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He’s wearing that playful grin. “It’s a good thing. I plan to make you scream like that every night.”
His words from earlier finally register through the haze of contentment. I want you, kitten. I want you for the rest of our lives.
Fear as cold as ice pricks at my heart.
Even if he says he wants me, it’ll be that family all over again. I’ll get comfortable with him for a few weeks then he’ll tell me it’s over and I have to go live somewhere else. I won’t be allowed to stay with him.
When he lets me go, it’ll be ten times more painful than anything else I’ve ever been through. He’ll go on with his life, but I won’t survive the heartbreak. Not this time.
7
RYAN
Lacey’s expression changes in the mirror. A moment ago she looked happy and at peace.
Suddenly, there’s a storm brewing in those blue eyes of hers.
“Whatever is bothering you, we can talk about it,” I offer. I’ve never been much of a feelings man. But with Lacey, I want to be the safe person she feels like she can share everything with.
“Nothing is wrong,” she answers but her voice is too chipper.
She reaches for a paper towel and dries her hands. She fluffs her hair one more time and gives me a smile. It’s her Spock one. The sign she’s trying to stay detached.
But since we need to rejoin the party, I decide to let it go for now. I’ll question her about it later tonight when I get her home and in my bed. The idea of sharing a bed with her sends a thrill through me.
I’ve never had a serious girlfriend. I signed up for the service when I was eighteen and spent the next eleven years surviving. When I got out, I was a train wreck. So I had to focus on my sobriety, on putting my shattered pieces back together again.
I follow her out the door and put a hand on her back. “There are some people I want to introduce you to.”
She lets me lead her to a group of work colleagues. I know Mary from the marketing department is in need of a new person to help with the graphics and I think Lacey would be a good match.
Mary is deep in conversation with another woman. But she pauses when she sees me and greets me with a warm smile.
I introduce Lacey to Mary, explaining that she has an interest in art.
Lacey blushes but she looks pleased and grateful that I’m making the introduction.
The woman with Mary chuckles. Her white hair is streaked with pink and her brown eyes twinkle when she speaks. “You aren’t Lacey Holt by any chance, are you?”
Lacey nods and looks between the two women. “I’m afraid we haven’t been introduced.”
The woman extends her hand. “I’m Norah, the Dean from the Asheville School of Arts. I’d love to talk with you about your work.”
I think again about the envelope on the counter, the one from the art school. Is this a sign that she’s thinking about putting down roots finally? Maybe Eric was wrong about her this time.
Lacey gives the woman a frozen smile. “Sure.”
“I loved your piece, I think it was called longing. About the little girl trying to reach out to the family who doesn’t see her. What inspired that? It was so gripping.”
My heart hurts as I think about little Lacey, the girl who must have wanted a family. Her request in the bathroom to hold her comes to my mind and I put an arm around her shoulders. I need her to know that I’m here for her right now.
* * *
Lacey
What inspired that?
As soon as the Dean asks the question, I freeze.
