Page 110 of Dare You to Run

“You hafta be quiet. Momma said.”

I wink and tell her, “Gotcha.”

Her big eyes stay glued on the roses, so I carefully pluck one from the arrangement and hand it to her.

“Just for you, AJ.”

“Fank you.” She hugs the rose to her like it’s the greatest gift she’s ever received.

I can’t help myself. Something comes over me and I reach down to scoop her up and give her a hug. She wraps her little arms around my neck and I breathe in her scent. Peanut butter and fabric softener.

“Okay,” I say, putting her down on her feet. “I’m going to try and make Day feel better. Wish me luck.”

“Wuck, Chicken.” She holds out her hand and gives me a thumbs up.

I slowly make my way up the stairs and find Camille standing at the top. I pause for a moment then continue until I’m face to face with her.

“I–” my words are suffocated when Camille throws her arms around me.

She rests her head on my shoulder and cries. I would normally feel very uncomfortable in a situation like this, but things are different now. Vaughan broke my off switch and I can’t contain it.

I circle my arms around her back and soak in the affection I’ve been missing for the last twenty-nine years of my life.

She pulls away and pats my cheek. “Your grovel game better be top tier. Day reads plenty of romance novels and she won’t settle for less than begging and tears.”

“Thanks, Camille. No pressure at all.” She shrugs and moves past me, walking down the stairs and out of sight.

With one last breath of courage, I lift my hand and knock on her door.

“Come in.” Her voice is frail and hoarse as if she’s worn out her vocal cords.

I turn the knob with slow precision and push the door open. She lays on her side, her back to me, and doesn’t move. She probably assumes it’s her mom or dad.

“Hi, little mouse.”

She jackknifes out of bed and turns to look at me. Her beautiful face is marred with agony and anger. Her jaw is tense, but her eyes glisten with tears. I can already see how her breathing changes and I’m just waiting for the scream that works to free itself from her lungs.

But it never comes. I take slow steps towards her until I reach the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry, baby.” They’re the first words that bubble to the surface.

“That’s it? That’s the best you can do?I’m sorry, baby. Seems like I’ve heard that before and it didn’t mean shit. Try again.”

“I-there’s more. Just give me a second.” Her face looks bored and annoyed as she crosses her arms over her chest. “I should have been there when you woke up. I should have doused my temper with ice water. There are a lot of things that I should have done, but I was a coward and ran instead.”

“Coward seems to be quite fitting.”

I clear my throat and let another punch hit me in the gut. “I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t do that again, and now I’m faced with the challenge of convincing you it won’t happen yet again.”

“Of course it won’t happen again because we’re done. I won’t have to worry about you running out on me if we’re not together.”

“Don’t say that, little mouse.”

“I’m not your little mouse,” she bites.

“Yes you are. You’ll always be mine. It doesn’t matter where you go, how far or with who, you will be mine until my last breath. I’ll chase you across the globe if I have to. And I will have to because I need you, Dagen. I don’t think I can breathe without you.”

“You left me!” Her screech is filled with sobs. “I woke up and you weren’t there. The person I needed most was nowhere to be found. Then to find out that we lost our baby was like a knife to my heart. Do you know how scared I was? You should have been there, Hendrix, and you weren’t. How am I supposed to forgive that?”