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He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Keep an eye out for her mental state. No doubt she’ll keep the book close for a day or two. And then she’ll go into a state of denial?—”
“Denial about what?”
“That the book is okay. It’s part of the grieving process.”
“But the book isn’t ruined. You saved it.”
“Yes,” he sighed, staring up at the intricate carvings around the ceiling. “But alas, the book will never be the same. It’ll take some time for her to come to grips with that. But in time, she’ll recover…until the next poor soul has a torn binding. Call me when it happens. You’ll lose a few before she becomes immune to the process.”
I nodded uncertainly as he walked past me, smelling of books and glue. I held her close until the tears subsided and Claire pulled herself together. She smiled up at me with puffy eyes.
“You must think I’m insane.”
Completely. “Not at all,” I said softly. “These books are important to you.”
“They are,” she whispered emphatically. “Each one is a piece of history—a part of my soul. To lose one…” She clasped her hand over her mouth as she fought more tears.
I struggled to stay silent, to not yell at her that it was just a book. While I felt horrible for what she was going through, there were actual people dying out there every day, and she was acting as if this book’s potential demise was the end of the world. Would she grieve this much if it were me on the slab?
Somehow, I doubted it.
“How about we get you home?”
She gripped my arm and stared up at me pleadingly. The old man’s words reverberated in my head, telling me it would take time for her to adjust. “Would…would you mind if I stayed here tonight? I don’t want to leave it alone.”
I did, in fact, mind that she wanted to stay with a book. “Why don’t you just bring it home with us?”
Her eyes widened, letting me know I’d made a critical error. “You want me to remove a book from the library after everything it just went through?”
My mouth gaped open at the hostility on her face. “No! I…I thought we could give it a new home with us. Maybe it should be retired now that it’s so old. It’s served its purpose.”
“I could never remove a book from the library. That’s stealing. Besides, this is its home. It’s been here since the library opened. I could never?—”
She turned, closing her eyes tight as she once again choked back a sob.
I sighed heavily, knowing I’d lost this round. “It’s fine. You should stay here with it tonight.”
“Really?” she asked, peering up at me through wet lashes.
“Of course.” I pressed a kiss to her lips and turned around, striding out of the library with my shoulders slumped. I had been defeated by a book. My life would never be the same.
Walking into work the next morning, I was determined to make some changes in my life. Though the danger had died over the last year, we were now struggling with this gaping hole in our lives where everyone tried to adjust to the way things were. While Claire was easily fitting back into her world, I was faltering to find purpose in my everyday life.
The guys were all sitting around arguing about something, though I couldn’t make out what it was since they were all shouting over one another. I took my seat beside Hunter, listening in as he whispered with Knight.
“No, I want them every mile.”
“Every half mile would be better,” Knight snapped. “You came to me, remember?”
“I want to keep track of her, not have a camera follow her every move.”
“Then why the fuck are we doing this?” Knight argued. “If you’re going to stalk your wife, go big or go home.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned in to listen to Cap’s conversation, hoping what he was talking about was less creepy.
“—and then you’ll drive her?—”
“Are you crazy?” Sinner snapped. “I’m not getting a vehicle with that woman when she’s nine months pregnant. I’ve seen her vagina way too many times as it is.”
