Page 42 of Hold Me Tight

And then, to my own surprise, laughter spills out. It’s more of a sharp release from all the pressure that’s been building. I clap a hand over my mouth, trying to muffle the sound, but it’s too late. The tension shatters.

“That is never going to happen,” I say once I’m able to steady my nerves.

River’s mouth curves into a lazy smirk. “We’ll see about that.”

Without another word, he rolls onto his back and reaches for the bedside light before clicking it off.

Even though darkness settles around us, my thoughts refuse to be silenced, and my pulse doesn’t show any signs of slowing. I lie there for a long time and stare into the shadows above. The steady sound of River breathing next to me is both oddly comforting and completely unsettling.

After everything that happened today, from the way he ignited a fire inside me to the tenderness he showed Nora, to the words he said that reach straight into the parts of me I didn’t know were aching, one thing is painfully clear.

I don’t have River Thompson figured out.

Not by a long shot.

And that might be the most terrifying realization of all.

18

River

A quiet, broken sound slices through the dark, and I jolt upright, adrenaline rushing through my veins. For a second, I’m disoriented, still caught between sleep and waking.

That’s when I remember I’m not alone.

Callie’s curled up next to me, her faint inhalations brushing against the pillow. The floral scent of her shampoo wraps around me before slipping slyly around my heart until it’s impossible to untangle.

Before I can shift closer and take it all in, another sound cuts through the silence.

A hiccupping sob.

And just like that, everything inside me freezes.

Nora.

My body moves before my mind can fully catch up. I glance at Callie. She’s out cold with one hand tucked beneath her cheek. Her features have relaxed and are finally at ease. She needs this sleep. I’ve seen how hard she pushes herself, the exhaustion she carries like an extra weight she’s gotten used to.

I slide quietly from the bed, careful not to jostle the mattress. The floor is cool beneath my feet as I pad into the hallway. The door across from ours is cracked open, the glow of a tiny nightlight casting a warm pool of amber against the dark.

I nudge the door open wider and step inside.

Nora’s sitting up in bed, her tiny body trembling. Her hair is mussed and her cheeks are damp with tears. She blinks up at me with wide, watery eyes, and the second she sees me, her bottom lip wobbles as her arms reach up.

“Rivvy…”

Her voice is barely more than a whisper, but it hits me like a freight train. An ache fills me as I cross the room in three strides and scoop her into my arms. She clings without hesitation, as if she already understands I’m someone she can trust. Her arms wind around my neck as I press a kiss to the top of her head.

“Hey, ladybug,” I murmur, rocking her gently. “Did you have a bad dream?”

She doesn’t answer, just lets out a tired whimper and rests her head on my shoulder.

As I settle into the chair in the corner, I grab the fleece blanket draped over the back and wrap it around her. Nora lets out a sleepy sigh, her thumb slipping into her mouth as she nuzzles closer.

I shift her slightly, cradling her small body against mine, and start rubbing slow circles along her back. It’s meant to soothe her, but it ends up calming me too.

The tension I didn’t realize I was holding bleeds out of my muscles.

She settles deeper into me, all warm limbs and trusting. That’s all it takes for something within me to pull tight. It’s the kind of tightness that makes it hard to breathe, but in the best possible way.