Page 83 of What He Doesn't Know

“Jeremiah’s house burned down this week.”

Reese stilled in my arms, and he pulled back enough to lift his eyes to mine. “Oh, Charlie. I’m so sorry. Is he okay?”

Already, my heart ached at how he reacted to the news. It was such a contrast to Cameron.

“He’s hurting,” I said honestly, lacing my arms around Reese’s neck. “So is his family. And I didn’t take the news well. Jeremiah was just so sad all day, you know? He wasn’t himself. And then when his mom told me what happened, I just felt helpless. He might not be able to come back to Westchester.”

Reese’s brows bent together, but he simply rubbed my lower back, encouraging me to keep talking. He was listening intently, hanging on my ever word.

“I just… I freaked out, Reese. I called Cameron and begged him to come home.” Reese’s jaw ticked a little at that. “He was already there, thank God, and I just ran to him. I needed him. And I know that’s hard for you to hear, but he’s been my partner for ten years. I needed him in that moment.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand.”

“But the thing is,” I said quickly, catching his eyes with mine. “Cameron was there. Physically. But he wasn’t there in the way that counted most. He said I was acting crazy, and he kept reminding me that Jeremiah wasn’t our son, and that it wasn’tmy jobto fix any of it.”

Reese’s expression hardened. “It doesn’t matter if he’s your son, he’s important to you. And you care about him. And you treat all your kids in your class as if they were your own. It’s who you are, it’s how your heart works.”

I sniffed, my eyes blurring a little.

He gets it.

Just hearing those words out of his mouth assured me that I’d made the right choice coming to him, that it wasn’t some fantasy all in my head. Reese Walker understood me — maybe more than I understood myself. And he loved me.

How long had I yearned to be loved and understood?

“Cameron said he knew how to fix it all,” I said after a moment. “And his solution? To buy me another bird.”

“No…”

I nodded.

“Edward just died,” he pointed out. “And anyway, what does a new bird have to do with Jeremiah? Yes, it might have been a distraction, but it’s not a solution to what’s hurting you.”

“I know. It’s how he shows his love,” I tried, defending Cameron. “Or at least, how he tries to. He doesn’t understand, you know? He doesn’t get where my hurt is coming from. So he just thinks about what he can control, what he can do. And he can buy me a bird.”

Reese just shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It seems silly, now that I think about it, that this was my breaking point. But I was just sitting there in his arms, not feeling comforted at all, only feeling crazy and like I couldn’t be myself with him anymore. And when he suggested buying a new bird, I just… Reese, I snapped. Maybe Iwasa little crazy in that moment.”

I paused, a chill sweeping through me.

“Everything has just been compiling, you know? For so long. And I’ve tried to convince myself I was fine, tried to tell myself that I was happy and okay. Every couple has their problems, right?” A soft, sad laugh left my lips as I dropped my gaze to Reese’s chest. “It’s hard to admit you’ve failed, especially at a marriage. But I have. And so has he.Wehave.” My eyes found his again. “But I didn’t come to you because he failed me.”

Reese searched my eyes, and his next words were barely a whisper. “Then why?”

“It’s hard to explain…”

“Try.”

I brought one thumb to my mouth, slipping the nail between my teeth as I combed through my mind for the right words.

“I didn’t come to you because it made sense, or because it was the right thing to do. I didn’t come because it was easy. That’s just it — me being here, us being together, it’s going to be everythingbuteasy. It will be messy and hard, and it will hurt,” I admitted. “But, the simple truth is that I can’tnotbe with you anymore. I came to you because you made me forget I have a choice. I came to you because it’s always been you, Reese. Even when you were gone, even when there was Cameron. When you came back, I felt it. And I know you did, too.” I shrugged, eyes watering again. “If I am a river, you are the ocean. It all comes back to you in the end.”

Reese offered a crooked smile, shaking his head as if he didn’t believe me — or maybe as if he’d believed the words long before I’d spoken them. He wrapped his arms around me again, his head buried in my chest, and I folded over him under a wave of emotion.

It was one of those moments, one of those life-defining snapshots of time I’d never forget.

“What do we do now?” I asked, voice barely a whisper.