An uncontrollable sob breaks free just as the lightest touch meets my back. I lean all my weight against the fridge and let it happen. I have to let it happen. Arms wrap around me from behind. I know this logically, yet I don’t feel them.
Anger. Pain. Guilt. Soul-aching grief at all the life Gill won’t get to see as Olive grows.
A cerebral aneurysm. So damn sudden. No one saw it coming. One second with us. The next, gone. In our bed. Was I holding her when she left us?
Time moves, but I can’t tell the speed. Has it been minutes? Hours?
My forehead is plastered against the steel. My hands, flat on the fridge. Her small yet strong hands lie on my chest. Her cheek rests against my back, and we’re just breathing.
I’ve only known this woman a mere few hours, and already I know I’ve underestimated her.
“Tea?” she softly asks.
And just like that, I regain control, releasing years of pent-up emotions. I take her hands from my chest, lightly squeeze them, then release them before turning around.
Damn. I keep forgetting how captivating this woman is.
Her brows raise, waiting for my answer.
“Yeah,” my voice rasps. “Tea sounds good.”
Chapter Four
IRIS
Iwait for Ellis to return from his room. I pour our tea and take the pie out of the warming oven, cutting each of us a slice.
I’m a wife. And this man I just met today…is my husband.
And still, nothing from Raven. When I get a minute alone, I’m sending another voicemail. I need another, more creative threat because clearly, she’s not taking my previous ones seriously.
I set both plates down on the dining table outside the kitchen. The wall that partitions them is decorated with a gallery of family pictures.
Olive as a baby. Olive looks about two, laughing as she runs through the sprinklers.
Oh.
There she is.
Staring at the woman, resting her forehead against a younger, more lively Ellis as they hold a newborn, pulls at something deep. I can’t tell if it’s pleasant or not. She wasgorgeous. Rich dark brown hair about shoulder length. Natural, thick curls.
They looked so happy.
Raven and Jed were that happy. I saw the light go out of my sister’s eyes last year. We were just getting our light back after our parents.
Life can truly be a cruel bitch sometimes.
A throat clears.
I jolt and turn, finding Ellis pushing back wet hair. He must have jumped in the shower real quick.
I smile, wiping away whatever expression I wore a moment ago.
“I warmed up the pie. Shall we?” I gesture at the table.
We sit across from each other, and I wait for his first bite.
The fork pierces the flaky, buttery crust as light pink oozes on the plate. Brows furrowed, Ellis examines the pieces as he slowly places the fork in his mouth.
