Page 84 of Somewhere Without You
Andnow here hewas, holding me like hehadn’ttornme apart only days ago.
I pulled away from him, my body stiff.“You should go.”
Logan flinched likeI’dstruckhim.“Emily. . . please,”he said, eyes begging.
ButI didn’t have the strength to argue, tohearwhatever apology he thought would fix it.
“I can’t do this right now,”I sighed, too exhausted to carry the weight of my own voice.
He hesitated, his lips parting like he might say more.Butthen,slowly, he nodded.
I turned to Winston, resting a hand on his head as I walked toward the house. My legsfeltheavy. My heart, heavier.
Beforestepping inside, I paused, twilight pressing against my back.
“Thank you,”I said, without turning around.“Forsaving me.”
ThenI closed the door behind me.
Forty Five
Themorningwasstilland gentle, wrapped in a low fog that clung to the mountains. A fine mist floated in the air—a quiet warning of bad weather still to come.
My body ached. I was bruised, sore, and trembling in places I hadn’t even realized could hurt. All things considered, it could’ve been worse. I was exhausted, but I hadn’t really slept. I’d spent most of the night listening—holding my breath, terrified Jackson might come back, and that this time, nobody would be there to save me.
Logan showed up shortly before noon the next day. Raindrops clung to his jacket, sliding down his shoulders in slow rivulets as I opened the door. In one hand, he held a drink carrier with two cups of coffee. In the other, a rolled-up sheet of plastic.
“A peace offering,”he said, lifting the cups.“And if you’ll let me, I’d like to fix that window. There’s a strong system moving in, and I. . .”his voice trailed off as he took me in.
I stepped back and let the door fall open wider.
He set the coffees on the table, and almost immediately, Winston came trotting down the stairs. The dog gave a soft, delighted bark when he spotted Logan.
“I’ll admit, I had my doubts about you,”Logan said, kneeling to scratch behind Winston’s ears.“But you’ve won me over, buddy.”
Winston’s tail thumped against the floor as if he’d never known a reason to doubt Logan. I envied his trust.
Logan stood and peeled off his damp jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. He didn’t say much as he unrolled the plastic sheet and set to work. I watched him for a moment, unsure what to do with myself. The silence between us was uncomfortable. Both of us had things we weren’t ready to say yet.
When he was finished, the wind picked up outside, whistling faintly through the cracks. He glanced toward the window.
“This’ll hold through the storm,”he said.“Might not be pretty, but it’ll keep the rain out.”
I nodded, finally giving in and wrapping my hands around the warm coffee cup. “Thank you.”
He looked up at me then, eyes searching mine.“You okay?”
The question hung between us longer than it should have. I wasn’t. Not really. But over the years, I’d gotten good at pretending.
“I’m fine,” I lied, adding another stone to the fragile wall I’d built around myself.
Logan didn’t move. “Don’t do that,” he begged. “Don’t shut me out like I don’t know the difference.”
I looked away, jaw tight. “I’m not shutting you out.”
“Yeah, you are,” he pressed. “And I get it—you don’t owe me anything. But at least give me the chance to explain. After that, if you want me gone, I’ll go.”
“I wanted to believe you, you know,”I said, my gaze fixed on everything but him.“When you said you loved me? God, Ireallywanted to believe it.”
