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“Addison,” Indira greets, reaching out to shake her hand. “I think I saw you here the other day with Emily, yeah? What brings you to Gamble Springs?”
“Oh,” Addison replies, her eyes flitting between the two of us. She visibly swallows before continuing. “I’m just visiting.”
“Oh! I thought Emily had mentioned you’d be sticking around for a bit,” Indira replies.
She’s one of the few people who knows all the intimate details of my and Emily’s marriage, so when her eyes land on me, I don’t shy away.She isn’t the judgmental type. In fact, most of the town isn’t, save for Ms. Greta and the other old bats who love to gossip. But they’re harmless, really.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Indira continues. “Addison, it was great to meet you. I hope I’ll see you around. This town could use some new faces.” She sends me a wink, then turns and gets back to work.
With Indira gone and our food arriving, I don’t bother wasting any more time with small talk. I’ve spent too much time dwelling on all we have to figure out, and I’m more than ready to get to it.
“How long do you think you’ll be staying at Drake’s?” My eyes don’t leave hers, even when she wiggles under my intense gaze and takes a sip of her water.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
My stomach plummets. She’s leaving.
“You can’t go,” I say, not holding back a single ounce of feeling in my words.
Her eyes drag away from me and connect with the other diners in the restaurant. A few gazes still linger on us, and she must have finally noticed.
“Ignore them,” I tell her, knowing exactly what she’s thinking about their attention.
“How long have they been staring at us?” she whispers.
“Since we walked in.” When she doesn’t reply, I say, “Listen, they’ll find out eventually. You’re not going to be able to hide that bump for much longer. And when they do, it will be fine. I know not everyone fully understands the Emily thing, but most do.”
“Shh, Chase! Are you crazy? Someone will hear you.” She shakes her head. “It just doesn’t feel right to come out about this. What will people think?”
Her voice is a grieving whisper, and my heart aches for her and this position I’ve put her in. She doesn’t deserve to feel guilty for carrying my child. I want her to feel nothing but elation.
Sighing, I gather our stuff and rise from the table. I walk it over to the trash can and get back to her side quickly.“Come with me,” I tell her, holding my hand out to grab hers.
“Where are we going?” Her gaze flies around the room as I lead her out of the restaurant.
I stare hard at any pair of eyes that spend too long on us.
“We need to talk, and you don’t seem very eager to do that here,” I tell her pointedly.
She nods her head and follows me outside. She looks around the empty sidewalk and takes a deep breath, looking down at our joined hands. She pulls hers out of mine, even though her eyes tell me she wants to get closer.
Her action hurts, but I say nothing as I start to walk, keeping quiet as she trails behind me.
We walk a few blocks in silence, and I’m reminded of the cabins, of how easy it was to just be with her. I’ve never been much of a talker, which is something I’ve gotten grief about from others since I was a child. Both of my parents are outgoing, my father especially, so they took my quietness as a personal offense when I was young.
It took them years to really get it and for me to see that I didn’t need to pretend to be loud and outgoing just to make others feel better. But with Addison, I’ve never felt the need to explain myself, and she’s never pushed me to. She just lets me exist in the moment, without any pretense or expectations.
The street finally ends at the arboretum, and I lead her over to the covered pavilion so we can sit down at a picnic table.
“This is beautiful.” Her smile is bright, and it draws my eyes right to her lips.
I want to tell her that the park has nothing on the way she shines. That I’ve never seen anyone more stunning. That I want to take her back to my place and lock her away so she can’t leave me. Not now, not when I need her the most.
“I meant what I said.” My words are hushed but heartfelt. “I don’t want to tell you what you can and can’t do. I don’t have that right. But I’m not ready for you to go home.”
She nods her head and looks at me closely. “I’m not ready to leave, but that doesn’t mean I know how long I should stay either.”
“Okay.” I have to force the word out of me as I roll my shoulders back.
