Page 213 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol 4

He collapsed beside me and pulled me against him.

I breathed in the smell of him as my hand rose and fell on his chest. The ocean breeze made the curtains flutter. I wanted moments like this for the rest of my life. I wanted him for the rest of my life. But in a few short hours I'd be saying goodbye. Just the thought made my chest feel tight.

Missing Pieces - Chapter 46

Tyler

Thursday

"Promise you won't forget all about me?" she said, breaking the spell of silence.

I pulled her closer against my side. "Whenever you think of me, I can assure you that I'll be thinking of you too."

She nestled her head into my chest. "I did some research about your training."

"Yeah? To see when I can come visit you?"

"And to see how dangerous it all is."

I tried not to hold my breath. I hadn't looked up anything about it on purpose. I didn't want to know. Before it was because I didn't care what happened to me. But now it was because I did.

"Training lasts for four months. It doesn't seem like it's going to be that bad for you. You're already in great shape." She ran her fingers along the lines of my six pack.

"Four months. That doesn't seem like that long." I instantly regretted what I said. Four months was exactly how long the doctors had given her dad to live.Shit.

"I know," she said softly.

Before I could think of something to fix what I had said, she continued talking.

"You get ten days leave after that. Before you have to report to your first assignment."

I could feel my heart start to race. I didn't want to think about where I'd have to go. I just wanted to focus on the ten days I'd get with Hails. But it might not be the best circumstances. If the doctors were right about her dad...

"I know that you'll probably want to visit your mom and your friends for part of it. And I don't know what's going to be going on with my dad. I mean, he'll be recovering I'm sure. I know I'll be busy helping him. But I hope you'll come visit for a few days no matter what's going on."

"I'm spending all ten days with you and your dad." I hoped I would get to meet her father. I wanted to tell him how amazing his daughter was. I wanted the chance to shake his hand.

She lifted her head slightly so she could look up at me. Her long hair splayed against my chest. "He's going to like you, I know it."

I ran my fingers down the arch of her back. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Hmm." She smiled and put her head back down on my chest.

I breathed in the smell of her hair and let my fingers dance across her bare skin. It was like something happened to me as I held her. My heart didn't hurt anymore. I felt at peace. With everything.

I felt her fingers trace the scar on my hip.

For a second I held my breath. She had asked about it before, but I had deflected. She didn't need to ask me again. I wanted to tell her. I needed to get it off my chest.

"When you asked me why I was pushing you to go home earlier, it wasn't because I wanted you to go."

She lifted her head and looked up at me. "I know."

I thought she might say something else, but she stayed silent. I ran my fingers through her hair. It wasn't like I had done the motion a million times, but it still felt comforting. "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my dad, Hails. I just didn't want you to miss out on that too."

She bit her lower lip. "Why won't you tell me about the accident?"

I pushed my hair back with my hand and dropped my gaze. I didn't want to hold back anymore, but that didn't mean it was easy to talk about. It felt like my throat was constricting. I swallowed hard, trying to remove the lump. But it didn't go away. "My dad's dead because of me. And my grandfather is dead because of me." I immediately felt her hand on the side of my face, making my eyes meet hers again.