“You want some water?” I ask her on a whisper.
She nods, and I amble over to the dresser where a couple of complimentary bottles of water sit, cracking one open to give to her. It’s a mini, so she chugs most of it all at once. Twisting the cap back on, she sets it beside her on the nightstand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I move to get back into my bed when she speaks. “Can you sleep with me?”
Frozen halfway into a sitting position, I say, “What?”
“Could you sleep with me in my bed, please?” Her eyes leave mine, staring down into her lap. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“Yeah…” The word comes out breathy, and I mentally berate myself. “Okay. I can do that.”
Nelly gives me a small smile that doesn’t meet her tired eyes as she lifts the covers, letting me slip in beside her. There’s barely enough room for the both of us, but we turn on our sides, her back to my front, and I wrap my arm around her middle. It takes no time at all for her breathing to even out.
But it takes me significantly longer for sleep to find me.
Chapter Five
Penelope Boswell
“Do you want anything while I’m inside?” My thumb points over my shoulder, toward the convenience store as I glance at Wren over the car while she pumps gas.
“Sure!” A smile tugs on her lips. “A bag of Doritos and a bottle of water, please.”
“You got it!”
We are somewhere in the middle-of-nowhere, Oklahoma. It’s a whole lot of fields and not much else. If I was making this drive alone, I probably would’ve fallen asleep at the wheel by now.
I haven’t heard from Anthony at all, and while that makes me happy because I don’t want to, it also fills me with dread because I’m sure it’s coming. There’s no way he’s going down without a fight. Although, I do think he’ll be smarter about it than calling me right away. He wouldn’t risk his career like that.
The bell above the door dings upon my entrance, the inside of the tiny store empty, save for the cashier sitting behind the counter. She greets me, her accent coming out thick as she sends a grin my way before returning to the magazine in her hands. I’d imagine there aren’t too many people around this area at once. I’m not being dramatic when I say it’s in the middle of nowhere. I’m surprised we found a gas station at all.
Looking around the store, I find Wren’s requested items, but it takes me a moment longer to figure out what sounds good to me. We had a continental breakfast at the hotel this morning before we left. It was okay. Nothing special. I’m definitely hungry now, my stomach shouting for nourishment, but nothing sounds good.
Eventually, I settle on some muddy buddies and grab another bottle of water. That’ll have to do.
Glancing out the window as the cashier rings me up, Wren’s already back in the car, messing around on her phone. Her dark hair is thrown up on top of her head in a messy bun, a few strands hanging down and framing her face. This morning, I woke up in bed alone. She showered before we went down to breakfast, and the loss of her beside me made me feel oddly empty.
Having her sleep right behind me, with her arm wrapped around me, was different, but it was also surprisingly the best night’s sleep I’ve had in… I don’t even know how long. I’m not a cuddler. Like at all. Anthony and I had a king-size bed, simply because I needed my space, and he tends to be a bed hog. If he even touched me while I was trying to sleep, it would end up in a restless night.
Swiping up the bag of snacks, I head back to the car. I open the passenger door, but I don’t get in. Instead, I bend down, looking inside at Wren. “Hey, you want me to drive for a while?” I ask. “Give you a little break?”
She shakes her head. “Nah, I’m good. Get in.”
Wren puts the car in drive, turning up the stereo as I buckle my seatbelt. We’ve got a country playlist on today, the windows rolled down, with the sun shining down on us.
We drive for about another four hours, crossing into Texas, before it starts downpouring.
“Wren, pull off the side of the road!”
“What? Why?” She glances over at me, confusion written all over her face.
“Just please!”
I have always loved the rain. Growing up, living in San Diego most of my life, rain wasn’t a thing. We could easily go months and months without seeing a single drop. But prior to moving there, my family was stationed in Oak Harbor, which is in Washington state. Rain was a constant there for most of the year. There would be entire weeks when it rained all day, every day.
It’s so comforting, the pitter-patter of the rain falling, the gray skies.
