AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Athena reached out to hug her sister and then they pulled back. Rachel glanced toward him and gave him a little wave, to which he nodded. They spoke again softly, and then Rachel opened the driver’s side door. Athena stepped back as the car started and pulled away from the house.
Rachel’s taillights shrank with the growing distance between them, and Athena didn’t turn toward the house. It was too dark for her to walk anywhere. She hadn’t gotten in the car with her sister. That meant only one thing.
As if Athena could hear his thoughts, she turned to face him. Even in the shadow of the night, she was beautiful. The porch lights cast a soft glow on her face, but he couldn’t read her expression.
Athena wrapped her arms around her middle and stared at him, not saying a word. It was familiar, the way she watched him—much like when they’d first met. Henry couldn’t help but smile at the memory as he pushed himself away from the house and moved toward the edge of the porch.
“I take it that you two hit it off,” he called out to her.
Athena shifted her weight from one foot to the other and then looked off into the distance. “Rachel is…”
“She’s pretty amazing.”
Her eyes met his again. “Yeah. She is.”
He moved down one of the steps and stopped so she would be able to see he was giving her space. “She’s been looking for you a long time.”
“Yeah, I know.” Athena squinted, though there were no bright lights. It was as if the pain caused her features to do that. Either pain or guilt. Then again, he could be entirely wrong.
“Where did she go?” Henry asked, coming down another step.
Athena gazed at him again. “Henry, I need to tell you something.”
Once again, he stopped, frozen on the stairs. He wasn’t brave enough to move closer nor ask her to continue.
Her brows pulled together, creasing deeply between them. “I was wrong.” Athena shook her head and tightened her arms around herself. “You were right to go looking for her, and I was mistaken to think that she would be like all the people I’d met in my life who did me wrong.” Her voice broke, and his heart right along with it.
Henry shook his head and hurried closer to her. “You didn’t know. How could you?” Without thinking, he pulled her into his chest. His arms wrapped around her so firmly that neither of them would be able to escape from his embrace. “There was always a chance that you were right. But we never know until we do the work to find out.”
She buried her face into his shoulder and her voice grew muffled. “I should have listened to you.”
He chuckled. “That’s where you’re wrong. I should have listened to you.” He pulled back and her chin tilted upward so she could look at him. “I should have respected your boundaries. Trust takes time to build, and I didn’t listen to you. I should have done more to open a discussion with you before I sent off that message.”
She blinked several times, releasing a tear down her cheek. “That wouldn’t have helped. I know it deep in my soul. I was too stubborn, and I know it.” She smiled through her tears. “I’m so glad you found her.”
He watched her closely, praying that wasn’t the only thing she’d stuck around to say. He couldn’t push her. He knew better than to do that now. So, he waited and sent another prayer heavenward.
Athena nibbled on her lower lip and looked away as if his gaze was too much for her to bear. It felt like an eternity for her to finally meet his gaze again. When she did, her face blushed a deep scarlet color. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“About what?” he whispered.
“About the way I left.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did. I should have said something to you. I should have—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “I’m just glad you’re back.”
“You are?” she whispered.
“More than you will ever know,” he whispered. “If I had known where you went, I would have come after you. I would have begged you to come back. I would have told you—” Henry cut himself off. The words were on the tip of his tongue. He could tell her now, tossing aside his worry for any consequences. Or he could wait and give her the space she might need. Henry swallowed hard. This had to be the hardest thing he had done thus far.
“You would have told me what?” she pressed.
Henry shook his head. “There’s plenty of time for that. Right now, all you need to worry yourself about is that I’m glad you’re back and I don’t want you to leave again.”
A small smile touched her lips. “I’m not going anywhere. That is, as long as you’ll have me.”
“Where else would you go?” he questioned. “This is your home.”
Her smile warmed him from the inside out. She leaned into him once more, resting her cheek against his chest. “Actually, I met someone.”
