I did it.
I’ve finished this hike,andI helped solve a crime. It was scary, but I didn’t quit because I was scared. Now if only I could convince Jack to do the same thing and choose not to run scared.
Chris has me go over everything one more time, and I want to rage attack him and his mellow vibe. The hangry is at an all-time high.
“Time’s up,” Jack announces, giving a pointed look to Chris. I wilt back against the bed, ready to beg for food and permission to finally get some sleep.
A muffled discussion happens between Jack and Chris while I chug the rest of the water in my bottle, a trickle of it running down my chin. Delirium has taken over and evicted my dignity.
Chris opens the door to my room, ushering in a forensic photographer and a gust of unease. I won’t get any sleep in this room tonight. No blood was shed, yet as I look at the multiple yellow and black numbers beside objects around the room—one next to Marigold, another beside a small inch of yellow thread—it’s an unwelcome recap of the events that could have led to a horribly different outcome.
The bottle crunches in my hand when my arms visibly shiver.
“You won’t be sleeping in here tonight,” Jack sayssoothingly, reading my thoughts as he crouches beside the bed. “Come on, let’s get you to the other room.”
My feet slip back into my dirty shoes, a flash from the photographer’s camera causing me to flinch. I follow Jack in a daze, taking one last glance back at Marigold. Who knows if I’ll ever see her again? Jack closes the interconnected door and then places my suitcase on the floor by the far side of the queen bed.
Be strong, Willow. It’s just one night sleeping beside the man you love before you never see him again. You can do it.
Frik.
Idolove him.
That’s unfortunate.
I sink onto the bed, my head falling into my hands. “You know the saddest part of all of this? I missed the bolognese.”
Jack’s voice echoes from inside the open bathroom. “You didn’t. Some will be arriving in a few minutes.” My mouth hangs open as he emerges from the bathroom in a pair of sweats and a fresh, snug-fitting T-shirt.
The faint clicking of the photographer’s camera from the adjoining room punctuates the air while my brain attempts to catch up on everything that just happened.
First of all, the universe clearly still needs convincing that I don’t like being tortured, because now he’s ordering my favorite meal to our room, and I’m supposed to just walk away from him tomorrow? Not fair.
Secondly, did this man leave the bathroom door open while changing, and I missed it? Double not fair.
Jack strides closer, the mattress dipping as he lowers himself onto the bed, his large hand resting on my calf while he faces me. “About what I was trying to say at the restaurant?—”
“No, please. Just let me enjoy the bolognese before you do this. I need just a few more minutes of ignorant bliss before you end this?—”
“End this? Lo…” A chuckle rumbles in his chest, and he reaches up to clasp my hand. “The only way this ends is happily ever after.”
My mouth opens, moving but no words form. “But…I thought you—you acted like you didn’t want anything more…like you wanted us to go our separate ways.”
“Willow Sinclair, I’m an idiot. By the time I finally realized that not giving this thing a chance would be the stupidest mistake I’ve ever made, that text came through at the end of the hike, and I got it into my head that if Owen and Mary suspected how close we’d become, it would only cause more trouble foryou. So I pulled back. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, not hauling you into my arms and telling you that you’re worth taking a chance. Because you’re worth choosing.”
He lifts a hand, caressing away the tear trailing down my cheek. “Wow…um—” I sniffle, unsure of so much but never more certain of the fact that this man is my future. “You know Owen and Mary assumed we were dating, though?”
“Really? They didn’t say anything.” He glowers. “I’m sorry I did this all wrong and made you doubt how I felt,” he continues as he runs a hand down his face, the rough scrape of his beard against his palm making me want to nestle into the crook of his neck. “Then I thought I needed to solve this case first so that you’d know my decision had nothing to do with my need to protect you, even though I’m pretty sure that impulse to keep you safe will never go away.”
He frowns, making me whimper, then his concern-filled eyes bounce up to mine.
“It’s really messed up that I find your frown so attractive. Almost as attractive as your smirk, and your many smiles,” I admit.
“Yeah?” He grins, one side of his mouth curling higher while he leans forward, bracketing his arms on either side of me.
I nod as the space between us shrinks. “It’s my kryptonite.”
His voice rumbles out, soft and gritty. “What does it make you wanna do, Lo?”
