The pain was back, fiery agony searing through muscle and sinew. “Need a minute,” I croaked. The desperation in my words had Frankie and my other teammate releasing me.
I didn’t wait for another condemnation from Linc, just spun on my heel and stalked down the hall. Angie stood there, a look of shock on her face. “Cope?—”
She reached out, but I dodged her grasp. “Don’t,” I clipped. “Just don’t.”
I stalked down the hall, hitting the door withExitemblazoned on it, the force enough to rattle my bones. The moment I stepped outside, I sucked in air. It wasn’t the kind of fresh I could find in Sparrow Falls, but it was better than the thick, too-hot air of the church.
Clouds had gathered, threatening rain the way they often did in Seattle. But it fit today. Part of me hoped the sky would open, and a lightning bolt would take me out. It would be so much easier.
My breaths came faster and faster, each one shallower than the one before. The burn lit in my chest, and each breath felt like inhaling acid. It was too much. Images of Teddy blurred with ones of my brother and dad. Pictures of twisted metal and the sounds of pain.
Black spots danced in front of my vision as my world tunneled. And then someone was there. A tiny body propped me up as a hand pressed against my chest. And then I heardhervoice.
“Breathe, Cope. Breathe with me.”
21
SUTTON
The momentI saw him around the side of the church, bent over and gasping for breath, my heart stopped. Everything in that moment was so opposite of the strong, vital man I knew. Everything about it waswrong.
I’d moved on instinct, trying to shoulder some of the weight Cope had been carrying alone for too long, attempting to give him back a little of what he’d given me. I pressed my hand harder against his chest. “Breathe with me.”
I recognized the signs of a panic attack from the handful I had after my assault. The only thing that helped me was stuff that brought me back to the present, items that jolted me into the here and now. I just hoped the feel of my hand over his heart could be that for him.
“Warrior?” he croaked.
It was more sound than a word, a garbled collection of syllables that cracked my damn heart. “I’m right here. Look at me.”
I watched as those dark-blue orbs seemed to try their damnedest to focus. His breaths sounded like wheezing, pained inhales. I pressed my hand harder against his chest. “I’m here. I’m with you.”
Some of the glassiness cleared from Cope’s eyes, and his breathing slowed a fraction.
“That’s it. Nice and easy. With me.” Everything hurt, not because of anything I was going through but because I could feel Cope’s pain. It bled into the air around us, seeping into my pores and taking root.
“My warrior,” he rasped, his forehead dropping to mine, his breaths easing even more.
We stayed like that for…I didn’t know how long, just breathing together. Because sometimes that was all you could do. No words could soothe the ravaged wounds of grief. All you could do was be present in the pain with the person experiencing it. That was a precious gift because people often couldn’t withstand the discomfort of someone else’s sorrow.
But I could shoulder it for Cope. Because he deserved all that and more.
“You came,” he whispered.
“Sorry it took me a minute to find my way.”
Cope pulled back a fraction, his eyes searching mine. Then he closed the distance again, pressing his lips to my forehead and branding me forevermore. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”
My heart jerked in my chest, rioting at the danger this man was to me in so many ways. But I’d been living in the dark for far too long. And Arden was right; it was time to step into the light.
When Cope pulled back, I lifted my hands to his face, letting the scruff there prickle my palms. “Tell me what you need.”
Cope’s throat worked as he swallowed. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“The eulogy?”
He nodded roughly. “Hell, I don’t know if I can even go back inside the damn church.” He paused for a moment, his gaze moving to the trees beyond the side alley. “I haven’t been in a sanctuary since my dad and brother’s funeral.”
My fingers tightened on his face. “Not even for a wedding?”
