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“Yes,” Rainbow says, waving Davis and me along as she hurriedly follows her husband. “You two should probably go pack up your things and go along your journey.”
But Davis and I stand face to face. Frozen. Unmoving.
His throat works as he swallows. “We can get back on the road,” he says solemnly. “Tonight.”
“Yeah. That’s great.” My disappointed tone echoes his.
We stare at each other some more.
“Come on, you guys. Come on.” Rainbow motions us over from across the parking lot.
I clear my throat. “So, uh, should we…? We should…go pack, I guess…”
That old heaviness settles over us again.
“Yeah, we should.” Davis gives a little nod.
With a hand at the small of my back, he guides me through the crowd and back to where the Jeep is parked.
He’s always so protective of me. That’s what pulls me in. And it’s precisely the reason I had to walk away from him. Because I knew that, if push came to shove, if he had to choose between his ambitions and my wellbeing, he would always choose me. And because I loved him more than anything, I couldn’t let him do that.
My heart throbs with affection for this man. Such agoodman. It stings that I couldn’t keep him. Hell, I feel sorry for myself. But Davis comes first, always. I may have been his number one priority but he was mine.
I did what I had to do to protect him.
We drive through Starlight Falls, Davis’s Jeep trailing Jimmy’s pickup. I sit quietly in my seat, trying not to think about the fact that, once we leave this town, we’ll be out of our safe little bubble and we’ll be back in the real world where unseen forces keep us apart.
This sacred moment in time between us is virtually over.
When we get back to the hunter’s cabin, we go around folding up our clothes, packing our bags, stuffing the old linens back into the old chest.
I check the bathroom once. Twice. Three times.
Davis fluffs and re-fluffs the pillow on the bed.
And after a while, it becomes clear that we’re only spinning our wheels. It’s time to go. But neither of us wants to.
“Okay, I’ve got everything,” I say with a sigh. I sling my purse over my shoulder and trudge to the door, rolling my little pink suitcase along with me.
“Great. Good.” Davis hefts his own bag over his shoulder, then he comes and snatches the handle of my suitcase away from me.
Standing on the door mat, we turn and face each other. A breath shudders its way up my chest as I stare at him and he stares at me. I feel my heart fissure right down the middle. It’s breaking all over again.
Because I don’t want to let go. I don’t want to return to the way things have been for the past few years. I want to stay here in this faraway cocoon where Davis and I can be together, and nothing can stop us.
But we can’t.
I turn, my hand reaching for the door handle. And Davis grabs my upper arm. “Maybe…” He swallows. “Maybe we should stay here one more night.”
My heart surges hopefully. “What…?”
“I mean—it’s late already. And the roads are dark.” His eyes are on my mouth as he speaks.
“Right,” I breathe out, feeling my tongue dart over my lips. “That could be dangerous.”
“So dangerous…” he rumbles, the bags slipping from his hands to the floor.
“Cash and Meghan wouldn’t want us risking our lives like that.” I reach up, fisting the fabric of his shirt in my hand.
