“Why not?” he asked softly.
“Because I don’t know how to do this without losing myself. Because everybody I loved either needed something from me or left me to handle life by myself. Because if I fall for you and you walk away…I’m not built for that kind of heartbreak.”
Zaire reached out, lifting her chin with two fingers. “Look at me.”
She lifted her watery eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he affirmed, tone steady enough to anchor her shaky breath. “You hear me? I’m not every man that failed you. I’m me and I want you. All of your crybaby ass.”
More tears slipped, and she didn’t bother hiding them. When she finally released a long, broken sound, Zaire caught her face in both hands and pressed his forehead to hers, holding her steady while her chest rose and fell like she’d been fighting her own heart for too long.
“Breathe,” he whispered, “ just breathe.”
She did…barely…but she did.
For the first time since he showed up, Meadow wasn’t running.
She wasn’t pretending…she wasn’t holding the world on her back.
She was sitting there on that swing, crying into the hands of a man she might already love, and it terrified her so much she felt her pulse all the way in her fingertips.
Zaire kissed her cheek, then the corner of her mouth “You ain’t fallin’ alone, Meadow… I’m right there with you. I’m gon’ always handle that.”
“I don’t knowhowto depend on somebody,” she confessed.
He leaned in, lips brushing her ear. “Then let me teach you.”
Her breath left her body.
Before she could fall apart right there on the swing, Ray called out, “Food ready!”
Meadow jumped up. “I’m gonna go fix Mama a plate.”
She escaped inside.
By the timedinner ended and Magnolia was tucked in, Meadow stepped back outside to find Zaire leaned against the railing with the porch light behind him. He didn’t talk too much at the table, he just let her breathe and she was thankful for that. His silhouette looked carved, patient, and dangerous in that sweet way only he could pull off.
“You runnin’ again?” he asked, the yellow of the light cutting across the diamond in his ear.
She crossed her arms. “I’m not runnin’…I’m thinkin’.”
“You think too much.”
“And you talk too much.”
Zaire smirked. “C’mon, walk with me.”
She hesitated, but her feet moved anyway.
They walked toward the guest house, warm summer air settling around them. She looked straight ahead, trying not to feel the heat of his hand brushing hers.
When they reached the steps, he stopped her with a gentle tug at her wrist. “Let me take care of Rena,” he said. “Let me give you space to breathe.”
Meadow looked up at him, heart pulled in every direction. “You really don’t have to…”
“I know,” he said.
Her chest tightened painfully. “Why are you so good to me?”
