Page 126 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nate stroked Callie’s arm while he held her close, feeling her growing tenser despite the fact that they’d just finished making love. As soon as he’d rolled to his back and pulled her against his side, he’d sensed her retreating into her head, which was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid. They’d made it through the last week with relative ease. Callie had done all right, keeping busy with plans for Grandpa Morris’s retirement party and giving Molly a hand at the bakery. She’d even managed to move her equipment over to the garage and work on the baby’s new lamp. It wasn’t until tonight that their problems had begun—when, at the dinner table, he’d brought up tomorrow’s trip to the mainland. As soon as he’d said the words, the light had left her eyes and she’d gotten quiet—the unavoidable elephant in the room, screwing up their evening. “Hey,” he mumbled as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Where’d you go?”

She lifted her chin, smiling as she met his gaze. “I’m right here.”

He shook his head. “You’re a million miles away.”

“I don’t mean to be.” She settled her weight on her elbow, resting her head on her hand instead of his shoulder. “I’m just nervous.”

“You know you don’t have to come to Connecticut—”

“Yes, I do. We both know I do. You’re moving forward with my case because I’ve asked you to. I can’t just sit here while you deal with my mess.”

He toyed with her hair, wrapping soft golden strands around his fingers. “This is still what you want? For me to keep digging?”

“Yes.” She traced his pecs, eventually moving down to his abs. “It’s just—what if she doesn’t remember?”

He frowned. “Ms. Battleman?”

She nodded.

“She might not remember everything exactly the way she did twenty-two years ago, but I can guarantee you she remembers something.”

“But what if it’s not enough? What if talking to her doesn’t help?”

“That’s certainly a possibility.”

She huffed out a quiet breath and dropped her gaze.

He pressed his hand down on hers, stopping her movements along his skin. “I wish that wasn’t the truth, Callie, but that’s something we have to be prepared for. We have to take this one step at a time—see where each lead takes us.”

She looked at him again. “But eventually one of those leads is going to bring us to my biological mother.”

He nodded. “That’s the goal.”

“I keep thinking… What will I say to her, Nate? I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. What possible explanation could there be for her walking away?”

“I don’t know.” He stroked his fingers along her jaw, seeing the way this was tearing her up. “But I hate how much this is hurting you. If I thought it was right, I’d say we could postpone our meeting—”

She shook her head. “It’s not right.”

“No, it’s not. As much as I want to protect you, we have to keep moving forward.” Because ultimately, the answers were going to free her. That’s all he wanted, for her to be free from the pain of her past.

She sighed. “Everything’s so confusing. Some days I want to find her and other days I don’t. I want to stay here as much as I want to go with you tomorrow. This is my safe place—my own little bubble. I love Carter Island, but I also feel like I’m suffocating.”

He didn’t like her last statement. He understood it, but he didn’t like it regardless. Staring up at the ceiling, he played with her fingers as his mind raced. “What if we go away for the weekend?”

She frowned. “What?”

“Yeah.” He pulled her on top of him, liking the idea more and more. “You and me. Let’s get out of here for a couple of days. Take me to New York.”

She shook her head. “Nate—”

He slid his hands up and down her waist. “Weren’t you just talking to your friend the other night—telling him how sorry you were that you would miss his exhibition?”

“Yes.”

“So, who says you have to? It’s tomorrow night, right?”