I hovered over it, thumb hesitating. Carmen stirred beside me, a little sound slipping from her throat like a whimper. My decision sealed itself right then.
I hit call. It rang twice.
“Hey kiddo, you feeling any better?”
Did they speak earlier? Was he the one who broke the news to her? Not now. Not now.
“Actually, it’s Theo.”
“Theo?” His voice was clipped.
I didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“She’s not doing okay. I thought…maybe you could talk to her tomorrow or something.”
Silence.
When Marcus answered, his voice was already rough around the edges.
“Where is she?”
“With me.She’s asleep now, but it’s not real sleep. She hasn’t eaten. Barely speaks. I tried getting her friends to talk to her. It helped for a minute, but she’ll shut down again. I know it”
“I’ll catch the first flight out.”
I blinked.
“That’s not what I—”
“I don’t give a damn what you thought,” he said sharply.Okay, so he didn’t like me either.“If she needs someone who understands her pain right now, then that’s what I’ll be. I’ll come tomorrow because that’s what she needs.”
I didn’t argue.
Because, truthfully, I couldn’t.
“All right,” I said quietly. “I’ll text you the hotel address.”
He ended the call without saying goodbye.
And I just sat there, Carmen breathing against my chest, knowing I’d just let another man fly across the world for my girl—because it might be the only thing that could help her survive the loss. Yet another man thought they could take care of Carmen better than I could.
And it pissed me the fuck off.
Never Again.
Day Fourteen.
It was the first time that Carmen had left the bed without me having to coax her.
She was in a sundress. Something light blue that floated just above her knees and made her look almost like herself again. Her curls were loose, a little messy—she hadn’t styled them, just letting them do what they wanted.
But her skin had color again.
Her eyes weren’t as glassy.
She kissed Marcus on the cheek when he arrived, and I tried not to grit my teeth.
Marcus stepped back to look at her. “Italy agrees with you.”
