AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Adeline:I need more time.
I sighas I drop my phone down next to me. I barely slept last night. The house just felt empty without her in it and every time I would roll over, I would reach for her and she was never there.
I drag myself from bed and take the puppies outside before I make them their bottles. Even Quiche seems sad that Adeline isn’t here.
“I know, buddy.” I say as I bend down to scratch his ears. “Don’t worry, I’m going to get her back.”
Once the puppies are all set, I run upstairs to get ready for work. I don’t have much on my docket for today so I just dress casually in jeans and a t-shirt. I leave my house and see that Adeline and Aspen have already left theirs. I can see them walking a couple of feet ahead of me.
She said she needed time before I could walk her to work but she didn’t say I couldn’t follow her to work. I know that’s obsessive but I just have this need to know that she’s ok.
I keep my distance and trail after them as they walk to the animal shelter. I stay at the corner as they say goodbye and I watch Adeline walk into work. It’s only been one night but I miss her so much already. It feels like my world is crumbling around me.
I spend the morning at the office, trying to focus on work and not on what Adeline is doing. At eleven, I give up and head to the animal shelter. I didn’t see her carrying a lunch and I’ve been stressing, wondering if she’s hungry, all morning.
I stop at the deli down the street from the shelter and grab her favorite sandwich. I’ll just take this to her and then maybe I can explain the photo again and try to apologize. Hopefully, we can get this relationship back on track.
CHAPTER 17
Adeline
“Hey,Addy. There’s a man here to see you.” Carol says with a knowing smirk.
She winks at me before she goes back to work. I know who the man here to see me is before I even go to the front. Lincoln. I should have known he wasn’t going to give me time. Well, not much of it anyways.
I walk out of the back and see him standing by the front desk with a brown paper bag in his hand. He looks like he didn’t sleep last night. He’s dressed casually in jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers. His hair is mussed and his eyes look tired, with dark circles under them.
“I brought you lunch, love.”
“Thanks.” I say as he hands me the bag.
We stand in awkward silence as we stare across the desk at each other.
“It’s your favorite, from the deli across the street.”
“Great. Thanks again.”
“Can we talk?” He blurts.
Something about how vulnerable he looks when he asks makes me lower my guard. I want to stay mad at him but the more I think about it, the more I start to soften. I wanted someone to love me the way that Roman and Flynn love Aspen and I’ve been pushing him away and keeping him at arm’s length from the beginning.
Lincoln cares about me. He constantly worries about me and if I have everything I need, if I’m safe and taken care of. He does everything in his power to make me happy, from adopting eight puppies, to offering to take me on a vacation.
I know that Lincoln loves me. He’s made that clear from the beginning. I know that Lincoln would never leave me. Not by choice, anyway. Now I just need to give up this fear. I need to take a chance on this with him because I think it’s everything that I’ve wanted in my whole life.
“Not here. Can you pick me up after work? We can talk at home.”
“Home?” He asks and I’ve never seen him look so excited.
“Yeah. At home.”
I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek.
“I’ll see you after work. Thanks for the sandwich.”
I look at him one last time before I head back into the back.
CHAPTER 18
