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The urge to run, to leave everything behind, crawled up his spine, but he forced himself to do the bare minimum in stretches and took off at a jog. The rocky running paths made him keep his pacing slow, which was probably a good thing. It had been awhile since he’d actually run on uneven ground. He could do five miles on the treadmill in his sleep, but the rugged terrain of the woods was a bit harder to navigate.
It was tough on his knees and shins, but he breathed through the pain. When he got down to the turnoff for the main access road, he turned around and headed back. Sweat dripped off his legs, his arms, hell, even his knees were dripping.
His shirt was molded to his chest and his shorts were going to need to be wrung out, but his brain was blissfully empty. At least for a moment. Maybe he could get her to listen to him for a few minutes so he could apologize.
His anger got the better of him. Stewing in frustration day in and day out was fucking his head up. Patience was a virtue for a goddamn reason. He slowed to a walk as he climbed the incline to the house.
She was pacing the length of the kitchen when he walked in. Tears tracked her cheeks and her hands were shaking as she came at him. Logan took a step back, then forward as he saw that it was fear in her eyes, not anger.
“Hey.” He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and cupped her face.
She twisted her fingers into his shirt.
“I’m sweaty as hell, not sure you—” He cut off as she curled her arms around him and plastered herself to his chest.
“Don’t go.”
His heart stuttered and he went stone still. He was afraid to breathe. Was it his imagination, or had she finally spoken?
She pressed her mouth into his neck. “Don’t go.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He drew a tentative hand down her hair. “I told you I was in this for the long haul.”
“I couldn’t see you,” she whispered, her voice rusty with disuse. “I can always see you.”
He frowned. He thought back to her daily activities and realized that she may not have talked to him, but she always knew where he was. He thought she had stuck close to the house simply because she was nervous being away, but a few pieces started to come together.
When he went to the rec lodge, she always took Fiona out and she’d walk by the wide open doors. Never stop, but she’d always walk by.
He just assumed it was one of her random strolls with Fiona.
Instead she’d been checking up on him.
“Izzy.” She tightened her grip on his shirt. He eased her back. “Baby, nothing is going to happen to me.”
“You don’t know that. We’ve been so arrogant. So stupid.” Her topaz eyes filled up and spilled over with tears. “We deserved it, not them.”
He hauled her up against his chest and wrapped her up tight. “No. No one deserves what Aimee’s been doing.”
She sniffled into his shirt. “We baited her. All we cared about was making sure we had a normal life. I pushed you for it.” Her words came out in a stumbling rush. “I didn’t believe you when you told me just how ruthless she could be.”
God, was that what she thought? This was what kept her so tightly wound and separate from him?
He took a step back and drew her into the living room to a couch and sat down next to her. Afraid to say anything that would send her back into her shell, he took a deep breath.
She looked down at her hands and traced the slight color change from the skin that had been burned to the skin that had only been singed.
He covered her hands. “Isabella, this is what she does. Even if we had done everything right. Even if we had three guards on you at all times, she would have played the same game.”
“I was so cocky that night.” Her eyes were wide and blind with memories. “Running through the paths between The Barn and the main stage. I made Sarah insane. I believed we were invincible.”
He pushed back a hank of her hair and gathered all of his patience. These were the pieces he hadn’t had from that night. The parts he hadn’t wanted to ask.
“I’d given her the slip so many times that weekend. Not on purpose, just because I was careless. I didn’t believe we were actually in danger. If I’d only been a little more careful—”
“No.” He cupped her face and shook her until she saw him. He watched the fog of the past drain from her eyes. “I know Sarah kept you safe. No matter what. She made sure you were fine, even if you gave her the runaround. She told me she went with you into the bookstore.”
“We were laughing. I was so excited because we’d announced our engagement. You sang that song to me.” A dark laugh slipped between her words. “I’d never been happier in my life.” Her eyes went glassy with memory again before she closed them. “I wanted to change my shirt?” Her brow furrowed. “Yeah, I was drenched from jumping around at the show. But I know The Barn is always about twenty degrees hotter than the main stage show, so I brought a change of clothes. I told Nic to go get the tickets and I ducked behind the counter to swap my shirt. If I’d have gotten the tickets instead.” Her eyes fluttered open, tears tracking down from the corners. “If only I’d been the one to get the tickets.”
