Deciding to take Holden’s advice, I pull my phone out and message him.
Me
Roman, the lack of communication is making me a little worried. How long do you thinkyou’ll be?
Roman
I’ll be home within the hour. We need to talk.
I stare at his message, swallowing hard a couple of times.
We need to talk.
We need to talk?
Who the fuck wants to hear that? Not me.God.
I toss my phone to the side and stand, pacing back and forth in the living room, waiting for him to get home.
When the door finally opens fifty-eight minutes later, Roman looks… awful. Nervous and visibly trembling and almost like he saw a ghost. It does nothing to ease my worries at all.
“Hey,” he says, trying for a small smile, but it falls flat, and my heart falls with it.
“What’s wrong? Please just get it over with. Are you leaving me?” My voice comes out completely wrecked, and a sob catches in my throat. God, I won’t survive this again. I really won’t. I barely did last time and I only had him for a couple of months. If I lose him now, after three years? That’ll be the end of me.
Roman’s jaw hits the floor. “I’m sorry. I must have misheard you. Did you just ask me if I was leaving you? Like… leaving you? Breaking off our engagement? Leaving?”
Well, yeah. I guess I was. I wave my hands around, trying to keep myself from crying. He’s across the room in a heartbeat, and I’m being pulled into his arms. “God, you fucking idiot. No, I’m not leaving you. But you might want to leave me by the time we’re done talking.”
Doubtful. I can’t think of a single thing that I would leave Roman over. I don’t say that, though. I just bury my nose against him and suck in his sugary scent like a fucking fiend. “Why’d you leave without saying goodbye?” I ask when I feel a little calmer.
He pulls back and looks at me. “Didn’t you get my note?”
His note? I shake my head. “I’ll be right back, okay?” he asks, searching my eyes. I nod, forcing myself to take a deep breath. He’s not leaving me. I can’t believe I worried he was. He presses a kiss to my lips and walks down the hall, coming back with a note that I unfold the second he hands it to me.
I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye, baby. I have something important to take care of. Someone important. I love you more than life itself. I promise I’ll tell you everything when I get home. Have a great day. Text me, please.I’ve missed you so much the last couple of days. XOXO Roman.
When I’m done, I read it over again, just to make sure I read it right. I drop my forehead to his shoulder as relief washes over me. “I didn’t see it. I’m sorry.”
His arms surround me. “It’s okay. I just figured you got busy at work and didn’t have time to text me. We should sit down, okay?”
I nod and lift my head, following him to the couch, and sit down beside him.
He grabs my hands and gives them a gentle squeeze, then takes a deep breath. “Yesterday, when I was working, I was about to leave early. And as I was walking out, there was a kid sitting by the wall. I brought him inside and got him warmed up and fed. I had to get creative because he didn’t want to eat, but finally, he did. And we talked for a while. He had a busted lip and a black eye. His dad.”
Ah, well, that explains the somber mood when he came home last night. The ones with abusive dads always hit him a little harder.
He takes another deep breath, pinching his eyes shut tight before opening them again, proving my point. “Anyway, I took him to Safe Haven. God, Beck. He’s such a good kid. He’s smart and funny. I ordered two meals andacted like they gave me extra. As soon as I walked into Safe Haven today, he called me on it. Told me he knew I ordered double. He was scared to call me out like that, but he did anyway. He was so brave.”
I nod, my heart racing. Sounds very similar to the love of my life. Terrified, but so, so strong, and so brave. “He sounds a lot like you, beautiful.”
Roman smiles, squeezing my hands. “He’s kind, and thoughtful. I spent the entire night talking to him and then the entire day today. He’s got this dry sense of humor, almost like Holden’s. His dad told him to get out over some damn lip gloss, and he did. And he came to me for help because one of his friends did, and I helped them. Liam, actually.”
That makes me smile. That kid was something else. Roman rushes on. “He broke down last night and cried, and I held him while he did. He asked for a hug and just… God, Beck. It was awful.” He’s building up a head of steam now, his words coming faster and faster.
“He’s sweet, Beck. He told me about his life and all the things he’s been through. He’s only fourteen. Today, he was playing with the younger kids, making up games with them to make them feel better. He taught them how to play tag and was so bright and happy, even with his bruises and his busted lip. He’s gentle.”
I nod, letting him get his words out. “He doesn’t… He doesn’t belong there, Beck. I don’t want to leave him there.”
