“Resting?”
“Well, yeah. I made a bed for myself over here. On the floor.” He walks around to the far side of the room.
I follow, and sure enough, between the bed and the wall, he’s got his own pile of pillows and blankets.
When I turn to him, he looks so proud. Like a kid who built a fort out of pillows and blankets and can’t wait to show it off. He shrugs. “You can have the bed.”
Tears spring into my eyes, and Collin notices before I can look away. The cheerful expression on his face melts into something softer.
“Hey, it’s okay.”
“I’m not crying.” I turn away from him, but a giant sniffle gives me away.
“Right, and I’m not a cop,” he quips. “You can cry if you need to cry.” He takes my elbow and guides me to the bed.
I plop onto the crisp duvet cover and grab for a throw pillow. I clutch it between my arms and glance back up at Collin. He’s standing awkwardly off to the side of the bed. I scooch over. “Sit.”
When he does, the bed dips under his weight. I list in his direction, but we don’t touch. Collin has left a good foot of space between us. He’s being a gentleman. Like he said.
That, or he doesn’t want to come any nearer to me because of all the baggage I’m carting around. Either way, I don’t deserve him.
“You okay?” His voice is hesitant, like he’s not sure what exactly to say to me.
It means a lot that he’s saying anything at all. That he’s here.
I shoot a sidelong glance at him. I nod but keep my mouth shut.
“I know it’s not really my place, but I can’t let what Nelson said at the bar go without addressing it.”
I shake my head. I don’t want to talk about this. “You don’t have to say anything. It’s stupid. I’m sorry you were dragged into the middle of it.” I cover my eyes with my hands. “I’m such an idiot. I panicked. Kissing you was the only thing I could think to do. I thought maybe he wouldn’t recognize me. And then I went and called you my fiancé. What was I thinking?”
Gently, Collin takes one of my hands from my face. He holds it in his and waits for me to meet his gaze.
“I didn’t mind,” he says softly.
I shake my head. “It was stupid. I’m stupid.”
“No.” He squeezes my hand. “You’re a lot of things. But you’re not stupid.” He takes a long breath. “I need to make one thing clear to you. In case you don’t already know this, Nelson is a pig. The scum of all scum. What he said to you—about you…” Collin drags his free hand through his hair and looks away from me. “None of it was acceptable. None of it is true.”
I nod numbly. On some level, I know Collin is right. I know Nelson is the worst. I know I shouldn’t let him have such a hold on me. But I can’t help it.
What does that say about me?
“Thank you for saying that, but you don’t have to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Be nice to me.”
Collin frowns. “Why not?”
I shake my head. I don’t even know where to begin explaining myself. “I should be able to handle him. Handle my feelings, at least.”
Collin cocks his head. “Says who?”
“Says me.”
“Well, now thatisstupid.”
