Page 38 of When You're Gone
Chapter thirteen
Rhett
He’dlefttheofficemid-afternoon and stopped by the hospital to see his granddad before coming back to the apartment. He was craving a night in with his wife after the stress and chaos of the last few days. He had already told Quinn not to expect to see him again until tomorrow morning. They’d both put in close to sixty hours so far that week, and it was only Wednesday. Takeout and a movie sounded so good. He just had a bit more work to finish before he could shut down for the rest of the night.
“Hey V—I was thinking Lebanese for dinner tonight. There’s a great local place that delivers. Does that sound good to you?”
“Sure, that’s fine,” she replied, walking into the kitchen where he had his laptop set up at the table. He glanced up as she approached, appreciating how comfortable she looked wearing his old Archway crewneck and a pair of leggings. As much as he loved the gorgeous emerald green dress that hugged her body and fluttered with each step she had on earlier, there was something about seeing her in his clothes, in his apartment, that stoked his baser instincts.
“Just order me whatever you’re getting,” she said as she joined him at the table.
He reached out for her out of habit, and she walked around the table to meet him. He scooted his chair away from the table to make enough room on his lap, then pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you for everything today, V. I can’t even tell you how much it meant to me to have you here.” He would always remember the way she looked in the crowd of nameless faces during the press conference. She was his beacon—his calm in this crazy storm that had hit them fast and hard. As long as they were together, they could get through anything.
She curled up in his arms before replying. “You’re welcome. But you deserve all the credit. You didn’t need me. You were amazing.” She looked up at him as she ran her hand down his clean-cut jawline. “Everyone was impressed, and it’s clear the board has complete confidence in you.”
He basked in her praise. This all was happening under the most extreme and difficult circumstances, but he could handle it. Hewashandling it. Hell, he was doing more than just handling it, and he was going to keep exceling with her by his side.
He nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her familiar and comforting scent. He wanted nothing more than to close his laptop and spend the rest of the night holding her in his arms. Just a few more emails to respond to, then he could be done. He glanced up at his laptop to see the latest calendar notification. Perfect timing: he had meant to ask her about this one.
“Hey, there’s a golf outing on Sunday morning at the country club, and I was hoping you’d come with me. You wouldn’t have to stay for the full round… just for the brunch.”
She shifted in his lap before responding. “Ev, I—I really wasn’t planning on staying in Virginia this long.”
He craned back to meet her gaze.
“I sort of have plans this weekend. At home. Camp stuff, and work, too. I hate to keep asking Cory and Lia to take all my shifts,” she offered weakly.
He scowled at her half-hearted excuse. They both knew her shifts at Clinton’s were extremely flexible and completely unnecessary. Rhett wouldn’t ask her to give up her job at Clinton’s if she didn’t feel compelled to do so of her own volition. But he never expected her to use it as an excuse against him.
His jaw ticked as he considered how he wanted to respond. He didn’t want to push her, but he couldn’t not at least try to make his case for getting her to stay longer.
“I’m sure Cory and Lia understand these are special circumstances and won’t mind covering for you. Can you do what you need to do for camp from here? At least for another week or so? I can have Quinn get you a computer to use, and you can set up in the extra bedroom here at the apartment.”
She stilled in his arms, the rejection already apparent in her posture.
“We have to do a food tasting and finalize the layout for the ballroom for the gala. I really think I need to be—”
He cut her off before she could finish. “Okay. I understand.”
Hurt and anger sliced through him. To need her, to communicate that need, and to have her say no was devastating. He so rarely asked for anything. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he let himself be vulnerable and straight up ask for help. Her rejection left a stain on his confidence and jolted him to his core.
The gravity of being turned down vanquished every bit of joy he’d let himself feel that day. He wasn’t going to beg her to stay with him. If she didn’t realize—or worse, didn’t care about supporting him through this, he couldn’t make her stay.
“Don’t be mad,” she urged, running her nails through the short hairs on the back of his head. “You know I would stay if I could…”
Hell no.It was one thing to turn him down. It was another beast entirely to pretend like the decision was out of her control.
“V. That’s bullshit and we both know it. You could stay if you wanted to.”
She recoiled in defiance and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true. It’s insulting for you to pretend otherwise.”
Maybe he just wasn’t stating it clearly enough. Maybe she didn’t understand the enormity of what he was facing or just how much he needed her by his side to get through this.
