“You don’t look ridiculous.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m drowning in these clothes.”
“I’ve seen you in my shirt plenty of times…and I’ve never once thought you looked ridiculous. You look perfect.”
She looked away, over at the disassembled doorknob on the desk. “I can’t believe you took that off.”
“What else was I supposed to do? You needed help.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. After a long moment of quiet, she said, “Thanks for that.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
When her gaze met mine again, the exhaustion in them was unmistakable. She looked like she might collapse where she stood.
I sat up quickly, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and planting my feet on the floor. “You should lay down.” I stood up. “It’s been a long day. You need rest.”
She glanced longingly at the bed. Crossing her arms over her chest, she surveyed the room. “One bed,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.
“I can sleep on the floor—”
“No.” She shook her head, some panic returning to her expression. “Don’t.”
I frowned.
“I mean, I’d like you to—to stay close, if that’s okay.” Her teeth caught her bottom lip.
“Sure,” I said softly. “Whatever you need.”
Relief washed over her face. “After a panic attack, it sometimes feels…” She pulled in a deep breath. “It feels like I’m not on solid ground yet. It’s like…like I’m floating on the ocean, but I can sense it there beneath me, waiting to pull me back under.”
I scanned her from her head to her toes. “You sure you’re okay?” I asked, needing reassurance. “Physically, I mean. After what happened on the highway?”
Pink stained her cheeks. “Yeah.” She nodded. “It didn’t hurt or anything. It just…it scared me.”
Concern flooded me. I wanted to ask her so many questions. I wanted to check every inch of her skin and make sure there wasn’t even a scratch on her body. Instead, I jerked my chin toward the bed. “Come on.”
I stepped back, and she hesitantly walked to the side and crawled in. I followed after her. It was big enough to put plenty of room between the two of us, but that didn’t seem right for this moment. I wanted to feel her against me. I wanted to feel each breath she took.
Lying on my side, I wrapped an arm around her waist and curled myself around her. She fit as perfectly as I remembered. Something inside of me released, like a sigh of relief after holding my breath for too long.
She tensed slightly, and then relaxed back into me. As if she, too, felt some sort of solace.
“Is this okay?” I murmured against her ear, pulling her in even tighter.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.”
We laid in silence. The storm continued to rage outside. Thunder rumbled, but from here in this room, it felt distant and droning. We were safe. The relentless rain that had seemed so threatening on the road was now a comforting soundtrack that calmed our nerves.
I think Skye drifted to sleep eventually; all the tension left her as her breaths evened out.
I stayed awake, though. Everything that had happened ran through my mind. I had no idea whether whoever ran us off the road had done so on purpose or not. I might never know. Someone seemed to be after Skye, meaning her harm, and I was no closer to figuring out who it was. No closer to keeping her safe.
My mind whirred as I held her to me, wondering when that moment was going to come, the moment when she disappeared from my life.Because that time would come. Ember Hollow was too small for her and her big dreams. Her big goals. It always had been.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Skye stirred. She turned over, buried her face against my chest. She tangled her legs around mine before settling.
