“Happy birthday, Tessa,” he says with a kind smile.
“Thanks. I, uh, I need to use the restroom.” I force a smile that I hope looks genuine, then steer away from everyone and head down the hallway toward the first door on the right. Once inside, I go straight to the window and throw the curtains open, then open it and breathe in the cold air.
It hits my face, alleviating some of the panic, though the anxiety is still clawing its way through my chest.
I deserve none of this.
Not what Zane did for me today.
Not his kind words.
And certainly not a birthday dinner thrown by his mother.
Outside the window, I can hear the ocean.
They would all be better off if I just took off right now. My leg is healed; I could hit the ground and run away. I’d be gone before they even knew to look for me.
“I won’t leave without saying goodbye.” I meant those words, and no matter how uncomfortable I am about tonight, I won’t do that to Zane.
Not again.
So I remain where I am, sucking in breath after breath in an attempt to ease the panic in my chest. They all know—right? They all have to know why I left.
That I did it on purpose.
That I’m a woman too broken for this, and it’s only a matter of time before the jagged pieces of me destroy Zane all over again.
Chapter 19
Zane
While everyone is in the kitchen, visiting or finishing making dinner, my gaze remains fixated on the closed bathroom door. She’d been upset when she left; I could tell that much. And who can blame her?
This is a whole lot more than the small dinner with my mother I’d been led to believe we were having.
“Maybe you should go check on her,” Garrison offers. “She looks a bit overwhelmed.”
Weston grunts in agreement.
“Yeah. You’re right. Be back.” I move over toward the bathroom door. “Tessa?” I ask, keeping my voice quiet so I don’t bring attention to us.
A few seconds later, she opens the door.
Her eyes are red-rimmed, and the bathroom window is wide open.
Momentary anger shoves through the concern, and I push into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me.
All while Tessa’s expression remains the same—neutral.
“Were you going to climb out the window?”
“I thought about it,” she replies honestly. “But, no.” She swallows hard and closes her eyes. “I don’t deserve any of this, Zane.”
I cross my arms. “Why is that?”
“The list is too great to share right now. We’d never leave this room.”
She’s a few feet away from me, so I take a step closer. “I have no complaints about staying right here.” Truth is, having her pressed against me on the back of my bike shoved aside any and all rationality about why a relationship between us won’t work.
