Page 193 of Heartbeats & Highways

He fell silent again.

“Did I tell you that they put Cozy and Riley in the thread?” I asked. “Seems the entire Jackson clan is settling down.”

I realized I wouldn’t be around to watch their budding relationships. I would miss out on girl talk and people committing to each other and moving in together. And I’d miss seeing Virgil interact with Riley’s daughter, Clementine. I wondered if she would be able to nag him into getting her a puppy.

By choosing Savage, I had inadvertently chosen to cut myself off from people I’d just begun to bond with.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“For what?”

“I can see it on your face,” he said. “You don’t want to leave town.”

“No, I don’t,” I admitted. “I mean, I do. I do think we need some distance. But three months? That’s so long.”

“It’s notthatlong.”

I placed a hand on my stomach. “Long enough that I’ll be sporting a big belly when we get back.”

“I didn’t think about that,” he murmured. “I didn’t think about a lot of things. I guess I didn’t realize how much this would affect your life, not just mine. Pretty selfish, huh?”

“We’re doing the best we can, Savage,” I murmured.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You need what you need.” I shrugged. “And you need this more than I need to be in Waco. That’s bound to happen over the course of our life together, Savage. There will be times when my needs will be more important than yours and vice versa. And right now, you need this. And I need to be with you. So, let’s see some stuff on the way up to Idaho and take a breather. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He looked relieved.

How could I ask him to turn around? He had demons he was trying to outrun. But demons were relentless, and they always caught up with you and swallowed you whole.

Savage’s phone buzzed on the nightstand of the motel room. He reached for it and unlocked the screen.

“Well, that’s one bit of good news,” he said, setting his phone down and then cuddling me close.

I snuggled into his embrace. “What is?”

“The club found Dr. Winchester. Now they’ll take care of him.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thatisgood news.”

“But is it enough to help you sleep at night?”

“Eventually . . . probably.” I propped up on my elbow so I could look at him. “Are you upset that you weren’t there to help the club find him?”

“Yeah. But as I’m learning, I can’t do everything myself.”

“You’re learning that, are you?” I teased.

I traced his chin with my thumb.

“You want to tell me about your nightmares?” he asked.

“I don’t remember them,” I lied.

“I don’t buy that for a second. You’ve been having them every night for the past several days.” He grabbed my finger. “Stop trying to distract me.”

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