Page 47 of When You're Gone
“He’s one of my best friends,” she confessed with a smile.
His mom’s response came in a soft, melancholy whisper. “Thank you for being his friend. Thank you for letting him shine.” Gloria stood up from the table, smoothed her hands down the front of her skirt, and left the kitchen without another word.
Chapter seventeen
Rhett
Hestraightenedhistieone more time before pulling on his suit jacket. Charlie was due to pick him up in the next two minutes, and his driver was always right on time. The executive retreat didn’t start for a few hours, but he wanted to get everything in order. His granddad had always been the first one into the office and was often the last one out. Rhett made every effort to lead by example and follow in his granddad’s footsteps.
He shook his head sadly as he thought about Jonathan. The latest update was more of the same, with no improvements to report. He was being cared for at the best rehabilitation center money could buy, but that didn’t matter. The damage was too severe; the prognosis too grim. Rhett’s mom had stayed in town to be with her dad, so at least Rhett didn’t have to balance the duality of visiting every day with all his new responsibilities.
Today’s retreat was for his executive team—the people who were supposed to suddenly put their faith in a twenty-five-year-old to run their company. He may have been the acting CEO in title, but this weekend was his opportunity to earn the respect of the entire NorfolkStar Transport leadership team.
He reached for the door handle just as a knock sounded from the other side. He looked down at his phone—checking for a delivery notification or a message from Quinn—but there was nothing. He swung the door open, anxious to handle whatever was on the other side so he could be on his way.
He was greeted by the sight of his wife at his doorstep.
His gorgeous, vivacious, angel of a wife. He blinked once, and then again, just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. She was really there.
He didn’t even have time to react before she was barreling into his arms. Dumbfounded and at a loss for words, he wrapped her in an embrace.
“Hi,” she whispered sweetly, her nails digging in to the back of his neck and holding him close. That one word coated every wound-up thought in his mind and soothed all his haywire nerves. He ran his hands up and down her back, savoring the way she felt in his arms.
“You’re here,” he finally said, his words a hushed whisper of disbelief.
“Are you surprised?” She pulled back to meet his gaze.
He let himself get lost in her emerald-green irises, in her sincere, genuine smile. Her very presence cracked him open and stitched him back together. It was like every emotion that lived inside him swirled in a flurry, then instantly settled because of her. She was here. She was here for him.
“I’m so surprised I’m speechless,” he admitted. “When we talked on Wednesday, you said you had a lot going on, and that you didn’t know…”
“I know. And I’m sorry.” She paused to kiss him, just a light brush of her lips against his, but the endearment warmed his soul. “I shouldn’t have been so flippant when you said you wanted me to come back. I was in my own head, worried about the gala and things at home… I was listening, but I didn’t hear you. You said you needed me here. So here I am.”
He had missed her with every fiber of his being. Here she was, standing before him, in Virginia, saying the words he had so desperately craved.
And yet the timing was horrendous.
“V…” he groaned, pressing his forehead to hers, willing her to feel his frustration about what he was about to say. “Dammit. I was just on my way out. I have a weekend retreat with the entire executive team that starts in a few hours.” He caught the inside of his cheek between his molars and bit down so hard he tasted blood. This was the worst possible scenario—the shittiest timing. And there was no way out of it.
“Wait. You have to work this weekend?”
“I do. I’m the one who planned the whole damn thing. I have to be at the office all day today, and there’s a dinner tonight. Then we have an eight o’clock tee time tomorrow morning.” He huffed out a frustrated breath as his phone dinged in his pocket. There was a text on the screen from Charlie asking about his whereabouts. He looked from his wife to his phone, then back again. He hated this.
“I’m so sorry, beautiful.”
She met his gaze and held it. The sadness seeping out of her wasn’t as sharp as he expected. It was more like a soft despondence, the downtrodden curve of her mouth the only indicator she was disappointed. When he looked hard enough, Rhett could see that she was still carrying around the same sadness that had been lingering since her second surgery. There was a vacancy behind her eyes that hadn’t lived there before. Her preventative surgeries had removed all the fear of getting cancer in the future, but they had left a vast nothingness in their wake.
There was no quick fix for what she was going through, for what festered where her spark had once been. Joy wasn’t as vibrant. Apparently, the lows didn’t hit as hard as they used to, either. What he wouldn’t give to see her stomp her feet and get snarky with him, for her to demand he figure this out and prioritize her since she had come all the way here to surprise him. It wouldn’t change anything about how the day would go. It wouldn’t affect what was possible, or in this case, not possible. But damn, he missed the ferocity that used to rise up inside her.
“So… so you’re leaving right now? And you won’t be back until tonight?”
His gaze snapped to attention when her voice cracked on the last word.
Fuck. He looked up just in time to see a stray tear roll down her cheek. His heart lurched as he instinctively reached out and swept it away. He glanced down at his phone again. He didn’t have much time, but he’d make time for her.
“I had no idea you were coming…” He shook his head, desperate to come up with a solution to make this work. “I can’t cancel this retreat, but I can flex my time Monday. How long can you stay?” he asked hopefully.
“I was just planning to be here for the weekend. I already have a ticket booked home tomorrow evening.”
