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“I need some air.”
“Casey.” She got up and rushed down the steps, heading into the garden.
“I’m sorry,” Abby said. “I don’t know why she’s so nervous about this.”
“I’ve told her that you love her,” Rome said.
“It’s fine.” He wasn’t going to admit that watching her run away broke his heart.
Chapter Nine
Casey gritted her teeth, feeling like a fucking bitch!
Why did she run away like that?
Why did commitment scare her so much?
She never had these reactions in the city, and she didn’t even know where they came from. There was no purpose to them, no reason. Her parents were considered one of the most romantic couples in the town, if not the world, and yet here she was, panicking about what may never be. None of it made any sense to her. She didn’t know what the future held, and yet, she ran away from the one good thing in her life. The one good guy.
“Stupid. So stupid.”
“You don’t have to call yourself that,” Rusty said.
She looked up to see him walking toward her. Staring at his face, she wondered if he was pissed off or angry, or just hurt. He didn’t give anything away.
“I figured my mom or dad would be here to, you know, make sure I’m okay.”
“They’re worried about you. It’s not every single day their only daughter runs away when it’s made obvious she’s slowly moving in with a guy.”
“Don’t.”
“It’s fine. Honestly. It’s kind of refreshing to have a woman run from me. I’m used to them throwing themselves at me all the time. It’s quite annoying.”
She chuckled, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. “I’m a bitch, aren’t I?”
“I wouldn’t say you’re a bitch. I’d say you’ve got some serious issues, but I’m sure in time we can totally work on them. It’s not a big deal.” He took a seat beside her.
She didn’t know when her parents had put a bench at the bottom of the garden, but she was thankful for it. “I’m not usually like this.”
“What are you like then? I can’t imagine running away in the city is easy to do.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“You ran from dates then?”
“If I never told them where I lived it was really easy to do.”
“Wow, cold.”
“I just … I think you’re an amazing guy.”
“Wait, are you going to break up with me?”
“No.”
“Good, because I do have a great speech planned,” he said.
“You do.”
“Yep. I’m keeping it for if I see you trying to run away. You’ll be blown away, and it’ll make you fall in love with me.”
Her heart started to race.
Rusty laughed, but it didn’t even sound natural. “Don’t you worry about a thing right now, Casey. I’m not going to confess my undying love, or whatnot. Just know that I will do everything in my power to make you stay with me.”
“You’re too good for me,” she said. “I don’t want to leave. I like things the way we are.”
“Where you pretend there’s not a space in my closet for you, or that you don’t spend as much time as humanly possible with me.”
She felt tears spring to her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Babe, you’ve got nothing to be sorry over. Nothing at all.” He reached out, pushing a stray curl off her face.
“I wasn’t running from you.”
“I know what you were running from. You’re one of the strongest women I know, and you’re afraid of the future, of us. I get it, to a point.”
“It doesn’t freak you out even a little bit?”
“No. I know what I want, and I guess, we’ve got to work on what it is you want. Only when you know what it is, can we really move on and be happy.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “So long as you don’t run away when I’m having to do a job or something. Never run away. Always come to me. Promise me that.”
“I promise.” She threw her arms around him, holding him close. “I will never walk away from you.”
“Good.” He ran his hands down her back. “Your parents are waiting for us. Do you want me to lie to them and say you’re not feeling well?”
“Nah, I can face them. It’s not hard.” She pulled away and wiped the stray tears from her face. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Yeah, keep reminding yourself of that when I do something fucking stupid.”
She laughed. The only time Rusty cussed was when they were having sex. It always sounded dirty, but in the bedroom, just right.
“You could never do anything stupid.” She took his hand, and together they walked back to her parents, who both looked nervous.
“Can I use the bathroom?” Rusty asked as they approached.
“Sure.” Abby told him where to find it, and Casey sat down in her spot.
Glancing over at her parents, she saw they looked worried.
