Page 83 of The Ghost of Ellwood

His brown eyes softened, and he caressed my cheek. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You should sleep. I kept you away from work all day, so I expect at least one chapter written tomorrow.”

Chuckling, I lay back on the pillow and pulled him with me. “You my drill sergeant now?”

“No. If I was your drill sergeant, I’d scream in your face at five in the morning then make you do push-ups if you didn’t get out of bed fast enough.”

“Harsh.”

“That’s the Army for you.”

I kept forgetting he’d been so close to being shipped overseas to fight in World War I. He was brave, kind, funny, and so goddamn perfect.

“Theo, I…”

I love you,was on the tip of my tongue. And god, how I loved him. But the words caught in my throat.

“What is it, darling?” he asked, his eyes closing.

“Goodnight,” I said instead.

“Sweet dreams.”

In my thirty years on this earth, no other person had touched my heart like Theo did. I recalled the poem he’d quoted to Harvey. The rarest soul I ever knew. That’s exactly how I felt about him.

I only hoped our ending would be a happy one.

Chapter Sixteen

The rain came down hard, hitting the window at an angle. The sound of it tapping on the glass added noise to the otherwise silent room. I sat at my desk, staring at the blinking cursor on my laptop. I’d been in my office for an hour and had only managed to write two paragraphs.

Alex, my main character, needed to make a decision, and I was having a hard time tapping into his mind. Maybe because mine was scattered.

I was distracted, which seemed to be a common occurrence with me lately. No matter how hard I tried to focus, my thoughts shifted to something else. Theo had chosen to read in the library instead of sitting in here and possibly distracting me further. The absence of him didn’t help me, though.

Deep down, I knew the cause of my block.

The pressure.

So much was riding on this book. Two mediocre book releases prior to this one had me overthinking everything. Three strikes and you’re out. The plot was solid, the characters were likable, and the romance—though slow building—had added a nice touch to an otherwise dark story.

But what if it had veered in the wrong direction? What if it would’ve been better to have Alex do this instead of that?

Grumbling, I dug my fingers into my temples and closed my eyes. They snapped back open when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Theo walked in carrying a glass of water and a granola bar. I smiled. Ever since my episode where I’d blacked out, he’d made sure I’d stayed hydrated and ate regularly.

“Apologies for disturbing you,” he said, placing the glass on the coaster. “I thought you might be hungry.”

I rose to my feet and backed him up against the desk, brushing my lips across his throat. “I could certainly use a snack.”

“Benjamin.” Holding my shoulders, Theo gently pushed me back. “You need to work. Stop pouting.”

“Fine.” I let my hands slide from his waist and plopped back down in the chair. “Words just aren’t happening right now.”