Page 77 of Love.V2
“We have time,” I whispered. My jaw cracked in a yawn. “I’m not going anywhere, Dylan.”
His fingers traced my temple, brushing a few hairs away from my cheek. “Promise?”
“Promise.” A few beats passed while I battled my weighted eyelids open, looking at him across the pillow. “Now you promise, too.”
His face softened as he pulled me closer.
“I’m not going anywhere either, Angel.” He murmured into my hairline, pressing kisses there. “I promise.”
Chapter 22
Tess
I woke up and, for a clouded, dizzy moment, thought I was back in Nashville.
But that wasn’t right.
I was in Chicago, on crisp hotel sheets that crinkled when Dylan rolled away, drawn like a moth to flame toward that familiar, abhorrent ringtone.
Everything in the room was dark, but the screen illuminated his face. He winced, the lights probably burning his retinas.
“Hello?”
I blinked. Another moment, another flashback. I was living in two worlds. Nashville, tense, hating every moment that Dylan wasn’t next to me where he should be. Chicago, confused, but happy. Waiting for him to return to me, like we’d promised.
Only he didn’t.
“What?” he hissed, and the leftover cobwebs of sleep cleared from my brain. “You’re sure?”
My heart pumped once, thudded. Something wasn’t right. Dylan shoved to his feet.
“They…right, yes. Yes, right.” He yanked the charger out of his phone, beelining to the closet. I sat up, clutching the sheets to my naked chest.
“Are you okay?” I whispered when Dylan threw his suitcase on the bed, shoving it open. I thought he glanced at me in the dark, but I couldn’t be sure.
“You’ll have to shut down the client updates…yeah. Shit, we have to talk about China.”
My face screwed up, trying to follow all the work words spilling out of his mouth. China? When was the last time he’d said anything about the foreign markets?
When he’d worked at Worther. I bit my lip, reminding myself that he still worked at Worther.
Some of the initial panic subsided. At least it wasn’t an emergency with his family. Right? He wouldn’t be talking about client updates if it was his family…
“Is it the twins? Your dad?” I hissed in the dark, just to make sure. Dylan’s head shook sharply once before he returned to his conversation, throwing clothes and electronics into the suitcase.
“…on a flight in about an hour. Yeah, text me the confirmation number.”
I stilled at his words before leaping out of bed. What the fuck was happening? What time was it? I scrambled to the couch where I’d dropped my phone last night, tapping the screen to life.
Four a.m.
I blinked at the sound of the zipper winding its way closed. Dylan was still talking about markets and emails and board members. I sankonto the bed, waiting. He didn’t even glance in my direction, rushing around the room and peeking into his briefcase, shoving his legs into a pair of jeans without his phone leaving his ear.
“Hold on,” he murmured to whoever he was talking to.
Finally. I leaned forward as he muted the phone, glancing at me. He’d turned the bathroom light on, and I could see his face. He looked…numb. Distracted.
“I have to go. To Nashville. I’m not going to make the Botto meeting tomorrow.”
