Hunter gripped the back of his neck and squeezed, trying to stop the panic that had been strangling him all week. It didn’t help. Nothing seemed to help. With every minute that passed, the stranglehold became stronger, tighter, working its way around his neck until he was certain he would stop breathing.
He leaned against the counter, or maybe his lungs finally gave up the fight. He wasn’t sure, but suddenly his vision dimmed and all hecould see was the past few weeks—rushing at him with a force too staggering to remain upright.
He replayed how terrified she’d been about losing Muttley, how resigned she’d been about him going off to live this amazing life. A life that would mean nothing without her.
Without love.
“Simplifies everything, doesn’t it?” Brody said with a smug smile.
Hunter couldn’t find a goddamn thing to smile about. Mackenzie wasn’t running. She’d given him her love—the only way she knew how. And what had he done? Said it wasn’t enough. He’d never made enough room for them to even exist. Never made room for her love. And he knew exactly how that felt.
He’d been so desperate to make it work he hadn’t taken the time to ask her what wasn’t working. So afraid of losing out on love again, losing out on a life with her, he’d somehow missed the “with her” part.
She hadn’t missed it. She’d seen exactly what life with him would be like. Her alone in a dark room and him surrounded by the house lights.
He stared at the storm raging outside, and a flash of light exploded over the city. He looked at his cousins, both of them smiling like idiots. “I gotta go.”
Brody clapped him on the shoulder. “Figured as much.”
