He even casually mentioned turning it into a craft room.
That’sthe dream.
Shelves and shelves for my fabric, maybe space for a big calendar where I can schedule all my fairs and markets. An area I can use for pictures so I can start my online store. A big desk for my sewing machine instead of me unpacking and setting it up then tucking it away constantly.
Roots.
I want to lay down roots.
With Rhodes. With Chloe.
That’s why my excitement for the trip has felt so off the last weeks. I don’t need to travel for months, don’t need to run away from my life. I don’t need to experience all the places I’ve dreamed of seeing all at once.
I can take my time.
I can linger, can soak it in with the people I love.
I can allow my dreams to change—not to fade, but to grow, to morph, to…
Become something more.
Grinning, more excited for my future than I’ve been in ages, I hug my planner to my chest and move down the hall.
The door is open, but I pause on the threshold. “Hey,” I say.
He looks up and…
The smile slips from my face.
His eyes—the look of them—makes my stomach twist.
But I hold my planner a little tighter, walk across the soft carpet, round that big, wooden desk. He’s sitting in a rolling chair, papers in front of him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he says too quickly. “Fine. I just forgot I had a couple of contracts to review.”
I stop within arm’s reach.
But he doesn’t tug me closer, doesn’t tuck me into his side like he always does…
And something cold slices through my middle.
“Okay. Right. I—” I shift a little closer, hoping he’ll reach out, hoping he’ll hold me. “I won’t bother you,” I say when he doesn’t move. “I…just had something I wanted to show you.”
He nods once. “Can it wait?”
The words are clipped, cold.
And he still doesn’t touch me, doesn’t hold me.
Doesn’t kiss me.
Doesn’t even really look at me.
It’s like he doesn’t see me. Like he’s realized I’m not?—
I take a step back. “I’ll leave you alone. Sorry I bothered you.”
“You’re not bothering me.” He scrubs a hand over his face, shoves it through his hair. “It’s just…” He drops his arm back down, sighs heavily. “It’s been a long day.”
