Finally, he started the truck and we headed for home.
It took every ounce of strength I had not to fall to pieces. Not to crawl into his lap, wrap myself around him, and never let go. He hadn’t said it, but in my gut I knew he was planning to leave Deep River. For me. Because he had some misguided notion that it was for the best, that my life would be better without him. Just the idea of his leaving, of never seeing him again…of not waking up every morning to Eli by my side, shredded me. Broke me. I couldn’t…I wouldn’t allow it.
I’d told him I loved him, but the man still didn’t fully understand what that meant to me.
But he would.
And if I couldn’t convince him to stay…
I’d leave it all behind. I’d go with him.
Chapter Fourteen
I stared out the window. A few clouds were dotting the sky, but that bright sun was still there, beating down. I dropped the lace curtain and went to my closet. A storm was gathering, I felt it in my bones. But there was no way it could match the one stirring inside me. Elijah and I had spent the night together, but he was still being quiet, distant, and it was tearing me apart. All evening I’d caught him watching my every move, that silent contemplation, that deep longing in his eyes—those goddamn lips firmly shut. I hated it.
If he thought I’d just let him walk out of my life without a fight, he had another think coming.
I slipped my feet in my yellow flip-flops, straightened my favorite white sundress, then dragged a brush through my hair. I was on a mission this morning, and Elijah was coming along for the ride, whether he wanted to or not.
I strode out of the house toward the truck and, opening the driver’s door, flung my bag in. As expected, Eli stopped working on the fence he was repairing a short distance away, dropped his tools, and headed toward me.
I offered up a bright smile as he neared.
He motioned to the truck. “What are you doing?”
“Heading into town.” My heart started beating a little faster, but I refused to let him see how nervous I was.
His brow scrunched. “Why?”
“I forgot a few things the other day.”
He reached out, hand going to my hip, fingers curling into the fabric, like he could physically stop me from going. I guess he could, if he really wanted to. Well, he could try, anyway.
“What things?” He was frowning now.
Um…crap. I hadn’t thought that far. “Women’s things,” I blurted.
He pulled his T-shirt from the back of his jeans, where he’d tucked it after taking it off, and dragged it over his head. “I’m coming with you.”
I knew he wouldn’t let me go alone; I’d been counting on it. He was far too protective for that. “You don’t have to do that,” I fake-protested.
“You’re not facing those people on your own.”
He led me to the passenger side, and I climbed in. His cap was still on backward, and when he got behind the wheel, I couldn’t stop sneaking peeks at him. He was so damn handsome, even when he was frowning, full lips held in an unforgiving line. He was worried for me, and I understood why. Yes, a lot of people cared about me in Deep River. They loved me, and they’d loved my dad. They also knew I didn’t suffer fools. Not only were a lot of these people friends, we’d done business together. They knew I had a good head on my shoulders, that I was a decent judge of character. I didn’t know what would happen today. Eli and me going to town together could make everything worse, but my theory was the more they saw us together—the more they saw how much he cared for me, how much we cared for each other—the sooner they’d get over it and eventually accept it.
I was doing this for Elijah, not me, and sure as hell not them.
He needed his mind put to rest that I wouldn’t lose anyone because of him. At least anyone worth holding on to. I hoped like hell I could show him we could weather this. I just needed one person to act like a civilized human being toward us. Just one.
Tension radiated from him. He was unhappy about this, worried for me. I equally loved and hated it.
We finally reached Deep River, and I pointed to a parking spot in the dead center of town. Market days had everyone crawling out of the woodwork, and it was no different today. The street was busy, lined with stalls, and already a few people had spotted the truck and had stopped to look at us.
He shook his head. “Why don’t we park a little farther down the street?”
“Here’s fine.”
Still frowning, he did as I said, then climbed out, coming around to open my door. He was on guard, in full-on protection mode. He moved in behind me, keeping a little ways back, doing his best to curb talk while trying to act as my own personal bodyguard. I wasn’t having any of it. Nope. I ignored my racing pulse, and as soon as we hit the sidewalk, I reached out and grabbed his hand, leaning into his side.