I need to get the hell out of here.
Pierce’s unexpected appearance was enough to make me forget how moments like this always go. I was riding the high of Mariah allowing me to support her when she was afraid. Of hearing the baby’s heartbeat. Now it’s finally registering that this is my team’s first time seeing me in the flesh.
I can feel their questions. Their shock. Their confusion. And it won’t be long before all of it sends me back to that place I never thought I’d escape.
“Oh no.” Mariah squeezes my hand. Hard. “I don’t feel well.” Her eyes lock onto mine. “I’m feeling really dizzy.” Her voice is loud. Much louder than it should be if she’s about to pass out.
And her skin is pink and glowing. Her eyes are focused and her grip on me is strong.
When one brow angles at me, it registers. She’s giving me an out.
And I can’t take it fast enough. “We should go.”
Mariah nods. “Definitely. Right now.”
I’m not sure what my brain is doing—maybe it’s gone into automatic pilot thanks to all the people staring—but I do what I always do when Mariah passes out. I scoop her up, cradling her against my chest as I stride to the door.
One hand comes to rest over my heart as her head drops to my shoulder. Her voice is soft but steady when she asks, “You okay?”
“I’ll be better once we’re out of here.” I don’t slow down as I follow the path Trevor took us in reverse, finding my way to the open entryway before taking us straight out into the cool winter air.
The wind hits my face, soothing the claws of awareness scraping against my scars, and I finally manage a deep breath. It carries the familiar scent of the woman in my arms, and the comfort of having her close pulls me back from the edge faster than I can usually recover.
I still don’t stop moving until we’re at the car I borrowed from Tobias. It unlocks automatically as I close in and I manage to get the passenger door open without having to set Mariah down. Carefully angling her into the seat, I make sure she’s properly positioned before buckling her in. Once she’s in place, I let my forehead fall to hers, eyes closing. “Thank you.”
Mariah’s hand comes to my face, the softness of her touch chasing away the last of the unease creeping over my skin. “I don’t know if you should thank me just yet. I’m sure Trevor is going to have a lot of questions for you.”
I’m sure he will, and part of me wants to tell him everything.
That Mariah is more than just the chef she was hired to be. That she’s mine. That I’m the one who’s taking care of her. Making her happy. Keeping her safe. That a part of me is hoping she’ll let me take care of more than just her. That maybe she won’t be the only one I can call mine.
“Trevor can kiss my ass.” I lift my head, tracking the tip of my nose alongside hers. “He’s got his own shit to worry about.”
Like finding a new assistant. He replaced the one who quit on Thanksgiving, but no one was following him around. I assume that means he managed to run the newest hire off already, sending them racing out the revolving door that is his office.
I press a kiss to Mariah’s lips. “Let’s go home.”
She smiles, soft and sweet and real. “Okay.”
I brush my lips against her forehead, stealing one last touch before closing her in and taking my place behind the wheel. This is the longest I’ve been away from my house in quite a while, and as much as I thought I could take Mariah to lunch, it seems I’m not quite ready to jump completely back into the world.
But for the first time since losing Kara and the baby, it feels like that leap could someday happen. And it’s all because of the woman next to me.
I reach across the console, taking her hand in mine, needing the contact. The connection.
A few minutes into the drive, Mariah’s eyes slip closed. I don’t like seeing her so tired, but it makes me feel better about not having it in me to take her to a restaurant. She needs a nap. And I need to be with just her.
I pull into the driveway, punching the button of the garage door remote clipped to the visor before pulling the car in beside Mariah’s. Like so much else my mother insisted on when building this place, I thought a three-car bay was a waste.
Not so much anymore.
After parking and switching off the engine, I close the door so a gust of wind won’t sneak in and steal Mariah’s warmth. I round to her side, opening the door as she sucks in a deep breath, blinking up at me.
“I think I accidentally fell asleep.”
Leaning in to release her belt, I chuckle. “You did.” Once she’s free, I take her hand and tug her up and out, directing her into the house. “You’ve had a big day.”
Mariah’s expression falls. “Yeah.”
