The urge to tug her into his arms consumed him, pulling at his limbs.
But he fought it. Fuck, he fought it. Because every time he got closer, the ache in her eyes deepened. The tears became thicker and the panic more intense.
He couldn’t fix this. Not right now.
And he loved her. Shit, he loved her so much he would tear his own damn heart out of his chest if it meant saving hers.
So he stepped back, the move feeling unnatural.
“Okay, Cricket. I’ll go. But this isn’t over. I’ll be back. Wewillsurvive this.”
It took every ounce of his strength to turn. To walk out of the house they’d bought together and pull the door closed behind him, feeling like he was leaving his wife in the middle of a hurricane.
He didn’t leave the porch right away though. He couldn’t. Instead, he waited.
Then he heard it.
Indie’s crying.
The sound was loud, and it destroyed something inside him. Made him feel like a fraction of the man he thought he was.
He pressed his forehead to the door, wanting to go back in. To break down the door that separated them, and hold her. Keep all the fractured pieces of her together.
He didn’t. He forced himself to go to his car. But again, he didn’t leave. He lifted his phone and texted Clara, Indie’s cousin and best friend.
Ten minutes later, Clara pulled up in front of the house and ran up the walk. He waited until she’d stepped inside before finally turning on his engine.
That’s when he made the decision. He had one more year until his contract was up—then he was coming home, and he was fixing his marriage.
CHAPTER 1
Late…very late.
Indie shot a glance at her watch and groaned, then sped her steps to a sprint through the trees toward her car. Well,herversion of a sprint. She definitely wasn’t winning any awards for her speed. But then, the camera bag weighed her down, so it wasn’t entirely her fault.
Trees whirled past her, the smell of pine thick in the air. At least the rain had held off for her shoot, even if the session had run over. But to be fair, the sun had been stubborn, and she’d needed to wait for it to poke through the trees in just the right way so she could getthe shot…and it had beensoworth it.
She exited the forest into the parking lot, where she quickly unlocked her car and climbed in.
She turned the key. The engine didn’t start.
Dammit.
She tried again. Still nothing.
“Come on, come on, come on.” Third try and the engine finally kicked over. “Thank God.”
A week ago, she wouldn’t have had this problem. But a week ago, she’d had her super reliable Subaru Crosstrek that neverbroke down. Now she had this hunk-of-junk Honda Accord that had been built before she was born…literally.
But it had been cheap. And that Subaru money was needed.
She checked the time on her dashboard as she drove. Half an hour. It should be enough time to quickly drop everything at the house, change, and make it to the fertility clinic in time for her appointment. Plus, they always ran late. Or at least, theyhad. She hadn’t been back in over a year.
Nerves fluttered in her belly. Nerves that she was doing the wrong thing. That she’d regret this. And maybe she would. Maybe this would all end in heartache…again.
But she was in a better place now. She’d been to therapy, healed so much of herself, and gotten a ton of acupuncture from Clara. She hadn’t climbed her way out of the darkness—she’d clawed her way out by her fingertips. She wouldn’t fall into that dark place again.
One year. It had been one year of healing…and one year of being separated from Colt.
