Coming Home by Wendy Smith & Ariadne Wayne

Author:Wendy Smith & Ariadne Wayne [Smith, Wendy & Wayne, Ariadne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book one in the Copper Creek Series
Published: 2016-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

19

Adam

I wake to the sound of her crying.

“Lily,” I whisper, reaching for her. In the night I got up to use the bathroom and when I got back, I entangled myself in her. Since then, we’ve become detached, and I slip my arm under her neck to pull her back toward me.

“No.” At first I loosen my grip, but she’s panting and shaking, and it’s not because of me. She’s dreaming. At least, I think that’s what’s going on.

She makes a sound. It comes out like a word, but nothing I recognise. She’s struggling with something, and I’m not going to wake her. I’ve been here before.

When she lunges for the bedside cabinet and flicks on the light, I let her go. She sits up, still breathing quickly, her expression strained.

“Did you turn out the light?” She gasps as she speaks, struggling to catch a breath.

“I closed the door when I went to the bathroom. Didn’t want Max walking in on anything you didn’t want him to see.”

“The dark …”

Those two words tell me everything, and regret fills my soul. Did I really think she’d have walked away from her ordeal unscathed? I have enough scars, mental and physical, to understand the inability to let go. “Shit. Lily. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

She shakes her head. “No. You didn’t. It’s not your fault.”

Her breathing slows, and I place my hand on her thigh, gently stroking her skin. “Leave the lamp on and lie back down with me. I want to show you something.”

Lily lies back down, and I fold her in my embrace. She’s safe, even if she doesn’t feel it. Her eyes are so heavy, and I understand even more the reason for her fatigue. It’s not just Max or the farm. It’s her.

I palm her cheek, and she closes her eyes at my touch. My body’s on fire again with want and need. All for her.

“What did you want to show me?” she asks as she opens her eyes again.

“Just give me a second. I want you to stop shaking first.”

“I’m sorry.” The words are a whisper, as if she has anything to be sorry for. I’m the one who owes her.

I press my nose to her nose. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. We all have fears. Even me.”

A smile spreads across her face. “Here I was thinking you were brave and tough.”

“Not all the time.”

I guide her hand to my right shoulder, and her fingers probe the skin. Never taking my eyes off her face, I watch as her brows knit, and she frowns. “What’s that lump?”

“That’s where I got shot in the shoulder.”

Her eyes widen. “Adam?”

“It’s okay. It bled. I survived. But because of it and other things, I freak out at sudden loud noises sometimes.”

Her lips twitch.

“Hell of a problem when you’re working on old cars. Never know when those things are gonna backfire.” I’m semi-joking to try and lighten the mood, but she sucks in her lower lip, her eyes searching mine.

“The point is that we’re both a bit broken, and if being together is what helps fix us, I vote we try.

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