Page 103 of Word to the Wise

She nods, chewing the inside of her cheek.

“Do you respond to him?”

I’m not sure why her answer might be a knife to my chest. But even if she doesn’t want to be with me at the end of this, the thought that she could go back to Carterhas me wanting to take a bullet to my heart just to put me out of my misery.

“Once.” She glances around me, staring at the stick figures she drew on my wall. “When Sage first got me the laptop, I checked my email to touch base with my boss, and I saw he had been sending me messages. I responded and asked him to leave me alone.”

“He hasn’t.”

She shakes her head. “I’ve tried changing email addresses. Even creating new ones. I had to tell my boss what was going on eventually, and she’s been understanding. But he finds me every time.”

“Through your new emails?”

My grip on the counter behind me tightens as something knocks around inside my chest. Hate or rage. Whatever it is has me wishing she’d told me this sooner. His stalking is escalating, and I don’t like that he’s tracking her emails and devices.

“I haven’t responded to him since that first time.”

“That’s good.” I walk over to her and brush her hair off her cheek. “Let me know if you get any more, please.”

“I will.”

How am I going to keep her safe, while also setting her free?

The contradiction is killing me.

“Your brother and I will deal with Carter. You just try to focus on the good things, okay?”

She nods.

“Save the hotel, and don’t let him ruin that for you.”

The hint of a smile that crawls her cheek is beautiful. “It is pretty good, right?”

“It is.” Leaning in, I kiss the top of her head. “So, celebrate, have a drink, whatever you need. This is your win, Reed. Own it.”

Her smile grows now. It warms the entire room. It might heat the Earth. It’s so bright.

How any man could cast a shadow over her brightness blows my mind. Her smile is a reward, and her happiness should be cherished.

Reed handed her heart to the wrong person. And maybe I’m not the right person, but I’d find a way to be right for her.

I love you.

It’s on the tip of my tongue, which means I probably did admit that to her when I was hopped up on alcohol and Benadryl. The words are aching to get out, and the moment she’s ready to hear them, I’ll say them so often she’ll roll her eyes at me every single time because it’ll be too much.

I’ll remind her every day what a fool Carter was and that she shouldn’t have had to suffer with him for so long. I’ll make the rest of her life worth it.

Did the room lose all its oxygen or is she stealing the beats from my heart one at a time?

A knock comes at the door before it swings open.

“Your appointment’s here,” Maxine, the new receptionist says.

She’s fully tatted with bright red hair, and a perma-smile that the customers don’t seem to mind.

“I’ll be right there.”

Maxine nods, disappearing back down the hall.