Page 77 of Breaking Point

I wipe my tears, leaning against the counter to steady myself as I nod. “I’ll be back next week,” I say again, and with a sense of resolution I don’t feel, I head for the door…

The last thing I hear is his voice whispering the words, “Don’t give up on me. Please.”

I don’t stop myself from leaving. Chesna lifts her head as I hop in the car and force myself to stop crying. To stop thinking about the pitiful way my father whispered the word ‘Please.’

For a few moments, we don’t say anything even though I can feel Crew looking at me. His eyes scan my face, and he looks like he’s fighting the urge to lean forward and hug me.

Instead, he carefully lifts his hand. I close my eyes as he brushes a wisp of hair behind my ear, thumb catching a tear.

“Can we just drive?” I ask quietly, and when he sweeps his thumb along my jaw once more and nods, I feel a wave of relief.

Because even for a week, there’s nowhere to go. Nowhere to be. Nothing to say. Even momentarily… I can just be.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Olivia

“Olivia.”

Someone’s voice curls around me like a sweet embrace. Faintly, I feel something warm against my skin, drawing away the rough edges of sleep.

“We’re almost there.”

My eyes flutter open, and when I see a face in front of mine, I jump.

Crew’s hands hold me steady. “It’s just me,” he says, thumb brushing my neck as I wake fully.

I realize that I’m in the front seat of his car, the door open. He's standing outside. I must’ve fallen asleep on the drive because the last thing I remember are the windswept trees outside Sutton. Now the air is frigid. But his touch is warm.

Safe.

He draws back as I sit upright, stirring a sleeping Chesna in my lap. She mewls softly before resettling. He props the car door open fully, leaning against the hood as he pumps gas into the car.

“Where are we?” I ask, stretching my arms over my head as I unbuckle to stretch my legs.

“About thirty minutes out,” he answers, casually glancing at me as I shiver. He rounds the car, reaching inside and pulling out a jacket. “Throw that on. It will only get colder.”

I slip into it easily, aware of his faint masculine scent as I draw the oversized hood over my head. A blinkingOPENsign flashes inside the dirty windows of the convenience store. Across the street, a single blinking stop light separates the winding two-way road that disappears into sprawling evergreens in either direction. Other than that, there’s nothing for miles.

“Is there anything I should know before we get there?” I ask, and although it’s meant to be teasing, I can’t help but notice how tense he is. Arms crossed over his chest, eyes locked somewhere in the distance.

“I called my mom while you were asleep. She knows we’ll be there soon.”

“Theresa and Jimmy, right?” He hums in confirmation, and I smile. “You’re sure it’s okay that I’m coming? I don’t want to… intrude.”

He smirks from under his baseball cap, lifting his gaze to mine. “You’re not intruding. Thank you for coming.”

For the first time since a few days ago, it feels like we’re alone again.

With the way he’s looking at me…

I clear my throat, forcing myself to focus. “I think, uh… I think the break will be good.”

He eyes me carefully, motioning toward my hand. “What happened?”

I nearly forgot about it. The burn still stings, the pain a distant throbbing ache. “A doorknob,” I say with a laugh, absently fiddling with the gauze. “I grabbed it without thinking when we tried to leave the building.”

“Does it hurt?” he murmurs.

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