And I run.
I hear Evan shout my name behind me, sharp and furious, but it barely registers. My heels slap against the pavement, awkward and loud and entirely undignified. I don’t slow down. I don’t care if I trip.
Dallas’s eyes widen just a fraction before he opens his arms.
I crash into him.
Hard.
The impact knocks the breath out of me, but instead of pain, there’s relief so intense it almost knocks me to my knees. My face buries itself into his chest, my hands fisting in his jacket like I’m afraid he’ll disappear if I let go.
He smells like cold air and soap, solid and familiar.
His arms come around me immediately, strong and certain, wrapping me up without hesitation.
“I’ve got you,” he breathes. “I’ve got you, Faith.”
That’s when I break.
Not quiet tears. Not the tidy kind I’ve learned how to cry in front of mirrors.
This is full-on, ugly, shoulder-shaking, can’t catch my breath crying. The kind that surprises me with its force. The kind that’s been waiting patiently for weeks for permission to exist.
Dallas doesn’t flinch.
He just holds me tighter, one hand at my back, the other cradling my head like it’s precious.
“You’re here,” I gasp. “You’re really here.”
“Yeah,” he murmurs. “I’m here.”
“I didn’t know if my message got through,” I choke out. “I didn’t know if… if I imagined you. I didn’t know if anyone believed me?—”
“It got through,” he says firmly. “Rose got it. We got it.”
My knees wobble.
“Oh,” I breathe.
Relief crashes through me so fast it makes me dizzy. I laugh and sob at the same time, which feels ridiculous and inevitable.
“I’m such a mess,” I hiccup.
Dallas huffs out something that might be a laugh. “You ran at me in heels. I think that’s pretty impressive.”
Despite everything, a shaky giggle escapes me.
“I’m pretty sure I pulled something,” I say weakly. “Do you know how unsafe heels are? Truly a scam.”
He chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest, and it feels like oxygen flooding my lungs.
I pull back just enough to look at him.
Really look.
He looks exhausted. Wired. Like he drove straight here without stopping to think. His eyes are red-rimmed, jaw tight, restraint vibrating under his skin.
And suddenly, with painful clarity, I realize how much I’ve missed him.
