Page 139 of Where Roads Lead

I sighed contentedly into him.

“While we’re at it, are there any other incredibly mundane things that do it for you? Maybe watching me unlock doors? Or, I don’t know, drive?” He snorted, as if it were ludicrous.

All I could offer was an unapologetic shrug.

“Elsie, you can’t be serious.”

“What?” I asked defensively. “It’s not my fault you look so incredibly capable doing normal tasks.”

He shook his head in slow disappointment, barely holding back the smirk that appeared on his lips.

“To tell you the truth,” I admitted. “I think I just like watching you do everything.”

His eyes burned into mine in a way that would’ve made me feel embarrassed if we hadn’t already broken down so many barriers tonight.

“Same here,” he said, pulling me even closer. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “Watching you exist is my favorite part of the day.”

With the fire crackling and Will’s heartbeat thrumming under my ear, I fell asleep warm and content, hoping beyond everything that this was the one thing in my life that wouldn’t be fleeting.

Chapter Forty

Elsie

Ihated getting woken up by the Spice Girls.

During normal business hours, having my ringtone set to Wannabe really suited my whimsical nature, which meant I had to live with the curse of occasionally getting alerted to an early morning phone call by Scary Spice telling me what she really, really wants.

I groaned, reaching helplessly for the source of the noise. I blinked into the early morning light, momentarily confused at the bed I found myself in until I turned to see Will sleeping soundly beside me.

He must’ve carried me sometime in the middle of the night, and I would’ve been concerned at what a heavy sleeper I apparently was if it weren’t for the memory of why I’d been so exhausted in the first place.

“Hello?” I groaned into the phone.

“Good morning, Elspeth.”

My body jolted upright at the voice that wreaked more havoc on my nervous system than caffeine ever could.

“Mom?” I whispered, quickly climbing out of bed before I could wake Will.

I looked down at myself, wearing only one of Will’s oversized T-shirts, and scrambled for a pair of sweatpants to fight the morning chill.

“Glad to know you still know how to operate a telephone. Your father and I were worried you’d forgotten that skill.”

I rolled my eyes to the heavens, pushing open the sliding glass door to his back porch.

God, I needed a cup of coffee for this conversation.

“Mom.” I sighed before she jumped into what I already knew was a carefully planned speech.

“I’ve been waiting patiently for you to come to your senses on your own, Elspeth, but now I can see that I was a fool for even thinking you might consider doing what’s reasonable without my help.”

I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that she wasn’t here. Her words could not hurt me. And no matter what, she could not force me to go back.

I focused on the calm of the lake to steady myself as she spieled out her carefully cut words that had been wielded against me since childhood.

I should’ve been able to handle them by now, after twenty-six years of practice, but either I was getting weaker with age, or she was just getting better.

“You’ve sulked long enough.” Her tone was sharp and disapproving. “You took your break from real life, holed up wherever you are, doing God knows what—but it’s time to come back and face your responsibilities.”