I tilted my head, listening so I would know how many people there were.
When only one set of nearly silent steps entered the condo before the door shut, I felt my chest loosen. “Davisdidn’t answer?”
“He did,” she said as I closed the fridge and wove through the kitchen to see her retreating form. “He wanted to know if we’re actually married. I assured him we’re not.”
Anger and fear spiked through me at her dull, almost matter-of-fact words, but before I could remind her weweremarried, she paused just outside her room long enough to add, “I also assured him he didn’t need to call the cops, explained your jokes that sometimes go too far, and told him we’d set something up another night.”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever clenched my jaw as much as I had over the past three months. But with how our interactions had gone this weekend alone, it felt like my jaw was going to shatter.
At least she hadn’t told me to leave again.
Grasping the bag in my hand tighter, I went back to where I’d been sitting before and waited, only partially wondering if she’d stay in her room all night just to spite me.
I wouldn’t have put it past her if I hadn’t shown up with shawarma wraps.
And, thankfully, she came out only a handful of minutes later. Long, blonde hair tossed into a messy knot on her head, face free of makeup and freshly washed, wearing leggings and a threadbare, oversized shirt.
The sight of her had the corner of my mouth tugging up and my heart racing as I took her in.
Just as breathtaking, but this washer. This wasmyMallory.
Relaxed shoulders, easy breaths, open features, and all.
The only thing that remained from before was the delicate gold chain barely peeking out from beneath the shirt she was wearing. But she’d worn it ever since she’d come back from California months ago, so I had a feeling it’d belonged to her mom.
“Give it,” she said, making an impatient grabby hand gesture before she ever sank into her own chair.
“Comfortable?” I asked as I handed over one of the wraps.
Instead of agreeing, vowing to burn all the dresses in the world, or coming back with a snarky remark, she visibly stilled. Her blue eyes became unfocused as insecurity passed over her expression before she seemed to snap back to herself and snatched the wrap from me.
“You wanted to talk; let’s talk.”
Not my Mallory, I realized as her reactionthenmade me think back to the coffee shop this afternoon. To the pain andsorrow in her voice when she’d attempted to remind me of something I hadn’t done—slept with someone less than a day after marrying her.
ThisMallory was all new.Thiswas my Mallory, trying to wrap herself up in all those protective shields in an effort to hide the parts of her I’d always patiently waited for and craved, because they were finally spilling out.
At least...that’s what it was starting to look like. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
But as terrified and frustrated as I was with her for trying to push me away,thisMallory was intriguing and bewildering. Captivating and infuriating.
She was everything.
And I needed to tread so carefully as I figured her out because, even though that strength was clearly still there, a fragility was pushing to the surface. Knowing her, she didn’t know how to navigate it.
“Or was that just your excuse to get in the door?” she asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I searched her slightly hardened, questioning stare and shook my head when I finally remembered that I was supposed to be talking to her.
But the entire speech I’d had to convince Mallory not to leave Shadow and to give us a shot faded away, and I found myself asking, “Why haven’t you ended the marriage?” instead.
“You didn’t try either,” she snapped, that defensiveness strengthening.
“I left the certificate with you for a reason.”
Her eyes widened in a way that said she couldn’t imagine why. “I would’ve gladly given it back if that’s what you thought you needed to return to your life guilt-free.”
A huff burst from me. “I don’t—” I swallowed the rest of the argument, knowing she might not believe me anyway. Taking acalming breath, I tried again. “I left it with you because I would never leave you.”
