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Hearing Chloe’s voice in the background rapidly changing notes and going from a low to high pitch, I texted him back a thank-you before pocketing my phone.
She sounded ecstatic when she turned around to look at me. Her eyes were not distraught anymore; they were shining.
“He’s okay! That was him on the phone. I spoke to him!” she said, sounding overjoyed, tears of happiness streaming down her face as she hugged me.
I was mad about Will showing up at her apartment, and I needed to make sure that wouldn’t happen again. But I would talk to Chloe about him another time.
Her arms went around my back, and I tightened my hold on her. I’d lose her to Henry now, when I desperately wanted this moment to last longer.
“Apparently, he dropped his phone while making his exit from the classroom. And he remembered that one of his friends was in the restroom and went searching for him. The two of them got locked in the building. They’re getting him out in a fewminutes. Oh, he’s fine, Sean. He’s fine,” she said, looking up at me.
She rested her head against my chest, and I sucked in a breath. Relief, compounded with her touch, made my cock harden for her again, and I clenched my jaw and swallowed. There would be time for that later. For now, I was glad to hear the ease in her voice.
It only underscored how traumatic this incident must have been for her.
“I’ve got to tell you this: the dean called me when I was in the cab on my way here,” she said, her voice muffled as she spoke into my chest. When she looked up, I could see her searching my eyes for something. “I’ve never so much as spoken to the man, but he called me and assured me that they were doing everything to find Henry and that they’d keep me posted.”
I grunted. “As they should.”
“And now, it was the dean again,” she added. “Calling me personally to let me know that Henry had been found. He was with Henry and even put Henry on the phone to speak with me as they were getting him out.”
Her voice broke. “I haven’t been important to a lot of people, Sean. I’ve felt utterly insignificant and lonely and tired of struggling—just Henry and me for the past ten years. But that moment, after the dean’s second call, I felt like Henry and I were not alone anymore. So, thank you.”
“If you think you got that special attention because of some strange connection the dean has with me, you’re wrong,” I said gruffly, deciding to make sure my connection with Desmond and his connection to the dean stayed private. “It was all you, Chloe. You don’t need to be connected to someone powerful to matter. You matter. That was it.”
Her cheeks glistened with tears as she looked at me, surprised but nodding. “Wow,” she said, wiping her cheeks withthe back of her hand. “I—I never expected that. I thought you had something to do with it.”
I didn’t want her ever questioning her worth, so I lied. “Well,” I said, running my hands up and down the length of her arms as her body shook with emotion, “I didn’t.”
“I need to get back to Henry,” she said, and I nodded.
All around us, sirens blared, and people cried and hugged loved ones. Our momentary embrace wasn’t noticed, but I needed to be careful.
I stroked her hair. “Go,” I said, stepping back.
The space between us felt like a mistake, and a longing to fill it up with her embrace again engulfed me.
She looked at me for a moment. “I wish you could come … but I need to focus on Henry?—”
“That’s okay,” I said, feeling my heart wrench. I couldn’t be involved in this part of her life, and I hated it.
My expression must have been pretty obvious because she looked torn. “I’m sorry.”
“Chloe …” I began, unwilling to walk away from her. Unwilling to accept that I needed more of her than just an hour. “Can I see you later tonight?”
40
SEAN
The way she smiled made my heart squeeze with happiness.
“You can,” she said softly in a pleased voice.
“But wait,” I said, and she paused as she was about to move.
I reached over, rubbing my thumbs over her cheeks, removing traces of her tears. She might not have wanted me to witness her fears and vulnerabilities while she cried over Henry, but I had to do this for her.
“I think Henry wouldn’t like to see that you’ve been crying all this time.”