Page 42 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Not hard enough.”

“Don’t do that,” she insisted. “It won’t help.”

“They were children, Rachel,” I sighed. “The boy was only five, and the girl was only seven. They were tiny little kids who burned to death.”

“Jared—”

“I can still hear their mother screaming… It was the most terrible sound in the world.”

“How long until your shift is over?” Rachel asked.

“Not for another eight hours,” I replied. “I won’t be home till after midnight.”

“If you don’t mind some company, I’d like to be there when you come home.”

The moment she made the suggestion, I felt better, and I could see a little light once more. “You can go a little earlier and wait for me at my apartment. The spare key is under the mat.”

“I’ll do that,” she assured me.

“You’ll be there when I get home?” I asked, desperately wanting to see her.

“I will.”

“You promise?”

“Cross my heart,” she assured me. “I’ll be there waiting for you.”

They were the most beautiful words I felt I had ever heard in my life. And suddenly, my heart didn’t feel quite so heavy and my day didn’t look quite as dark.

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