“I’m okay, is that coffee?” I ask.
She laughs, “Yes, silly.”
I take the mug from her and sit up. Sipping it, the dark liquid pulls me further into the real world.
Izzie steps back as I stand up. “I don’t want to wake them,” I mumble, gesturing for her to follow me out of their room.
She does so silently, and we walk into my room right next door.
“Did you sleep okay?” she asks, eyeing my tired face.
“Not really. Did you?” I ask, sitting on the edge of my bed with her next to me.
“Not really,” she shrugs. “But I am grateful to be here instead of alone at a hotel. I felt safer.”
“Don’t worry. You can stay here while you’re in Chicago. I won’t be comfortable if you’re anywhere else. Not after what happened yesterday,” I sigh.
She nods quietly.
“If you want to talk about anything, I’m here.” Her eyes are so intense it makes me wonder if she saw or heard Josiah and me last night.
I hope not. I’m definitely not ready to talk about that.
“Thank you, Izzie, I know,” I smile, reaching out to touch her arm.
“I’m going to take a shower. I hope it wakes me up a little more,” she says, standing up.
“I am going to close my eyes for another thirty minutes before the twins wake up. Otherwise, I’m going to be a total grouch all day,” I grin.
She leaves my room and I stare at the door after her.
I’m definitely not ready to talk about certain things.
In fact, I’m not even ready to accept that it actually happened in the first place. How in the world am I going to face him? What do I say?
Don’t think about it now. Lie down, close your eyes and try to rest a little more. You’re going to need it.
Chapter 13 - Josiah
The office is busy today. I haven’t managed to leave my desk, because every time I try, another document arrives that I need to look at, sign, or deal with in some way.
Kayla is working hard, too. But she’s hardly paying any heed to me.
It’s been the same at home for the past couple of days.
She’s completely avoided me and has been determined not to end up alone with me at any point.
I hate the fact that she snuck out of my bed after we were together like that. When I woke up in the morning, I reached for her, and my heart sank to find the sheets cold. Every time I think we are making progress, she proves me wrong.
I’ll figure it out, though. I’ll figureherout and break through her cold exterior.
I glimpsed her for a moment. I had her in my arms, and I saw her. The girl who holds my heart. The girl without the mile-high walls aroundherheart.
I realize, too, that our conversation before the explosive intimacy did not exactly go according to plan. She was still angry with me, not understanding what I was trying to explain to her.
But then again, maybe she did understand.
She thinks I didn’t love her enough to fight for her, to put the effort in to protect her and keep her. It’s not how I ever saw it. It ripped me to pieces to push her away, and I thought I was doing the right thing.
