I repeat the words to myself as I spin on my heel and walk the same line I have been for the past thirty minutes. Back and forth and back again I go. Percy followed me for a solid five minutes before realizing I wasn’t playing a game, then he scampered off into the spare bedroom.
Honestly, that’s where I want to be right now, too—in bed. I want to be curled up next to my husband, my head on his chest as he tells me about the game. I don’t want to be up waiting and worrying, but here I am.
When another fifteen minutes go by, I’m just about ready to pick up my phone and call him to see where the hell he is when Ihear it—a key in the door. I halt my pacing and hold my breath, ready to be told to go fuck myself, but he never comes inside.
I wait, then when I can’t anymore, I make my way to the door. Just as I reach for the handle, it’s pushed open, and I let out a loud yelp.
“What the?—”
He freezes, eyes wide. Then he shakes his head, like he can’t tell if he’s awake or not.
“Clover?”
I nod, lifting my hand in a wave. “Hi.”
His brows furrow, his jaw tightening. “What are you doing here?”
It’s not exactly the welcome I was expecting, but I understand it all the same.
“I told you I was coming back.”
He huffs out a humorless laugh. “Forgive me if I didn’t believe you. You don’t exactly have the best track record with those words.”
I wince. “Okay, so I can see you’re mad. I?—”
“Mad?Mad?!” I jump at his words, backing up as he stalks into the apartment, the door rattling against the frame when he slams it closed. “You’re fucking right I’m mad, Chloe! You left me—again! You cut off all communication—again! So yeah, I’m mad, though I think that’s putting it mildly.”
My hands shake as I brush a lock of hair out of my face. “I left a note.”
“Yeah, it was a real long one too.” He scoffs, dropping his bag to the floor and setting his hands on his hips. “You know, for a writer, you’d think you’d have a few more words thanI’ll be backandI promise. But no, that’s all I got. Five words. Five simple, unexplained words as you just took off to—well, fuck. I don’t know.” He throws his hands in the air. “Because you didn’t tell me!”
He’s right. I fucked up.Again.Am I ever going to learn my lesson? Am I ever going to learn that I need to communicate with him?
“I’m sorry,” I say simply. “You’re right. I should have called or texted. I just needed a few days to clear my head, and you said I could do that. You said I could think about what it is I want.”
He hangs his head, shaking it back and forth, then he sighs. I hate the pain in his gaze when he looks back up at me.
“I did say that, but I didn’t know it would mean you’d take off again. I… Fuck, I didn’t know where you were, Chloe. You were just gone again, and I didn’t know.”
“I’m sorry,” I say again, taking a step toward him because I don’t think I can stay away any longer, because I don’t want to stay away. “I was in Tennessee.”
“Tennessee? What were you doing there?” He nods. “Oh, Talia, right?”
“No. Well, yes, but I wasn’t there for her. I saw my parents.”
His eyes widen. “You did?”
I nod. “Yes. I thought a conversation with them, particularly my mother, might do me some good. As I’m sure you know, we have a long, complicated history, and I figured if I was looking for answers about my future, I should face my past first.”
He swallows. “And?”
“I learned my mother was married before she met my father.”
He rears his head back. “What? What are you talking about?”
I tell him about my mom’s first marriage…and how it fell apart, just like ours did. When I’m done, he seems like he’s calmed down a little, and I dare to take another step his way.
“So, as you can see, my mother and I have a lot more in common than I thought.”
