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Just inside the lobby, she stopped and looked around. The second she spotted me, she started walking my way. My feet carried me toward her and we met halfway.
She blinked up at me like she didn’t know what to make of me, her lips thin and pulled down at the corners. Now that she was closer, I could see how red her eyes were. She’d definitely been crying.
Her mouth opened, but before she could speak I swept her up in a ferocious hug. The breath whooshed out of her lungs as I lifted her off the floor and buried my face in her hair.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, holding her as tight as I could without hurting her. “I hate that I did that to you.”
“I know,” she said, and I took heart from the way she wound her arms around my neck. She was basically clinging to me, which had to be a good sign, right?
Please let it be a good sign.
I could have stood there all night holding her like that, but after a few seconds she said, “Donal, put me down,” and I let her slide to the floor.
No way was I letting go of her completely though. My arms stayed locked around her, holding her in place against me. All around us, people came and went through the lobby, but I only had eyes for Tess.
“Is Maddy really okay?” she asked anxiously. “What happened?”
“She’s fine.” My forehead sagged against hers as I exhaled what felt like my first unconstrained breath of this whole cursed day. “Some lady blew through a stop sign and hit her driver’s side door.”
“Jesus,” Tess breathed.
“Luckily it was a residential street and the woman was going pretty slow, or it could have been a lot worse. It ended up just being a minor fender bender.”
“Thank God.”
“Not that I knew that when Maddy called me crying and said she’d been in a car accident.”
Tess’s hands moved in comforting strokes over my neck and through my hair. “It must have been terrifying.”
“I had to go get her. She needed me.”
“Of course you did. I’m just so glad it wasn’t more serious.”
“I wouldn’t have missed today for anything less than an emergency, Tess. Please tell me you knew that.” I searched her face, hoping to find absolution.
Her lips stayed shut. When she dropped her gaze to the floor, my stomach went with it.
“You didn’t know that.” My voice was as hollow as my heart felt.
Tess’s arms tightened around me as she pressed her face into my chest. “I know itnow.”
“But you thought I’d blown you off for nothing.” It didn’t feel great that she’d assumed the worst of me. That she kept expecting me to fail her. “You spent the whole day thinking that, didn’t you? Right up until a few minutes ago.”
She nodded, clutching me harder. Like she was afraid I was going to disappear on her again.
“You must have hated me. I can’t stand that.” I dropped my face to her hair. It smelled like fresh air and hospital disinfectant. “Tell me what I could have done different, because I don’t fucking know.”
“Nothing. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I wanted to believe she meant that, but it was hard when I’d seen the pain written on her face. “I hurt you,” I said miserably.
“It’s not your fault. I forgive you.”
“Just like that?” I searched her eyes. “You’re really not mad?”
“I’m done holding grudges. It’s already kept us apart for too long.”
Hearing her repeat my words back to me went a long way to smoothing the jagged edges inside me. I pulled her against me again, resting my chin on top of her head. “I’m still sorry I had to pick someone else over you after I promised I wouldn’t.”
