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I lean over, pinning my body against hers, my own cum sticking to both of us. I pull her hair to the side and kiss that spot just below her ear, and her body trembles.
“Mmmm.” A lazy grin spreads across her lips. She looks at me with those bright blue eyes, and I know—I fuckingknow—that no matter what tomorrow brings, this is my refuge. She is my salvation.
42
Makenna
It’s time for me to say goodbye to the girl that used to fall asleep on a tear-stained pillowcase. I’m not her anymore. She’ll always be here, deep within my spirit. And I’m thankful for the journey we took together, but I’ve reached my destination. I no longer need a place to hide. It’s time to let her go.
I called a realtor last week, before we went to Italy. I moved into Callisto’s loft with him. That’s my home now.Heis my home. The other place is nothing more than a storage container for memories.
Reid Landry was my high school sweetheart, my very first love. For as long as I can remember, there was no Makenna without Reid. He was and always will be a huge part of who I am. But Callisto is my soulmate in every sense of the word. When Reid died, I thought I’d lost myself. It felt like my heart had stopped beating, and the whole world was gray. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I could barely breathe.
I walked around in a haze. All the time. Nothing mattered. Nothing. I hid in that house. I crawled in my bed, pulled the covers over my head, and pretended the rest of the world didn’t exist. I functioned out of necessity rather than out of determination. Grief consumed me. Then, Callisto stepped out of the shadows. He breathed new life into my lungs and forced my heart to beat again. He showed me what it means to be alive. He brought back the color into a faded world.
For years I kept Reid’s things in a spare bedroom in this home that was never really home. It was just a place for me to wash my body and rest my head.
Now, as I stand in the spare room, passing my hand over the soft cotton fabric of Reid’s old t-shirts as they hang in the closet, I realize this is the last chapter. It’s time to finally close the book, time to put it on the shelf.
My footsteps echo in the quiet house as I walk down the hall from the bedroom and into the living room. My mind replays memories of sleepless nights on the sofa watching sitcom reruns with a bottle of wine and a plate full of chocolate-covered fruit. Buying this house was my first step to a new life after Reid, and now I’m letting it go. His things will go into boxes that I’ll pass on to his parents. I’ll donate my old furniture to charity. Some new couple just starting out will walk into the resale shop and start their lives the same way we started ours. My memories will bring a smile to someone else’s face, and the thought of that makes my heart a little lighter.
I look around at the reminders of the woman I used to be. Even though I have to let her go, I’m thankful for her. I’m thankful for the fire she had to walk through. Without any of that, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.
I reach around the doorway and slide my hand over the light switch on my old bedroom wall, leaving darkness in my wake with every step I take.
The front door opens and a man steps inside. He’s tall with olive skin and dark hair. His navy-blue polo stretches tightly over his biceps and chest while his dark denim jeans hug his thighs. He’s young. And judging by the diamond-encrusted watch on his wrist, very wealthy. Brynn is obviously not charging enough for her gigs.
Something about him is off. My heart thunders in my chest as I force a smile.Why am I so nervous?
“You must be Makenna,” he says, his smooth voice not making me feel the least bit at ease.
I clench the cell phone in my palm, silently wishing Callisto would call.
“You must be…” I trail off, hoping he’ll fill in the gap for me. I never learned the photographer’s name, only that he was coming. Although, I assumed he’d be with the realtor.
“Sylvester.” His mouth widens in a grin. “Sylvester Morano.” He takes a step further inside, closing the door behind him. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Ms. Taylor”
My pulse roars in my ears. Something is very, very wrong.
He takes another step forward.
I inch backward into the darkness.
“It’s missus, actually. The realtor should be here any minute, but feel free to take your photos.” The glass-half-full side of my brain is still hoping I’m wrong, that this man is just here to take pictures like the realtor said.I’m not wrong. This man is dangerous.
“The realtor isn’t going to make it,” he says, but doesn’t mention why.
I hold my cell phone up in front of me, trying to hide the way I’m trembling. “I’ll call her as soon as I call my husband. He’s supposed to meet us here too.” It’s a lie. I’m not married and Callisto isn’t coming, but this man doesn’t need to know that.
“You mean Cal? I didn’t realize he’d gotten married.” He closes the distance between us in four swift strides. “He can’t save you,bella.”
My deepest condolences, bella.The rose.
Panic splinters in my chest. I move to run toward the front door, but he reaches out and snatches my arm, jerking me back into the hallway.
No. I will not let this happen.
Fear drips in my veins, chilling my blood and leaving me frozen. I swallow down the bile that has made its way up my throat. It’s not just me I have to save. I have to run for our baby.It’s going to be okay, Little Bean. We’re going to be okay.I won’t fail. Not this time. I will save us both.
