The dog wags his tail as if they’d been gone for years while picking up a corner of the blanket to offer it to them.
“I think he missed us,” Kara laughs.
“This right here is why having dogs is a no-go. We brought you food, and this is what you do?”
“He’ll have to come with us next time. We can’t leave him here or half the house will be gone when we come back.”
Wade agrees with a grunt, gives the dog an unearned pat on the head and aims for the back porch where they begin cleaning their catches.
The rest of the day is quiet and peaceful. A meal on the sofa and another game of cards. An easy afternoon that leads into an easier evening. Kara offers him a book while she reads a novel.They exist together in this small space like they’ve done it for years, already experts at the mundane.
She’s the only person he could ever enjoy doing nothing with.
Later, when they’ve yawned enough to make sleep unavoidable, their lingering problem springs to the forefront.
“I don’t want to sleep in the other room, and I don’t want to tie you up.” She crosses her arms by the bed, defiant in a way that feels just as sad.
“Gotta pick one.”
“Wade, this is—”
“Please. Maybe just tonight. I don’t know yet, but I won’t be able to sleep knowing you’re close enough that I can hurt you again.”
She grabs a blanket and pillow with a shake of her head. “Keep the dog in here with you.”
“If I have another nightmare, you can ignore it. I’ll be okay.”
She only nods, leaving him alone with his thoughts as the door clicks shut behind her.
The room begins to close in on him. He wants to call her back and admit this is a terrible plan. Beg her to stay just so his hands will stop shaking and he can breathe, but he doesn’t. He can do this.
He is safe here.
The only one torturing him now is himself.
Chapter 13
“You snored a little,” Wade says, from across the room where he’s putting the finishing touches on a fresh fire.
“I must have been exhausted to sleep through you coming out here.” Several days of sleep deprivation will do that. Not even her worry for him could keep her eyes from drooping. Kara’s nose wrinkles. “I don’t snore.”
“Sure.”
It’s a tease she welcomes because it means he’s a little closer to himself again.
“Did you sleep that hard all night?” He pokes at the fire until it begins to spread across a second log.
“Not at first. You?”
“I managed.”
She suspects that means he didn’t sleep at all. The bags under his eyes and hollow look on his face confirm he struggled more than he’ll admit.
She has to find a way to get them back in the same room tonight. Told him it was okay to pull back, and she meant it, but there’s a fine line between needing space and losing sleep in an effort to keep her safe. That’s a conversation for later, though. She needs the rest of the day to come up with a valid reason he’ll accept.
When he shoves a few strands of hair off his face, only to have them fall back again, it’s a reminder that he’s holding ontoa physical aspect of his ordeal. Helping him get rid of that is something she may be able to tackle right here and now.
“How about I take a few inches off today?” she tries.
