I need to leave before Owen wakes up in the morning. I can’t give him a chance to convince me to stay. I’m barely hanging on to whatever strength I have left.
A sad, humorless laugh slips out of me as I stare at my reflection.
It’s almost ironic. Earlier, I was so upset about us being seated on opposite sides of the plane. And now… it feels like the only thing working in my favor.
If I leave before Owen in the morning, I can avoid the confrontation altogether.
I can slip onto the plane without him seeing me, take my seat on the other side, and get back to Chicago without falling into his grasp again.
Because I fear that if he gets the chance to stop me, to try to convince me to stay, I know I won’t be able to walk away a second time. I’ll throw myself into his arms and confess my love to him, even stronger than he did to me.
And I can’t be my own undoing.
I suck in a shaky breath and take one last look at myself in the mirror, committing this version of myself to memory.
A reminder of how much worse this will get if I don’t stop it now.
I turn away and step into the shower, letting the warm spray wash over me.
“I love you,” I whisper, so quietly my words barely exist.
“I love you… So much,” I say again, knowing my confession will forever stay here, buried in the sands of Costa Cay.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Owen
“Shit,” I gasp awake, panicking when I notice the sun is way too high in the sky.
I squint against the harsh, golden rays pouring through the cracks in the curtains, far too bright for seven in the morning.
My heart feels like it’s in my throat as I fumble for my phone on the nightstand, the room spinning from not getting nearly enough sleep.
I wrap my fingers around the phone, my eyes going wide as I see the time.
7:30 a.m.
“Fuck!”I curse, pushing a hand through my sleep-roused hair.
We’re late—really fucking late.
We should be on our way to the airport right now. Our flight boards in less than forty-five minutes.
Dammit!
You’ve got to be kidding me. I forgot to set my fucking alarm.
I don’t even remember falling asleep. It feels like I was out for maybe an hour, if that. The last thing I recall is the sun barely starting to rise when my heavy eyelids won the fight, shutting on their own.
I spent most of the night pacing back and forth in this room, losing my goddamn mind, trying not to go to her. Fighting the urge not to walk across the suite, open Meadow’s door, pull her into my arms, and pretend that last night never happened.
But the cold reality is that it did. And the only thing she wanted from me was space. Hell, she practicallybeggedme for space. And instead of going to her, I was too fucking scared to ruin whatever chance I had left.
Meadow.
My sweet, guarded girl. She acts so fragile, not realizing how strong she really is.
God, I wish she knew how much I love her. Even though she can be so infuriatingly stubborn, I love her deep in my bones.
