Page 149 of Before We Break

“She hasn’t left your side.”

I want to run my fingers through her copper hair, so I know she’s real. My other arm is trapped in plaster, so the best I can do is run my index finger along her cheek. It’s not enough, and my frustration mounts with each second that passes where she’s not in my arms.

“How long was I out?”

“Two days.”

“How bad is it?”

He quirks a brow. “How bad does it feel?”

“Nothing compared to losing her.” I stare down at her sleeping form, at her delicately parted lips, and her thirty-six freckles. “I survived that. I’ll survive this, too.”

“Did you get that shit off a greeting card?”

I laugh, and it hurts like a son of a bitch. “Oh, fuck. Ow.”

“That’ll be the broken ribs. Maybe the punctured lung, too.”

The bed shifts as Clio stirs. Her soft hair drags across my forearm as she lifts her head until twin pools of sage green are staring up at me. “Noah.”

I give her a feeble smile. “Hey, Princess.”

FORTY-THREE

PAST TENSE

♫ I found - Amber Run

CLIO

All it takes is two simple words, and I break. A waterfall of tears cascades down my cheeks as every pent-up emotion comes rushing out of me. Two days’ worth of fear and worry.

His gaze softens, and he lifts his uninjured arm. “Come here, baby.”

Without an ounce of hesitation, I nestle into him, laying my palm over his heart. I hear the door open and shut and realize someone must’ve left the room.

“I missed you,” he murmurs against my hair. “Fuck, I missed you so much.”

I can’t bring myself to say the words back, but I feel them with every fiber of my being. The anger fled when the cookie jar shattered, and now all that’s left is the pain. He runs his hand through my hair, and the familiar, gentle touch grounds me. He smells all wrong, though. I hate it.

His gaze roves over my face, a fraction of a movement each time.

I press my hand to his cheek and run my thumb across his beard, forcing him to meet my gaze. “What are you doing?”

“Forty-two.”

“Hm?”

His fingertip traces the bridge of my nose. “You have six new freckles.”

“I’ve been out in the sun a lot lately.”

“I haven’t seen the sun in weeks, but things are looking brighter now.”

My foolish heart stutters, but I refuse to let on how his tenderness affects me.

“I’m so sorry. For everything. I thought by letting you go I was saving you, but all I did was hurt us both.”