Page 115 of Hold Me Tight

It’s hard, hot, and absolutely perfect.

I lower myself onto him, inch by inch, until he’s buried deep inside me and we’re fully connected.

I release a moan and settle against him, bracing my hands on his chest. He cradles my hips, anchoring me as we move together. And in this quiet hour, wrapped in shadows and everything that’s still unspoken between us, there’s no confusion.

No fear.

No past.

Just this.

Just us.

42

River

The sheets are cool to the touch when I reach for her. My hand drags over the place where she should be, searching for her warmth and curves.

At this point, it’s instinct.

Much like breathing.

But she’s not there.

I sit up quickly, my chest heaving. My heart slams against my ribs as last night rushes back in vivid flashes.

The way Callie climbed on top of me before we started moving as one.

Almost like I was her choice, and it meant something.

And maybe it did.

I glance around at the emptiness that surrounds me.

Then again, maybe it didn’t.

My bare feet hit the floor as I shove a hand through hair that’s still mussed from her fingers tugging at it last night. My body aches in all the best ways, even though my insides feel as if they’ve been carved out.

After throwing on a pair of flannel pants, I rush across the hall to Nora’s room. A month ago, it was a barely used guest room, now it belongs to a two-year-old with golden curls and a smile that melts everything inside me.

My lungs constrict as I quickly scan the space.

Nora’s gone.

Just like I suspected she would be. But everything else is still here. The baby monitor on the dresser. Nora’s fuzzy blanket folded at the foot of the bed. The Railers teddy bear I brought home last week is propped against the pillows. And there’s a pair of tiny sneakers by the closet door.

All of her things are still here.

Relief and confusion roil within me until it’s impossible to ignore.

She didn’t take anything.

Which means that she didn’t leave me.

It’s always possible that she just stepped out with the need for air.

Space and time to think.