“Yes. I’m here for you in any way you need…” Her tone breaks, then she sniffles.
“Don’t feel sorry for me. Don’t do that.” I curl my arm around her, bringing her closer to me.I just need to feel her on me.
“Merelyn saved you?” she asks.
“Yes.”
When the shot went off with my dad still holding me in the air, I swear I thought I had blinked, and I was in the afterlife. When I opened my eyes, he dropped the knife and had a hole in his chest, blood running down his shirt and onto the snow. Merelyn stood beside me, like my personal guardian angel, with tears clinging to her lashes. I’m forever in her debt. She’s my only family, and the only reason why I came back to Sleepy Coldwater despite the horrid memories.
“I’ve been scared all my life that I would become like him. He struggled significantly and never got help. They say mental illness can be genetic. So if I stay here, in isolation, I don’t have to let anyone in, I won’t get a chance to become like him, right? But after he died, everyone looked at me like they did him.” I flick my gaze at her as agony rips through me like a tidal wave. Flashes of my dead mother looking at me on the ground with a small smile on her pale face return. “I refused to be even a fraction of what he was and joined the military instead. I worked hard to become just likemy brave mother. To save those who can’t save themselves. I was content for fifteen years. Fifteen years of service, intense missions, and travel, but still, something was missing,Coraline. That missing piece in my life is you.” I can’t help but smile. Fuck, I’m a fool for her.
She stares at me, hearing me out, running her thumb incircles over my wrist. Then lets out a sad whimper, wiping away her tears fast with the back of her hand before she presses her perfect, pouty lips on mine. We move together in sync like we always do. The movements are lustful healing and slow, relishing each kiss until it’s engraved into our brains.
“I think you’re giving me too much credit for such a short amount of time, Gavin.” Her voice is like a melody feathering my lips. She doesn’t know how long I’ve been wanting this. As I listen to her heartbeat, I gather the courage I need to say what I’ve been wanting to for a long time. She’s everything—a beautiful woman who yearns to find something real in this cruel world.
“Your art speaks words without a voice. It evokes emotions I didn’t know I had. You make me feel less alone. And most of all, you make me feel like I can conjure dreams and not just nightmares.”
I feel her stiffen.
“Gavin?” She pulls away from me, her smile faltering. Her eyes vehemently pinball left and right, searching for an answer. I don’t want her to run away, but I need to remind her how amazing and perfect she is, just the way she is.
“What if we hadn’t just met? What if I fell in love with you before you saw me?” I ask, my needy gaze intertwining with her perplexed one. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for what feels like an eternity. The stars are finally aligning, and I would give anything in the world to keep waking up to you in my bed like this.”
She huffs out a nervous laugh and takes loose curls behind her ear. “What are you talking about?” Her dark brows raise as she inches away from me. Her quivering smile stays strong on her beautiful face.
“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t be afraid.” Her pink lips pull into a frown.
A blood-curdling scream shatters the moment. We dart ourgaze toward the sound as a woman continues to shout, her voice turning raspy. It’s coming from next door, but it’s so loud, and it filters through the cabin.
It’s Georgia.
CHAPTER 30
CORALINE
Georgia continues to scream, pleading for help, chanting Gavin’s name repeatedly, her tone clearly rattled by fear and helpless desperation.
What is Gavin talking about?
My mind is racing with thoughts, but I’m choosing to be optimistic. Why did it feel like he was confessing to something he’s ashamed of?
“What if we hadn’t just met? What if I fell in love with you before you saw me?”
That one question is on a loop inside my head the whole time he hastily gets dressed.
Gavin tucks his pistol into his belt and puts on his boots. I race toward the door while he’s on my trail.
“Somebody help! Gavin!” Her pleas are distant, echoing off the Alaskan mountains. My veins are pulsing at a high rate, and I flinch at every single noise, on high alert.
“Stay with me, baby,” Gavin orders, softening his features as we make a beeline toward the back door of Merelyn’s place. I hadn’t noticed that I stopped walking, captivated by nature, while trepidation froze me.
“Gavin, the way she’s screaming…” I want to put my hands over my ears because the sound is too horrific, too terrifying. She’s in trouble, and we’re doing everything we can to get to her fast.
“I know, baby, stick with me and don’t say a word,” he reassures me.
I nod, gulping.
The scream has stopped. Gavin peers inside a window. Merelyn’s place looks just like Gavin’s, but is a smaller version of the same cabin. With my back to the house, I wait for him to tell me what’s going on.
