“Behave!”
“I’ll try.” After noticing the time on the old grandfather clock I kissed Ellie on her cheek and stood up. “I should get going anyway. It’s late, and tomorrow’s a big day.”
Ellie flinched.
Damn it. “Ellie?—”
“Everything will be fine. You’re not responsible for the way my family acts or reacts in response to things. I’ll be okay.” When she uttered those words, they seemed rehearsed. Almost robotic. Like she’d had to say it repeatedly to remind herself.
Every cell in my body begged me to stay.
To finish that kiss we started. And to stand my ground and not leave her. To show her shewasn’tresponsible for other people’s actions and reactions, and that now she didn’t need to handle it alone.
But I wasn’t her actual boyfriend. And Martha was here just in case.
I brushed the back of my hand along her cheek. “Call me. No matter the time. If something comes up or you just need to talk, call.”
She nodded and gave me a weak smile. I hated that it didn't fully reach her eyes.
“You don’t have to come to work tomorrow. Take whatever time off you need.”
She gave me a frustrated grunt. “I’m not an invalid. I’ll be there. Ican’tstay here. If I do, I’ll work myself up until they get here. Ineedto be busy.”
“Okay, then I’ll be here at 8:00 am.”
She opened her mouth to protest.
“If you get up earlier, message me. We can go in whenever you’re ready.” I would do whatever I needed to help her get through tomorrow and the next two weeks.
“Thanks, Drew. Also, Adam left me a voicemail to let me know that my car will be ready either tomorrow or the next day.”
“We can stop by on our way back from work.”
Ellie walked me to the door, and with each wave from her as I drove off, I forced myself to keep going. Ihatedhow lost she looked. And I knew now that, as the night wound down, all she would think about was her mother and sister arriving tomorrow.
I needed to reach out to my family to be sure they were on high alert and everybody was at the ready in case Ellie needed us.
Chapter Thirteen
ELLIE
“Come here.” Drew leaned against the porch railing of the B&B and motioned me closer.
I shivered. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, painting the sky in pretty shades of orange and pink that would've been beautiful if I could focus on anything other than the dread in my gut.
The temperature was dropping with each passing minute and I could use the warmth of his body. More than that, I needed the support it provided.
We were waiting for my mother and sister to arrive, and I was grateful—again—that work had kept me busy all day. Spreadsheets and scheduling had been a blessed distraction. But now, with nothing between me and their arrival except lengthening shadows and Drew’s steady presence, my mind wouldn’t stop spiraling.
Whenever I thought of my family, nausea rolled through me in waves. I was grateful I hadn’t ended up having to pick them up from the airport.
I hated feeling like this. Hated that they still had this power over me. That even the thought of seeing them could reduce me to this anxious, queasy mess.
The knots in my stomach tightened with each breath I took. My chest felt compressed, like someone had wrapped steel bands around my ribs. Each inhale was a fight.
And pacing only made things worse. My legs ached from wearing a path across the porch boards for the past twenty minutes but stopping seemed impossible. If I stopped moving, the anxiety would catch up and swallow me whole.
I appreciated what Drew didn’t tell me: to calm down. That was Kyle’s go-to whenever I became anxious.
