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“Does she know?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “I told her I was in love with her the morning after your wedding. She didn’t say anything like that back, but she didn’t slap me either, so I took that as a good sign. I’ve seen her every day since.”
His eyes widened. “Wow. Okay. You have to be careful with her. She just lost the last guy she was in love with. It won’t be easy.”
I nodded. This wasn’t news and was exactly why I had only kissed her so far. I was worried I had blown it by telling her I was in love with her, but that shit just poured out of my mouth without permission.
Before I could say anything else, she walked into the kitchen with Mish. It looked like she had been crying. My arms itched to pull her close and kiss her puffy eyes, but I waited for a signal from her it was okay.
She sidled up next to me, so I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Got a sec?” she asked.
I couldn’t resist dropping a kiss to the top of her head and inhaling her scent. “Of course.”
“We will just skedaddle,” Mish said in a sing-song tune. If I had any doubts Cee had mentioned what happened after the wedding to Mish, they were gone, just looking at the goofy grin on Mish’s face as she and Connor left the room.
“Will you help me move?” she blurted.
I felt myself tense. “I promised you I would. You moving in here?”
“No. These newlyweds need their own space. There’s an apartment between here and Mason’s and I rented it. I hired movers, but there are some things I want to pack myself. I just… I don’t think I can go there alone.”
I pulled her tight to me. “I told you I’d take care of all of that when you were ready.”
“You did?”
“It was a long time ago. But whatever you need. When did you want to go?” My stomach turned at the thought of going back to that house. I was terrified bringing her back there would cause her to spiral into the dark place she had only just escaped from.
“I just want to rip off this bandage. Mason took Wyatt’s stuff a long time ago, but other than some clothes, I left everything else behind to gather dust.”
“I got you,” I said with a confidence I didn’t feel.
Sixty-Nine
Cee
We pulled into the driveway, and I fully expected to see Eli’s car there, although the insurance company totaled it in the accident and we didn’t get him a new one. I took a shaky breath and touched the door handle of the car, but I couldn’t bring myself to open it.
“Hey, you okay?” Sergio asked quietly, his hand finding the one not on the handle.
“I just need a minute.” I stared at the house until I noticed the lawn. “Who the fuck has been cutting the grass? This place should look like a damn jungle.” The mystery was enough to prompt me to open the car door and get out. I opened the mailbox to find it empty. For the first time in over a year, I wondered about the things that should’ve been there.
Before I could ask, Sergio supplied the answers I needed. “Elle had it forwarded to her house. Anything not on automatic payment, Mason takes care of.”
I just shook my head. I put the PIN number into the lock and let myself in the front door. Everything was exactly as I remembered, right down to the chocolate handprint Wyatt left on the wall when he was two. It was so adorable I couldn’t bear to wash it off.
I pressed my hand against the chubby little one on the wall and took a deep breath as I remembered the argument Eli and I had about leaving it.
“Someday, he’s gonna have big man-hands and I’m gonna want to remember how adorable and chubby they were. And sticky. That kid’s hands are always sticky.”
“So, get some paint and paper, crazy bitch.” He smiled at me, and I knew the cloth in his hand would not erase this little reminder of Wyatt’s terrible twos.
“This is more organic.” I kissed Eli’s cheek.
“I’m going to need a knife of some sort. This handprint is coming with us.”
Sergio looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Really? Maybe you should’ve used paint and paper if you wanted his handprint.”
The comment settled in my chest and filled a tiny hole. “This was more organic.”
