I wasn't sad about my friend leaving. He had a ranch to run. Atticus could have needed him. It wasn't my place to take up all their time. At the same time, though, I was alone again—or rather, not alone because Simon was here, but it was all so confusing.
"I got you something," he said.
My gaze snapped to his. "You got me something?"
He nodded. "Yeah. While I was getting the clothes, I saw something I thought might be good for you."
Rather than present me with the item in a bag or something like that, he opened his palm and revealed a black bracelet. It was made of beads in a circle, kind of like the ones that kids used to make when we were younger. You mostly saw girls wear them, but occasionally the guys did too if the colors were gender neutral enough.
I mentally scoffed at the idea. Who cared what color people wore? I knew plenty of people who wrapped themselves in pink just as well as they wore blue, and it had nothing to do with gender.
"You got me a bracelet?" I said.
He lifted my wrist on the arm not holding me up and slid it on. His finger trailed over the stones and brushed my skin. It felt like being shocked. Like everything in my body was attuned to him.
"Yes, I saw it and thought of you. It's meant to help people who are anxious. You can rub the stones, and it’ll remind you to take a deep breath or close your eyes and re-center yourself."
I wanted to launch myself at this man. I wanted to tell himthank youa million times over and kiss his face until he broke into laughter.
Because how could someone be so kind when they barely knew you?
Sure, we had been in the same circles for a while, but to pick up on everything and to hear my story, then get this while he's already buying clothes for me—man, it was like the jackpot of perfect people.
"Thank you, Simon," I said, forcing the words past my lips instead of blurting out anything else.
"You're welcome," he whispered as he let go of my hand.
It almost looked like he didn't want to, and part of me thought about reaching out to grab his back, lacing our fingers together and asking him to tell me more about his day. I wanted to hear about the different shops in town and if he ran into anyone familiar. I wanted to know why he picked out certain outfits and have him display them to me so I could tell what his favorites were and wear those first.
Instead, I eased my legs down off the couch and moved the blanket away from me. I was getting warm, and I didn't want to have to change out of his clothes any sooner than necessary if I got sweaty. Hell, I'd sleep in them again tonight if I thought that no one would give me crap about it.
Simon stood, then held his hand out. "I think you should probably get something to eat before you go see if I did a good job with your clothes."
I took his hand and allowed him to pull me up. He let go again instantly and that same desire ran through me.
"I'm sure everything you bought is great," I said as I brought my hands together and clasped them in front of me. It was the only way I wouldn't grab for him again.
We walked together into the kitchen where we found a platter of treats—very obviously left by Harlan and very obviously already partially devoured by Sean. I smiled at the large hole where food had once been as I sat down at the counter and began to nibble on some pretzels.
Simon didn't join me. He went to the fridge and pulled out some milk, then he grabbed a glass and poured it half full before sliding it across the counter to me. "You need to drink something too. Those pretzels will make you thirsty."
I shoved another one in my mouth before grabbing the drink. It was the only way to shut me up. I was having to fight against my natural instincts with this man.
Everything in me wanted to jump and cling to him and beg for all of his attention in every way.
That wasn't smart. Besides, what would we have outside of this time anyway? There was no guarantee, no timeline in which we could be a couple—especially if he wasn't a Daddy. I knew that was a non-negotiable for me.
We sat together quietly, snacking on the food and observing through the windows how the men worked around the ranch. I was thankful Simon didn't have anything else to say, just as much as I was thankful for his company.
Part of me felt like I was being babysat in a way. It was like they wanted to watch over me to make sure I didn't panic or need help and not have it.
"Can I see my clothes now?" I said after polishing off the last of my milk.
Wordlessly, Simon stood and held out his hand again. I didn't technically need it, but I still wrapped mine around his.Unlike the two times before, he kept hold of my grip as he led me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
I hoped he couldn't feel my pulse through our connection because my body felt like it was moving a million miles an hour all while taking slow, steady steps behind him.
In my room, he stopped suddenly. He looked over his shoulder at me and said, "Someone left you something."
