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Nolan sits back at the same time I turn toward him.
Our gazes collide, and it hurts—God,does it hurt. He has to see how much it’s hurting me.
Except, now that I’m looking at him, I see he too is hurting and wonder if maybe he feels it after all. Maybe I’m not alone in this for once.
“You need to go,” I whisper, nodding for good measure.
He doesn’t say anything.
“You get to see your daughter again,” I somehow choke out, a wet smile pulling painfully at my lips. His face is completely blurred out by my tears, but I just smile harder, even though it’s killing me. “You get to have your life back.”Everything he’s been working toward…
I was just a stepping stone. A pit stop. An escape.
I knew this all along.
Then why…
Why…
I shake my head, the thoughts thrashing around my head growing disjointed.
“Skyler, I don’t—”
I shake my head. Clearing my throat, I force the words out, knowing I have to say this—and convincingly—or he’ll never leave, and he needs to leave. Ineedhim to leave.
“I’ll be fine here,” I say, dropping my gaze below his scruffy chin. If I have any hope of getting this out, I can’t look into those eyes. “It’s just…It’s two more weeks. That’s nothing. This was always going to come to an end. It just ended a little sooner than we expected, but…it’s okay. It’s okay.” My voice cracks and I sniff. “You…you have to go. You wouldn’t be the man I lo—”
My voice hitches, my mouth gaping, fumbling.
Time stops.
Everything stops.
Frozen, all I can do is stare wide-eyed, unblinking at the base of his throat.
I don’t even think he’s breathing.
Pursing my lips, I say more slowly, steadily this time, “You wouldn’t be the man Iknowif you stayed.”
His chin quivers, and I peek up, my throat squeezing near-painfully when I find his eyes filling with tears.
There’s a flash of emotion in his eyes—something big and powerful and terrifying.
Everything in me stills.
The beach fades.
The entireworldfades away, and it’s just us…marooned to this space where he exists and I exist and somehow we’ve found each other in the void.
“Don’t,” I whisper.
But it’s too late.
Nolan grabs my cheeks roughly, dives forward, and he slams his lips to mine.
“I’m sorry,” he chokes out hotly, wetly against my trembling lips. “I’m so-so sorry,” he murmurs, kissing me. Over and over and over again, he kisses me, and he apologizes, and then he kisses me some more.
And I’m frozen. For the first time in my life, I’m completely and utterly still, both outside…
