After Everything by Andrea Nourse

Author:Andrea Nourse [Nourse, Andrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Andrea Nourse

Chapter Twenty-One

I dropped back against the back wall of the elevator, grateful for both the silence and the air conditioning. Dad had offered to drive me home, but he’d been glancing at the time for much of our coffee date, and I assumed he had more important things to do. Turns out, the sun is way worse at nine in the morning than it is at six.

When my tiny, metal icebox reached the twelfth floor, I meandered down the hall with whatever energy I could muster. My eyes fought to stay open. The long work weekend combined with insomnia and nightmares had worked a number on me. I had every intention of collapsing straight into bed and not waking up until my shift on Wednesday.

My plans for a nap/coma were dashed when I saw the tall, bearded, tattooed man standing at my door. When he heard my shuffling down the hall, he turned around. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He had a large brown bag in one hand and a single purple iris in the other. His guitar was propped against the door.

“I thought you weren’t the type to bring a girl flowers?”

“I didn’t bring flowers. I brought a flower.” He smirked. The adorable half-smile dropped from his face as he took me in. I tried not to flinch or read too much into the way his eyes dimmed. “Have you slept?”

His question unleashed everything I’d managed to ignore during my time with Dad. The exhaustion, fear, and shame swelled to the surface, and I couldn’t fight it anymore. I fell against him and burrowed my face into his shirt. His aftershave mingled with the smell of him, the familiar scent tickled my nose and comforted me all at once. With his hands full, he couldn’t hold me the way I needed him to, so I slipped back and silently dug my keys from my pocket.

“I’m sorry I haven’t answered the phone.” I yawned and pushed the door open. He reached around me and held it open. I took the iris from him and lifted it to my nose. Any other man would have gone the easy route and bought a dozen roses, but not Derrick. I knew this iris was from the tiny garden in front of his house. I’d admired it when I was leaving his house before dawn. He’d been listening.

“You’ve been through a lot this week.”

“That smells like cheap takeout Chinese.”

“Your nose is wise, Missouri.” He hadn’t called me Missouri in at least a week. Until he said it just then, I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it. He dropped the food on the counter and held his arms open. “Come here.”

I didn’t hesitate. I was in his arms in less than two steps. I breathed him in again and wrapped my arms around his back; his arms pulled me in. He stroked the top of my head with one hand and my back with the other. This is what I needed, I thought.

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