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I shake my head and step back. “I don’t regret it. I’ll never regret it, Noah. Because you’re my it’s always been you.” I suck in a breath. “But I’m not yours.”
He's one step forward and I'm two back. “I’ll be out by the end of the day.”
I hop into the SUV that I’ll be leaving back at the house—along with everything else he'd bought me—and drive. My vision is blurred and I hate that I did this to myself because I’m a wreck behind the wheel as it is.
Somehow, I manage to get back to the house in one piece. And without a scratch on a vehicle that never belonged to me.
I fumble with the keys as I attempt to get in the house. The rain is slowing down now but my hands are shaky and slippery as I try the key with unnecessary force.
“Come on.”
I push the door open and stumble in, closing it behind me.
I look for my suitcase in my room but can’t find it. Noah probably stashed it someplace. The man hates clutter and that old thing was clearly bothering him.
I growl. “Where is it?”
I check the garage but there’s nothing but gym equipment and a few sporting goods. I check the coat closet. Nothing but shoes and a few jackets.
I circle in place, feeling like I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t find it soon.
My eyes land on the bedroom door at the far end of the hallway. The one that Noah insisted was for Jackson and has been locked since my first night here.
I storm over to it and shake the knob violently. Securing my foot at the base, I push like my life depends on it. When it doesn't budge, I yank a bobby pin out of my hair and fumble with the lock until I hear it click.
Twisting the knob, I nearly fall into the room as the door swings open.
The bedroom is smaller than Noah’s, but not by much. A queen-sized bed, dresser, and boxes—familiar boxes—make up the room. And that's when I notice all the other familiar items throughout the space.
It's a crumpled-up miniature version of my mother's apartment.
It’s all here. Everything I thought was long gone. My mother’s chair, the ottoman, her boxed wedding dress. My father's record player.
I stand at the threshold in shock. Or am I hallucinating? Did I naturally just go to my happy place because my world was falling apart?
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted,” Noah’s voice comes from behind me and I turn with a gasp. His tie is loose, his hair and tux are damp. “So I went back for it all.”
I shake my head. “Went where? It was all gone. Roger sold them to some auction—"
“I bought it back."
“How? When? And…why were you hiding it?”
He shrugs and steps in. “Because I couldn’t explain it. I couldn’t explain needing to get everything you lost back for you.” He motions to the room. “So I kept it from you until I could.”
“Well, when can I have it all back? When can you explain it?”
He lifts his shoulders. “I don’t know.”
I swallow. “Well let me know when you do.” I brush past him. "I’ll just send for my things. Pepper, most likely." I leave the car keys and dump the contents of my small purse into my large tote bag, trade my heels for my purple boots, grab a hoodie, and storm out of the house in my bridesmaid dress.
The rain stopped but it's still miserable and cloudy as I round the cars in the driveway and start down the gravel road. Drops of leftover rain from the trees sprinkle down on me.
Noah has been four steps behind me, watching me like I'm a ticking bomb. One wrong move and I'll explode.
“You’re right,” he calls and there’s something desperate in his voice. Something I’d never heard. Not from him. But it's not enough to make me stop.
“You’re not my ‘it’s always been you'.”
