Page 133 of Lethal Attraction

It’s weird.

I never knew that loving someone so deeply could feel like this—that I would forget all about being selfish for his sake. That I would throw my hopes and dreams of a future we shared right out the window if it meant keeping him safe. This must be what unconditional love feels like. It’s raw and painful, but it’s so pure and beautiful. It’s knowing you would do anything for the person you adore because, in the end, life is nothing if they aren’t here.

I would rather Reed stay alive than risk the possibility of losing him every day. It cuts deep, so deep that I could fall to my fucking knees and never get up, but I’ll always cherish the memories. I know I’ll never have something like that ever again.

Because Reed was it for me. And I’m coming to terms with that.

“Ready to go?” Atlas asks, extending a hand out to me as I sniffle.

“Yeah,” I whisper.

We leave the grounds together, and I rest my head against the car’s window as we begin our trip home. I close my eyes, mourning the man I love until the end of time.

My chest cracks open, that wound refreshing as I bite back another desperate sob. I don’t know how I’ll ever heal from this.

I didn’t stay alone last night. Atlas couldn’t sleep in the empty home he had made with his wife and daughter, and I couldn’t sleep in my house at all. I stood on the steps, staring at the lifelessness as if it was haunting me in real time.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t bring myself to exist in the same space Reed once did without it destroying me.

Until a hand rested on my shoulder.

“Come keep me company,” Atlas offered softly. “I don’t like sleeping alone when Loxley and Sophia aren’t here.”

I tucked my head, nodding as I hid my tears from him. I didn’t sleep, and I definitely didn’t stop thinking about Reed all night.

It was like I blinked and ended up at the train station, life continuing around me as if I was insignificant. As the cars pull in front, Atlas is vibrating at my side to see his wife and daughter again.

Rowan, Ford, and Logan are all antsy, talking quietly as they wait for departure. As it pulls to a stop, my head whips up in hope. It’s a silly one…

That maybe Reed would have found out about my plan ahead of time and booked the next trip back. That maybe, just maybe, he’ll be exiting first in a flurry to find me among the crowd.

But that doesn’t happen. Because I blocked his number before the fight started. I made it seem like we never existed.

Addison is the first to rush off, her luggage forgotten as she tosses herself into Rowan’s arms with a giggle. He catches her before slamming his lips to hers in a heated kiss.

“I missed you, Row Row,” she says breathlessly.

“I missed you too, Sunshine.”

Her mom, Morgan, follows. She smirks at Ford before offering him a small kiss on his cheek. To which he responds by tucking his hand into her hair and capturing her mouth.

“Oh!” Morgan exclaims before melting into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Logan gags, silently pleading with Addison to save him.

“Remember,” Rowan points at his brother-in-law, “don’t trust weight-bearing surfaces. For Christmas, I can get you a really nice pair of soundproof headphones.”

Logan sucks his teeth before flipping him off. “Fuck you.”

Loxley is next, Sophia wrapped in her arms as she snoozes. Atlas takes her luggage, stealing a kiss as I hold my hands out.

“May I?” I ask. “I already put on hand sanitizer.”

Lox smiles before handing the bundle over to me. “She may be a little fussy. I think she has colic.”

Atlas brushes a finger over one chubby cheek, cooing. “Hey, daddy’s girl. Have you been giving Mommy a hard time?”

As if responding, Sophia’s little fist shoots up, waving around as she grunts.