Page 52 of Chasing Clouds

“Camille, don’t do this. Please . . .” He puts his hands on his hips. “I’ll buy you another coffee, just come with me. You at least owe me a conversation.”

“No, I don’t,” I whisper, thinking of the things I saw in the library, the things he said. Respect earns respect, and he hasn’t given me any in quite some time. Besides, I want to tell him I don’t owe anyone anything. The only person I owe anything to is myself.

“Ma’am, why don’t you head on inside, and I’ll take care of this,” the security guard says, moving to stand closer to me.

Without another word, without another glance, I turn around and walk through the doors of Reid’s building. From behind me, I hear Patrick yell, “This is bullshit,” and I pick up my pace.

Why? Why is he here? Why can’t he leave me alone? With each floor the elevator passes, anxiety climbs and builds in my chest. I can’t get away fast enough knowing he’s just outside, and I can’t get to Reid fast enough, can’t have him by my side fast enough. My eyes blur with tears and I squeeze them shut while waiting for the doors to open.

I’ll never be free.

Running down the hall, I burst through the door, slam it shut, lock it, and lean back against it. Folding over into myself, I can’t catch my breath as silent sobs rack through my body and the tears finally drop from my eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Reid rushes over from somewhere nearby and pulls me into him. I’m stiff, I know it, but every muscle is locked tight and I can’t unwind them. “What happened?”

He’s bare-chested, wearing only a pair of pajama pants, and I press my face into him as hard as I can to breathe in the clean scent of his skin. There’s panic in his movements as he runs his hands over me, looking for some type of injury, anything to explain my current state.

“He f-found me,” I stutter.

“What do you mean?” He wraps his arms all the way around me and squeezes protectively.

“He was waiting for me outside. I went to get us some coffee and breakfast, and on my way back, there he was.”

Reid stands a little taller, every muscle going rock-hard.

Releasing me, he takes me in, quickly scanning me from head to toe, and pauses on the red marks on my skin from the hot coffee, which also splashed all over my clothes. His eyes narrow and his jaw tightens.

“Did he hurt you?” His voice cracks as he asks me this.

“No.” I shake my head.

“Did he touch you at all?” His hands tighten on my shoulders.

“No.” I shake my head again then tell him exactly what happened outside.

His eyes find mine, and they’re blazing green with a mixture of emotions. “Do you think he would ever hurt you?”

I pause and think about the way Patrick was acting.

“I don’t know. I’d like to say no, but then again, he’s never acted so crazy before. I don’t know why he would come here, or why he even thinks it’s okay to. When I’m ready to talk to him, I will. I’m not ready yet. Why doesn’t he understand that?”

“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head, displeasure painted across his handsome face.

My eyes start to water again, and Reid pulls me back into him. I wrap my arms around his waist, and his chin settles on top of my head. My eyes fall shut. He’s so warm, and this warmth feels like security, safety. I’m incredibly thankful for him in this moment—hell, every moment.

“Well, let’s hang out here for a while to make sure he’s gone, and then after lunch we’ll pack up and head somewhere else for a few days until we can figure out how to handle this, handle him. How does that sound?”

“You don’t have to go with me—this is my mess.” I’m giving him an out if he wants to take it. I won’t be mad, definitely sad, but it is what it is.

He pulls back to look down into my face and his hands wrap around my biceps. Brown hair falls over his forehead, and his cheeks are still tinged pink from outrage. “Absolutely not. Like it or not, for now you are my wife, and I take care of what’s mine.”

The edge to his voice lets me know this isn’t up for discussion, and I let out a deep sigh. I’m not ready to leave him yet.

“I hate that you’re having to do this. It’s such an inconvenience for you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” His mouth quirks up on one side, giving me a lopsided smile. “We’re offseason right now, so as long as I’m still working out and checking in here and there, it’s fine. Do you have any idea where you’d like to go?”

“Actually . . .” I let him go and walk into the kitchen to put the other items on the breakfast bar. He watches as I grab my phone and send off a text to Ali, my best friend from New York. She has a house somewhere near here, and as far as I know, it’s empty. I ask if we can stay there for a few days, and immediately three little dots appear. Her response comes in and I smile up at Reid.