Page 109 of Saltwater Cowboy

A fresh sob wracked through her, muffled against my shirt.

“Hey, hey,” I murmured, tightening my hold. “I’ve got you, Sunshine.”

She didn’t say anything. Just clenched her fists into the fabric of my shirt like I was the only thing keeping her from shattering completely.

I rested my chin on top of her head, breathing her in. The scent of flowers and wine clung to her, but beneath that was something softer—something Rose.

She shook against me, her breath still uneven, and I rubbed slow circles against her back, letting her get it all out.

Minutes passed. Maybe longer.

Finally, her breathing evened out, though she still didn’t move away.

“I don’t—” She swallowed hard. “I don’t know why I’m like this.”

I exhaled, resting my cheek against her hair. “Because you’ve been holding it in too damn long.”

She let out a quiet laugh—more breath than sound. “Feels like I could cry forever.”

“You won’t,” I said. “Not forever.”

She tilted her face up, her cheek still resting against my chest, eyes red-rimmed but searching.

“Why’d you come find me?” she whispered.

I gave her a look like she had to be kidding. “Because you’re you, Sunshine.”

Something flickered in her expression, something fragile and unsure.

I pulled her in a little closer. “And I’ll always come find you.”

She didn’t answer, but I felt the subtle shift in her body as she relaxed even more into my arms. The weight of her head against my chest, the way her fingers gradually loosened their grip on my shirt—it all told me the same thing: I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

DRUNK ME

I rested my head on Wells’ chest and it was oddly comforting. The steady rise and fall of his breath beneath me felt solid, grounding. He was sturdy, dependable, reliable. Everything I hadn’t realized I’d been craving.

We lay there for what felt like an eternity, the quiet of the night wrapping around us. I felt safe yet exposed all at once. There was so much I still hadn’t said, so much that had been building up inside me for far too long.

Wells didn’t push me to talk. He just let the silence linger between us, the weight of his presence saying everything I needed to hear without a word. But eventually, it all came tumbling out, like I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I never told you what happened with Thad,” I whispered, breaking the silence between us.

Wells shifted slightly, making sure he was paying full attention. I could feel his fingers gently brushing through my hair, waiting for me to continue.

“He…” I swallowed hard, remembering the way Thad’s words had felt like a punch to my gut. “We were together for a long time. We were building a future, or so I thought. He got me a promise ring, told me we were going to move and start a life together. I really thought I had it all figured out, you know?” I let out a breath, trying to steady myself. “But the morning of the move, everything was packed. My stuff was in the car, and then he… he told me he wasn’t coming with me.”

Wells didn’t say anything right away. He just let the weight of my words hang in the air between us, his hand gently massaging the back of my neck as if to remind me he was here, that I wasn’t alone.

“He told me while standing on the sidewalk, Wells,” I continued, my voice shaking. “Like it was no big deal. He just… left me there. With all my stuff packed in the car. He wasn’t coming with me.”

I wiped my eyes quickly, my throat tightening with the sting of it all. “But it wasn’t just that day. It was everything before that. The more I think about it, the more I realize I never really knew him at all. He was so good at pretending, at making me feel like everything was perfect, but when it came down to it, it wasn’t.”

Wells’ voice was calm but firm when he spoke. “You don’t need him, Rose. You’re better off without someone who can just walk away like that.”

I nodded, the pain still fresh in my chest. “I know. But it’s not just that. It’s everything he said to me.” I took another deep breath, feeling the tears well up again. “He told me I was hard to love. That I bounced from one idea to another, never sticking with anything. That I was too much for him. And for the longest time, I believed him.”

Wells’ grip on me tightened, and I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin. “You’re not hard to love, Rose,” he said quietly. “You’re passionate and you have a lot of ideas. That doesn’t make you too much. You’re exactly who you’re supposed to be.”