“Come on, back to bed for you,” I said. I let her put her weight on me as she moved to stand.
I didn’t let her go as I guided her to the bedroom. I tried not to read into the fact that she didn't pull away from me. As soon as we got to the edge of the bed, she sat down, and I moved to lay Samuel down in the bassinet. Once he was tucked in, I shifted my attention to Sabrina, who was still sitting there with her eyes closed, looking exhausted.
When I got to her, I touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes, glanced up at me, and smiled. Guilt coated my chest as I allowed myself to smile back.
“Lie back,” I whispered as I patted the mattress to her left.
She nodded and complied, lifting her legs onto the bed before scooting up until her head was on the pillow. Her hair draped over her face and neck, so I gently brushed it back, reveling in the feeling of her soft skin under my fingertips.
I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to love her so goddamn bad. I would give anything to be the man she deserved instead of the guy who would inevitably bring her down. I wanted to be selfish, but I was done being that guy. I was going to love Sabrina enough to let her go.
“Good night,” I whispered. I committed her face to memory before pulling my hands back and taking a step toward the door.
“Liam?”
Sabrina’s voice stopped my retreat. I steeled my nerves before I responded, “Yeah?”
“Will you stay with me tonight?”
I closed my eyes and cursed the gods for doing this to me. Why was she asking this? Did she know what she was doing to me?
“Please?” she whispered.
That was all she needed to say. There was no way I could walk away from her now. I didn’t hesitate as I made my way to the other side of the bed and climbed on top of the covers. I wasn’t sure how close she wanted me, so I just lay there on my back with my right arm under my head and my left hand resting on my chest.
Sabrina looked over her shoulder at me. I could see the uncertainty in her gaze. I propped myself up on my left arm.
“What?” I asked. I would do anything to make her feel safe.
She frowned. “Will you…” Her voice drifted off.
I raised my eyebrows. “Will I…?”
She bit her bottom lip and dropped her gaze. “Will you hold me?” She paused before she slowly brought her gaze up to meet mine.
I knew I should say no. I should have gotten the hell off the bed and out of the room. I was going to have to let her go tomorrow. What kind of sick man would hold her the night before?
Me. Apparently, me.
I shut off my brain and acted. I nodded and shifted closer to her. She raised her arm so I could slide my arm under and wrap it firmly around her waist. I pulled her to me until her back was pressed against my chest.
I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, I would fire her. I would walk away. I would act like I didn’t care about her to make sure that she left.
Tomorrow, I would face my reality.
But, tonight, it was going to be about me and her.
Tonight, she was all that mattered.
22
EMERY
The further I got from Abigail’s apartment, the more panicked I became.
I’d been so confident when I walked out of the bedroom earlier. So confident in my response to Noah when he asked me if he should come. I wanted to be strong and take this step on my own. I wanted to walk into that bar, flirt with Will, and maybe get his number like most women would…but the closer I got to Harmony Pub, the more overwhelmed I felt.
