“Oh please,” my mother teased him. “I remember two years ago when the firehouse put on that free dinner for locals at the station. Lasagna and garlic bread and so many sides…the food was to die for!” My mother slapped the table with a smile, looking at Korbin. “I asked who had prepared the feast and Chief Preston Davis told me it was you. You and you alone. You wanted it perfect.”
Frowning, I looked again at Korbin, who avoided my gaze, focusing intently on his soup instead. “Nina taught me everything I know,” he said finally. “A master at her craft, my mother.”
“Wow,” I said, leaning back in my seat. “You really are the golden boy, aren’t you?”
Korbin met my eyes and smiled, making my fingers tremble and my knees feel like jelly. “No,” he said. “I just like to cook.”
“Always so modest,” Mom said, reaching her hand across the table to pat Korbin’s. She looked tired again suddenly, as though the small spark of excitement she’d found only moments ago was already fading.
“You okay, Mom?” I asked, trying not to notice that she’d only taken two bites of her soup before lowering her spoon.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m fine,” she said gently, moving her hand from Korbin’s and over to mine. “Just that fatigue again. I think it’s time for me to crawl off to bed.” She began to rise from her chair, and Korbin and I both stood at the same time, ready to help if she swayed. “Sit,” she insisted, waving us off. “Enjoy dinner.” She looked at Korbin again, the love in her eyes evident. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
Korbin and I stood back as my mother bid us a goodnight and disappeared up the stairs, moving slowly but with purpose. Strong. Unwavering.
“I admire that woman,” Korbin said, taking his seat back at the table. I wrapped up my mother’s leftovers and then joined him, feeling fear and apprehension tug at my heart.
“It’s easy to admire her,” I agreed. “She’s the strongest woman I know.” I focused on the soup in front of me, taking in bites but not really tasting anything anymore. Korbin watched me do this, unspeaking, his own spoon hovering just on top of the bowl.
“What about you?” he asked finally, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I knew if I did, I would end up in a sobbing mess on the floor.
“What about me?”
“How are you doing with all of…this?”
I shrugged, unsure of what I could say to make this conversation go away. “I’m great,” I said, and then regretted that immediately. When Korbin scoffed, I sighed, forcing myself to look at him. “I’m not good,” I said. “Not at all.”
“I know.” He reached over and took my hand in his, squeezing, and I dropped my spoon as emotion overcame me and the flood gates opened. Korbin pulled me into his lap, holding me, as I began to sob. “It’ll be okay,” he murmured in my ear, one hand up and cupping the back of my head, holding me steady and safely against him. “It’ll be okay, Peyton.”
I couldn’t speak, could barely breathe. All I could do was cry as Korbin held me, whispering in my ear, stroking my hair. I squeezed my eyes shut to try and stop the tears, but it was no use.
“What am I going to do?” I sobbed into his chest, soaking his shirt with tears. “What am I going to do if shedies, Korbin? I can’t—I can’tdo thiswithout her.”
“She won’t die,” he said, resting his lips on top of my head. “We’ll get her through this, Peyton. Just you wait.”
For a few minutes I just allowed myself to be held by him, comforted. It felt good, good that after so many years of learning to live without another person’s comfort, it was here now, and I needed it.
“God, I’m sorry,” I said finally, wiping at my eyes and pulling back to look at Korbin. His eyes were on my face, and I could see the concern etched in his features. “I’m sorry for losing it on you.”
“You didn’t,” he said, hands steadying me as I slid back over into my seat. “You’re allowed to be upset, Peyton. You’re going through this, too.”
With a nod, I got up and put my half-eaten bowl of soup away and did the same to the remainder of it in the crockpot. Korbin watched me do this from his seat at the table, his eyes on me with every move I made, probably trying to gauge what I was feeling.After a long moment he spoke up, and his voice sounded tired.
“Do you want me to leave?”
I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at him, leaning back against the counter for support. I shook my head.
“No. I—I want you to stay.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
With a nod, Korbin got to his feet and crossed the floor to hold me, his lips meeting mine in a desperate urge to have me, to claim me. His tongue slipped between my lips and I moaned, feeling my knees literally go weak beneath my weight. But he held me tight, supporting me like he’d always done, strong, stable arms holding me upright.
“How was your date last night?” he asked, lips brushing my ear.
“How did you know I had a date?”
