I can still feel Ford, his hands, his mouth, the way he said my name like it meant something. The way it filled me, as if my body had been carved out for him. I bite the inside of my cheek. Hard. Try to shove it all back down where it belongs.
“You alright?” Toby adds, like an afterthought. Or maybe like a test.
I swallow. “Peachy.”
He doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t even twitch.
Just studies me like I’m a half-burned blueprint and he’s trying to find the flaw in the design.
“Seriously, Lo. That place looked rough.” His voice is too even. “You sure you don’t need someone to come by? Check the damage? I could look at the wiring. Maybe board up the window, just until you’re settled.”
I blink at him. He sounds… concerned. Genuinely. Which would be fine if he weren’t also looking at me like I’m a stray dog that might bite if he gets too close.
Or maybe like he wants to take me home and feed me with the hope I’ll imprint.
“I’ll think about it,” I say finally. Code for “no thanks, but I’m too tired to argue.”
He nods. Slowly. Hesitant. Like he knows what I really meant and wants to pretend he doesn’t.
“Right,” he says, shifting his weight back onto one heel. “Just… let me know. It’s not charity. I’d do it for anyone.”
“Yeah, I know.” I smile, thin and dry. “I appreciate it.”
But he doesn’t move. Not really. He nods, but his eyes stay fixed on mine, too direct for comfort.
“Okay, well,” he mutters as he lingers too long for comfort. “Just let me know. Sooner rather than later.”
Something tightens in my throat. The way he says it, like a warning. Or a reminder that he’s waiting forme. Always has been.
My emotions are raw, fraying at the edges, and every word Toby speaks feels like a reminder of everything I’m trying to outrun. It’s Omega instinct, the part of me that craves connection even when I want to push it all away. My chest tightens. I try to swallow past the lump in my throat, but the ache doesn’t go away.
Does he know about Ford?
Does the whole damn town?
God.
I really do need to get out of here.
But where would I go? What now? Honeysuckle Grove isn’t the only wreckage I’m tiptoeing through, and I’m not exactly eager to run headfirst into the next disaster waiting outside its borders.
“You staying long?” Toby asks suddenly, like he’s just been waiting for the silence to crack open.
I blink. “Does it matter?”
His jaw twitches. “Maybe.”
He says it like I owe him something. But I don’t owe anyone in this town anything.
“I’ve got stuff to sort out,” I say carefully. “Not really planning the rest of my life from the porch.”
“You never did,” he mutters, not quite under his breath.
I raise a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugs, eyes skating past me. “Just… nothing. You were always looking for a way out, that’s all.”
And there it is.
