya’s breath caught, though she wasn’t surprised.
He braced his hands on the wall, head bowed as if gathering strength. “I know we sort of talked…” He paused, then started again. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. What you feel for me...it’s just residual adrenaline from the danger we were in.”
At that, Tenaya stood shakily. “Don’t diminish my feelings. They’re real and you know it.”
He spun to face her, raking a hand through his hair in agitation. “I’ve seen it time and again on missions. Emotions flare, then fade once the threat passes.”
Tenaya blinked back tears, standing her ground. “I know my own heart. Don’t make this decision for both of us.”
Tai stilled. “I’m trying to do right by you, Tenaya. I’m sorry.”
She huffed out a breath. The first flickers of anger tightened her chest. “I know who you’re doing right by. Trust me, it’s not who you think it is.”
He looked lost. “Tenaya, I––”
“Don’t patronize me,” she bit out. “If you’re not interested in seeing where this could go, just say so. But stop trying to convince me I’m the one with cold feet.”
He froze, eyes widening in surprise at her vehemence.
Leaning back against the bed for support, she clenched her fists. “I got shot in the leg, Tai, not the head. And certainly not in the heart. I know what I feel for you is real. I think what you feel is the same.”
He looked away, throat working. “It’s not that simple.”
“It certainly could be,” she shot back. “Tell me you don’t want to give whatever we’ve got between us a try. Tell me you don’t care.”
His head jerked back as if he’d taken a shot to the face and he turned away to pick at the edge of the door frame. “I just came to give you a ride home. Let’s don’t make this a thing.”
“Too late.” She fisted her hands at her sides, squeezing until her forearms ached. Why did the man have to be so stubborn? “It is a thing, and you do care. So don’t pretend you don’t.”
He waved away her words, looking like he meant to bolt down the hallway any second.
Closing her eyes against the pain of his words, she fought down tears. No time for that now. “If you’re determined to make this decision for both of us, then so be it. But don’t you dare tell me how I feel. I care about you more than you’ll ever know. No matter what you think, that’s real.”
His shoulders tensed. She could see that her words had landed. Not that he’d admit it.
