Page 228 of That Rush

The old office is close enough to reach in less than a minute. I could knock under the excuse of bringing more coffee, checking the temperature, or pointing out a feature she already saw last night. I have enough practical reasons to make intrusion sound thoughtful.

I stay in the house.

Giving her space only works if I leave her alone when she asks. Sitting on the porch outside her window would turn the lock into decoration, and knocking every hour would make her responsible for reassuring me. I give her the quiet she asked for, even while every instinct wants proof that we are still all right.

For the next three hours, I answer emails, review a feed order, and take two calls at the kitchen table. I check the clock often enough to annoy myself, but I never cross the yard.

Near noon, I make lunch for both of us and cover Paige’s plate. Then I sit down with an invoice instead of delivering it to her door.

At twelve seventeen, the lock clicks.

Paige steps onto the private porch with her empty mug. Her hair is pulled into a loose knot, and the tension around her eyes is gone.

When she spots me through the open kitchen window, she smiles.

A minute later, she walks into the house, sets her mug in the sink, and wraps both arms around my waist.

A breath I’ve held all morning finally leaves me. I pull her close and kiss the top of her head.

“Feel better?” I ask.

“Much.” She leans back enough to look at me. “Thank you for leaving me alone.”

“I wanted to knock.”

“I assumed you would.”

“That doesn’t sound flattering.”

“It is when you choose not to.”

I brush a loose strand of hair from her cheek. “There’s lunch.”

“Acts of service without forced proximity. You really are committed to this personal-growth experiment.”

“Don’t get too impressed. I checked the clock twenty-three times.”

“Only twenty-three?”

“I showed restraint.”

She smiles, rises onto her toes, and kisses me slowly. The words are a soft breath against my mouth. “I missed you.”

She closed the door, took what she needed, and came back because she wanted me. I can learn to trust that choice.

“I missed you too.”

Her fingers curl into my shirt as I hold her against me.

“I like watching you come back more than preventing you from leaving.”

Josie gets three steps into the kitchen before she sees Paige sitting beside me at the table.

She lets go of her overnight bag, the strap sliding from her shoulder.

“You’re here!”

She runs across the room and launches herself at Paige. Paige barely has time to turn before Josie wraps both arms around her waist.