AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have so much baggage, I don’t know…”
“That’s okay. I do know. I know we belong together, I know you’re the one for me and I know we’ll be good together—you, me and Dylan. We all have baggage, but it’s easier if we carry it together.”
“I… I need time, Mitch. I wasn’t looking for this, and then I met you and my calm and quiet existence I’ve been working so hard to achieve has been blown to bits. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going and I can’t think straight when you’re here with me. I… have to think this through.”
Bewildered and disappointed, Mitch stared down at her. She loved him, but she kept throwing obstacles in the way.
Taking out his phone, he booked an Uber to pick him up. “You want time? Okay, I’ll give you time, damn it. But I don’t like it. You’re not getting rid of me this easily. What is between us is not something that’s going to disappear. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded, tears running down her cheeks.
With a sigh, he cupped her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “We’ve made love, I’ve looked into these gorgeous blue eyes of yours. You love me, whether you’re prepared to say it out loud or not. You never would’ve allowed me to touch you if you hadn’t loved me.”
“Mitch…”
“Okay, I’m going. For the moment. But I’m not giving up on us. Not by a long shot.”
*
Long after thesound of the Uber that had picked up Mitch had faded, Riley was still standing in front of her window, watching the street.
Mitch loved her. He’d shown up here and nursed her back to normal while looking after Dylan. He bathed her, dressed her, cooked for her. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man. So why did she send him away? What difference was time going to make?
Sniffling, she turned back to her bed. It didn’t matter, though—there was no way a relationship between them could ever work.
Why not? A pesky little voice wanted to know.
Because… she couldn’t lose someone again, because she’d spent every waking moment since she’d been dumped at the altar trying to get her life back on track and she was finally at a point where she had the home she’d been missing ever since their parents had died. Because she liked neat and tidy…
Yeah? Her life was never going to be neat and tidy ever again. She was always going to love Mitch, always going to miss him. But she’d build this home for her and Dylan…
Home? The little voice prodded. Or merely a house?
Because… she got under the duvet, turned on her side, and hugged her knees close to her body.
Because she didn’t think she was good enough. What if at some point Mitch realized, like Percy had, she wasn’t really what he’d wanted?
Turning her face into her pillow, she cried.
*
Early the nextmorning, the ringing of her phone woke up Riley. Checking her watch, she groaned. It was barely six o’clock, and Dylan was still sleeping. She couldn’t believe she’d actually fallen asleep the previous night, as she’d cried and cried until there hadn’t been any tears left. Although her heart was aching, her headache was at least gone, and she was feeling much better physically. Emotionally, though, she was a mess.
It was a call from Annie. Damn it, she should’ve known. The whole freaking town of Marietta probably knew by now exactly what had happened between her and Mitch last night.
“Hi, Annie,” she said cautiously.
“So it’s true.” Annie sighed. “I didn’t want to believe Mitch. You don’t want him to stay even though he’s told you he loves you?”
“Oh, Annie, I have to think about the whole thing. What if I let him down somehow? When I work, I get lost in what I do. I burn food, I forget to buy groceries. Mitch could do so much better than me.”
It was quiet for such a long time that Riley thought Annie had put the phone down.
She checked. “Annie? You still there?”
“What’s that thing you do?” Annie finally asked. “Craig has told me about it. Something about looking at a person’s face to see the kind of person he or she is?”
Sighing, Riley rolled her eyes. “Physiognomy?” What was Annie going on about?
